Sports Drink Science
A well-formulated sports drink helps athletes get the most out of their bodies by supplying the water, sugar, and salt required to maintain important physiological and metabolic functions. When performance is important, a sports drink is always more effective than plain water.
- A well formulated sports drink helps athletes get the most out of their bodies;
- Whenever substantial sweat loss is expected (e.g., > 1 L), athletes should favor sports drinks over water. There is no downside to doing so and sports drink consumption offers the potential benefits of being able to play longer and harder;
- Whenever performance is important, a well formulated sports drink is always superior to plain water; The sensory properties of a sports drink are critical for stimulating voluntary fluid intake. Flavor, sweetness, and tartness are among the characteristics that optimize acceptance and fluid intake;
- Sports drinks should contain multiple carbohydrates to optimize palatability, water and solute absorption, and muscle carbohydrate oxidation;
- A well formulated sports drink should contain two or more of the following carbohydrates: sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, galactose, and maltodextrins;
- The hydration and fueling advantages of a well formulated sports drink result in independent and additive performance benefits. In other words, there is a performance benefit to being well hydrated, a performance benefit to being well fueled, and an additive performance benefit when both are accomplished;
- For the purpose of optimizing water absorption, sports drinks should contain at least 2% carbohydrate (20 g/L) and no more than 7% carbohydrate (70 g/L);
- For the purpose of optimizing both water absorption and supplying sufficient carbohydrate to improve performance, sports drinks should contain 4% – 7% carbohydrate;
- Ingesting about 1.0 g CHO/kg/h improves performance. That level of carbohydrate intake can be accomplished by ingesting roughly 1 liter (quart) of sports drink per hour or by combining sports drink intake with a carbohydrate gel or other carbohydrate source;
- To promote rapid absorption, the osmolality of a well formulated sports drink should be less than 400 mOsm/kg H2O and ideally less than 300 mOsm/kg H2O;
- Sodium and chloride are the most important minerals to replace during and following exercise. Potassium, calcium, and magnesium are also lost in sweat (although much less than NaCl) and are appropriate ingredients for sports drinks;
- Athletes should drink enough fluid during exercise to minimize loss of body weight.
Connect with us