Are Sports Drinks Better Than Water?

When picking a workout drink, should I drink just water or some type of sports drink?

Despite the volume of advertising suggesting fabulous effects for anyone if he or she will drink their latest "power drink," the majority of research continues to support the suggestion that if one is well nourished, performance during events lasting less than 60-90 minutes will not be significantly improved by consuming sports drinks. In other words, for most of us, especially the average fitness enthusiast, water will do just fine (like a 50 minute group exercise class). This an active area in exercise science research, so there may be some interesting new discoveries that may alter our thinking. For now the studies are preliminary.


After 60-90 continuous minutes, especially at higher levels of performance, there is a need to provide the muscles with glucose. Here are some general guidelines if sports drinks are needed:


?no more than 6-8% glucose or glucose polymers (anything more concentrated will actually draw water in to dilute the fluid)


?non carbonated


?45 - 65 degrees Fahrenheit


?dilute fruit juices 1:1


?no caffeine


?palatable


Improved research and keeping open minds to change relates to the optimum temperature bullet. Until quite recently it was thought that the colder the fluid the better, because it would empty from the stomach into the intestines more rapidly than warmer beverages, thus speeding the absorption of glucose and water. However, continued research now suggests that tepid fluids will empty more quickly.

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