5 Common Myths about Sports Drinks
Myth 1: Water is the best fluid replacement during activity.
Fact: Whilst water is good, it does have its limitations in terms of athletic performance.
- The subtle flavour actually encourages drinking more than water alone does.1
- Water turns off the thirst-mechanism before rehydration is complete.2
- Water lacks electrolytes and carbohydrates which facilitates optimal performance.3
Myth 2: All sports drinks are basically the same.
Fact: There is still a great variation in terms of formulas in today’s sports drinks – The trick is to learn to read the label – Ingredients are listed in descending order from greatest to least.
Myth 3: It doesn’t really matter what drink you use – as long as it contains a blend of carbs and electrolytes
Fact: The formulation matters a lot:
- A high concentration of carbohydrates in the gut actually slows fluid absorption.4
- A blend of carbohydrates (that is, maltodextrin, trehalose, fructose and some glucose), can hasten fluid absorption.5
- Recent research has been inclined towards higher sodium levels. Having sufficient sodium in a sports drink may help prevent hyponatraemia (a condition of dangerously low sodium levels, from over-hydration with a low-sodium drink or water alone). Sodium also keeps the thirst mechanism active for longer which translates into better rehydration.6
- The flavour of the drink matters a lot too – if it is too sweet, most folk will tend to drink less and possibly dehydrate.7
Myth 4: If you drink a sports drink during a long, high-intensity training session, you will put on weight.
Fact: Research has shown that people who drink a well-designed sports drink during a long exercise session can train/ race for longer at a higher intensity3,8
Consuming a carbohydrate drink during exercise or an event changes the level of perceived effort.10 Research has also shown that people who drink sports drinks during long intense sessions are less likely to overeat afterwards9
Myth 5: Sports drinks contain high levels of simple sugars that cause “bonking” in the latter half of the race.
Fact: Low blood sugar/hypoglycaemia (aka ‘Bonking’) is usually caused by an extreme insulin response to the ingestion of high amounts of simple sugars.
- Most sports drinks today contain a blend of both simple and complex carbohydrates and have a low carbohydrate content of less than 8% to 10%.
- In addition, exercise usually blunts insulin response to carbohydrates ingested during exercise.
- The risk of bonking on an up-to-date sports drink is thus significantly reduced provided of course, that you continue to drink at appropriate rates.
- The very slight rise in insulin following the ingestion of a sports drink during exercise does assist with increasing the rate of glucose uptake and use by the working muscles – which is obviously a plus in terms of performance.11,12
References for Article above:
1. Passe, D.H. et al. Appetite 35:219-229, 2000.
2. Wilk, B. and Bar-Or, O. J Appl Physiol 80:1112-1117, 1996.
3. Below, P.R. et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc 27:200-210, 1995.
4. Ryan, A.J. et al. J Appl Physiol 84:1581-1588, 1998.
5. Shi, X. et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc 27: 1607-1615, 1995.
6. Wemple, R.D. et al. Int J Sports Nutr 7:104-116, 1997.
7. Passe, D.H. et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc 31:S322, 1999.
8. Davis, J.M. et al. Int J Sports Nutr 10:476-485, 2000
9. Melby, C.L. et al. FASEB J 15:A990, 2001.
10. Utter, A. et al. Int J Sports Nutr 7:274-285, 1997.
11. Febbraio, M.A. et al. J Appl Physiol 89:2220-2226, 2000.
12. Coyle, E.F. et al. J Appl Physiol 55:230-235, 1983.
With thanks and acknowledgement to G.S.S.I. – The Gatorade Sports Science Institute