DEAR DR. BLONZ: This is in response to your column about a soccer game, the provision of a sugary sports drink for children, and your concerns about active children having a drink with higher sugar content. Some years ago, a soccer coach sent me a study in the journal Pediatrics that discussed the best type of drink. Based on that study, a good choice would be a drink like Gatorade. I just went to my fridge and confirmed what I thought: Gatorade has 14 grams of sugar (50 calories) and 110 mg of sodium in an 8-ounce serving. This is exactly what that paper reported. It led me to believe this would be the ultimate drink for the children in this case, and would also have the benefit of saving 10 calories per serving, compared to the higher-sugar drink. -- F.S., Tempe, Arizona

DEAR F.S.: A sports drink can be helpful for those involved with hour-plus workouts or athletic events; this would especially be the case when exercising in warm and humid climates, or for any individual who tends to perspire heavily. Water is the key, but a properly formulated drink can help replace the sodium and potassium lost through perspiration. A small amount of carbohydrate sweetener helps make the drink more palatable, and it provides a small boost of the type of fuel that is in short supply during an extended workout -- especially one that requires periodic bursts of energy. You don’t want too much sugar, as that can work at cross-purposes by slowing nutrient absorption. I also advise against giving exercising children any drinks that contain stimulants, such as caffeine.

The article in the journal Pediatrics (tinyurl.com/ybxaf49z) describes a beverage where an 8-ounce serving contained 14 grams of sugar and 110 milligrams of sodium. This is the same formula found in Gatorade and some other sport drinks. Check the Nutrition Facts label on the products before you buy.

I encourage readers to make their own sports drinks from fresh juices (tinyurl.com/krkj8mx). Such a beverage not only provides the same water and electrolytes, but you get the bonuses of genuine flavors and the additional nutrients and phytochemicals in the fruit juice. Having young athletes involved with real-food functional recipes is also a great lesson to complement their workout. To date, I have made this drink using lemons and limes that grow on our property, but also from Concord grape, pomegranate and cherry juices. Any homemade sports drink is a perishable food, so keep it cool or frozen.

Send questions to: “On Nutrition,” Ed Blonz, c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO, 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: I am 59 with no family history of diabetes, but was recently diagnosed as having Type 2. I know I have to lose some weight, but am curious about other steps to take. I read your bio online at blonz.com, and it states that you did some research on insulin and obesity. What exactly did you research, and what advice do you have about diabetes? -- F.S., Charlotte, North Carolina

DEAR F.S.: My doctoral research focused on the role of insulin in the development of obesity. I used an animal model that was genetically tweaked to get obese if fed a normal diet. As adults, these animals had an elevated insulin level (hyperinsulinemia) in addition to their obesity; I found that in this specialized animal model, the excess insulin preceded the obesity. Such research helps us better understand the relationships between obesity and insulin, and, by extension, diabetes -- but it won’t help us much in dealing with your particular situation.

During digestion, dietary carbohydrates tend to be broken down into their glucose building blocks. The glucose is then actively absorbed into the blood, at which point it is often referred to as “blood sugar.” Glucose, a key source of energy for the body, travels throughout the body via the blood. To release its energy, however, glucose needs to get into the cells where the work is done, and for this it requires insulin: the hormone produced and released by the pancreas as the blood glucose level rises. Once inside the cells, glucose can be used to provide energy for work, such as muscular efforts or cellular repair. When there is sufficient energy, the glucose gets changed into fat, the body’s most concentrated form of energy. It then gets put away in storage in the body’s fat cells.

Diabetes is present when there’s insufficient insulin to get excess glucose out of the blood and into the cells. Type 1 diabetes is when the pancreas is unable to produce the insulin. In such cases, replacement insulin needs to be provided from an external source, usually via injection. Insulin, a protein, can’t be taken orally because the digestive system would break it down before it could be absorbed. More common is Type 2 diabetes; this occurs when the pancreas is still able to produce and release insulin, but it’s unable to keep up with the demand, and the blood glucose level remains elevated. Treatments in such cases can include diet and lifestyle adjustments, or medications to stimulate the pancreas to release more insulin. Type 2 diabetes used to be known as “adult onset” diabetes because it was only seen in adults; not so anymore.

With weight gain, the fat cells increase in size, and enlarging fat cells are associated with a decreasing sensitivity to insulin. This “insulin resistance” means that the body needs more insulin to clear the same amount of glucose out of the blood. Obesity, in essence, overworks the pancreas, which is eventually unable to keep up. Between 80 and 90 percent of those with Type 2 diabetes are obese. This also helps explain why those with Type 2 diabetes often experience dramatic improvements when they lose a few excess pounds.

As there can be short- and long-term complications when one’s blood glucose remains elevated, the bottom line with any diabetic condition is to keep glucose within normal limits. Your task will be to get this done using diet, exercise, medications and/or insulin injections. I encourage you to speak with your family physician and a registered dietitian (R.D.). They can help you with mapping out strategies for weight loss and food selection. There is also a library of information at the American Diabetes Association (diabetes.org).

Send questions to: “On Nutrition,” Ed Blonz, c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO, 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: I wanted some information on the advantages of liquid colloidal mineral supplements. My concerns are about the risk of osteoporosis, which runs in my family, and I would be happy to switch to a product that would be more effective in preventing it. These products are more expensive than the other minerals I take, but the expense would certainly be justified if the product has a higher level of absorption, as is claimed. Is there any substance to these claims? -- B.E., Hayward, California

DEAR B.F.: Colloidal mineral products are not new. There remains a lack of competent, reliable scientific evidence to support any claims that these types of dietary supplement products bring anything special to the table.

A colloid, or colloidal suspension, is a physical state in which solid particles are suspended in a medium, such as a liquid, in a way that the solids do not settle out. The source of colloidal mineral supplements is usually clay or humic shale deposits.

Mineral absorption takes place, for the most part, in the small intestine. Pills, tablets or capsules are designed to dissolve before they reach the absorptive surfaces of the small intestine. The key question is whether, all else being equal, the body will absorb more minerals in the form of a colloidal liquid than it will from a similar amount supplied as a standard pill, powder, tablet or capsule.

Think about what you would accept as proof. Would you want positive statements and testimonials from individuals who want to sell you their products? Or would you demand some form of solid science, such as the publication of unbiased research in a peer-reviewed journal? Hopefully you would opt for the latter. Unfortunately, there is no reliable published evidence to support claims of enhanced bioavailability from minerals in a colloidal form versus similar compounds in more standard supplement forms.

Minerals are all considered inorganic elements because, unlike protein, fat, carbohydrates and vitamins, they do not contain the element carbon. A unique thing about minerals is that they cannot be synthesized or changed by the body. Like vitamins, minerals are only needed in trace amounts, and they don’t provide any calories.

The minerals in our diet are distributed throughout the foods we eat. Calcium, for example, is found in dairy products, a number of green, leafy vegetables and some nuts; magnesium is present in nuts, bananas, legumes and whole grains; and zinc is present in meats, whole grains and seafood. The distribution of the various minerals among the different foods (the same theme holds true for vitamins) is the basis for the advice to focus on variety when it comes to food selection.

Finally, there are proven strategies to help combat the risk of osteoporosis. Check out the articles at tinyurl.com/yda34bj7 and tinyurl.com/yanjrxkc.

Send questions to: “On Nutrition,” Ed Blonz, c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO, 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.