A bewildering variety of specialized drinks is now available to the serious athlete. Most of these drinks are designed to replace the exercise-induced loss of fluids, electrolytes, carbohydrates or all three. Other drinks are specially designed for carbohydrate-loading before an event.
What Do Sports Drinks Do?
The most important function of any sports drink is to replace the fluids lost during exercise, a function that plain water serves just as well. Although many sports drinks feature added electrolytes, such as sodium, potassium and chloride, most athletes don’t need such additives. However, athletes engaging in extreme endurance events of four hours or more may need sodium replacement. In addition, some researchers believe that a small amount of sodium in the drink helps to speed the fluid into the body from the stomach.
Carbohydrate-Loading
Most sports drinks contain some form of carbohydrate, in the form of sugar or larger molecules called glucose polymers. Carbohydrate drinks that contain between four and ten percent of such carbohydrates can be used in place of plain water during an event and can help postpone the exhaustion that occurs when blood sugar is depleted. Carbohydrate-loading drinks are most valuable when drunk about thirty minutes before fatigue would normally set in. They are meant to be drunk well before the event begins, not during it. However, it is not necessary to drink specially designed — and expensive — sports drinks to keep fluid and blood sugar levels high. Most fruit juices, when diluted with an equal amount of plain water, fall within the four to ten percent carbohydrate range.
More Sports Drink Tips
If you have access to a trained sports physician, follow his or her advice when choosing sports drinks. During an event, avoid drinks containing fructose or those with more than ten percent carbohydrate. They cause the drink to remain in the stomach too long. Have your drink chilled if possible. Chilling doesn’t cause stomach cramps, and it aids in the cooling effect of the drink. Follow these guidelines to get the most benefit from sports drinks.
