15.6: Water Consumption

In 1974, the US federal government enacted The Safe Drinking Water Act to help provide the American public with safe drinking water. In the decades immediately following the implementation of water chlorination and disinfection methods, water-borne illnesses, such as cholera and typhoid fever, essentially disappeared in the United States. The treatment of drinking water is touted as one of the top public-health achievements of the last century. If you have questions about your tap water safety, visit the municipality’s website in which you live. They are required by law to provide this information to the public. For most of America, tap water is safe to drink. Still, occasionally problems occur, such as the case in Flynt, Michigan, where there were unsafe levels of lead present in tap water due to inappropriate choices made by the city government officials.

Water is usually the best choice before, during, and after physical activity. However, some individuals may benefit from a sports drink if they sweated a lot during intense or long-term activity. An example of this can be a runner or cyclist in a long-distance event. Sports drinks help replace water and electrolytes lost through sweat. It is important to keep in mind that sports drinks may contain sugars and have little nutritional value.

Watch the video about the creation of the first sports drink

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