What to Look For In A Sports Drink

Water is great for shorter runs, but if you perspire heavily or if you're going to be running over 60 minutes, a sports drink will be a better choice. Sports Drinks serve two purposes—rehydration and muscle fuel. On longer runs you'll use up your glycogen (energy) stores as well as sweat out vital electrolytes such as sodium and potassium.

Carbohydrates along with fat are the two main fuel sources for your muscles. Your body can store about 2000 calories in the form of glycogen which will last about 2hrs for the average runner. So, during a long run of 2+ hours, these carb stores will be depleted. If they're not replaced during the run, then the runner will more than likely "bonk" or "hit the wall." Sports drinks and/or sports gels are a great way to restock the glycogen (energy) stores while on the run. But don't wait until you feel fatigued to begin resupplying or it will be too late.

Sodium is needed to help the body properly absorb the fluids you're taking in. Ever have that sloshing-in-your-stomach feeling during a race? The sloshing is probably not due to drinking too much too fast. More than likely the water is remaining in your belly because you've decreased your sodium levels so much that your body can no longer absorb the fluids, so they're just "stuck" with nowhere to go. Ever have calf or quad cramps? This too is often a sign of dehydration and depleted potassium levels.

There are so many different brands of sports drinks on the market all claiming they're the best for you. So what exactly should be in a sports drink? There are some basics you should look for. As for the "extras" in many sports drinks? For the most part, that's exactly what they are—extra. You'll have to decide whether you need the extras or not.

Staples Of A Sports Drink:
Sodium:
Most experts agree that the sodium levels of sports drinks should be in the range of 110 - 220 mg per 8 fl. oz. A newer brand, just recently available—The Right Stuff— contains no carbs, but it contains much higher levels of sodium and other electrolytes. To read a review of The Right Stuff [click here].
Carbohydrates:
The carbohydrate concentration in a sports drink should be 6-8% or
6 - 8 grams per 100 ml
14.2 - 18.9 grams per 8 oz.
21.3 - 28.4 grams per 12 oz.
Sports drinks containing more than these quantities of carbs should be used for refueling after a workout, but not during.

Sports Drink Extras:
Caffeine:
Energy drinks and sports drinks are often confused. In general, sports drinks don't contain caffeine. The smaller canned (and some bottled) energy drinks (i.e., Red Bull) often contain very large amounts of caffeine as well as sugar or other sweeteners. Research has shown that some caffeine ingested before a race can boost performance (click here for more info), but drinking large amounts of caffiene throughout a race can have adverse effects and cause stomach issues for many runners.
Protein:
Some brands of sports drinks have added protein to their formula. Some claim the protein/carb mixture enhances performance. There is mixed results/opinions on whether performance is actually enhanced. The added protein, however, has been shown to speed muscle recovery. Accelerade, Amino Vital, Endurox R-4, and PowerBar Recovery Performance all contain added protein.
Vitamins:
Some brands contain a wide array of added vitamins. While this may be good for your general health, there's no research to show that they will help with your performance or benefit rehydration.

There are actually three different types of sports drinks available—Isotonic, Hypotonic, and Hypertonic. Some are designed for use during a run, while others are designed for after activity hydration. Listed below is more info about each type of sports drinks.

Isotonic Sports Drinks—Contain electrolytes and 6-8% carbs. Isotonic sports drinks usually contain about 120-170 calories per 500 ml of fluid. Probably the most common type of sports drink, isotonic sports drinks are good for normal replacement of fluids lost through normal sweating incurred during middle and long distance runs. (Examples: Accelerade, Gatorade [original], Gatorade Endurance Formula, Powerade [original], PowerBar Endurance Sport [powder])

Hypotonic Sports Drinks—Contain electrolytes and a small amount of carbs. This type of drink replaces fluids quickly but doesn't provide much of an energy boost. If a runner uses hypotonic sports drinks on a long run, he/she will need to supplement with sports gels to get the needed carbs. (Examples: Gatorade G2, Powerade Zero, Amino Vital)

Hypertonic Sports Drinks—Contain about 10-15% carbs and usually about 240-320 calories per 500 ml of fluid. These drinks are designed to replenish carb levels after exercise or to top off the glycogen stores before an endurance run. Hypertonic drinks are good for marathons or ultraruns. Due to the high levels of carbs, if hypertonic drinks are used during exercise, it's very important that a runner also take in some isotonic or hypotonic drinks too to help replace fluids. (Examples: Endurox R-4, Gatorade Performance Series, PowerBar Performance Recovery, Isopure Endurance)

Funny thing. Scientists have spent a lot of time developing the "perfect" sports drink. Come to find out, nature had made one long ago—coconut water. To find out more about coconut water [click here].

Gatorade, Powerade, Accelerade, Oh My!

The other day I stopped by a convenient store to pick up a sports drink for my run. I was amazed at the number of different brands to choose from. There were four or five varieties of Gatorade and a couple for Powerade. This made me curious about the history of the sports drinks and gels, so I did a little digging and found some cool stuff (I know, I have too much time on my hands).

A Little History: Looks like we've known for quite a while that the body uses carbs and fat as fuel. Back in 1911, physiologist Nathan Zuntz reported that fat and carbohydrates were both used as fuel for muscles. In the early '20s, researchers at a Boston marathon realized that some runners finished the race with blood sugar levels that were considered hypoglycemic. They discovered that by giving these runners candy during the marathon, it kept them from becoming hypoglycemic as well as improving their performance. In 1932, Harvard researchers reported that by giving dogs carbohydrates during exercise it increased their endurance. In 1967, when the Florida Gators were being badly beaten by Georgia Tech, the Gators were given a drink created by Dr. Robert Cade that contained electrolytes and carbohydrates. As we all know, the Gators came back to win the game and the first sports drink—Gatorade—was born (took about 20 years for it to really catch on with the masses). Carb-loading before a marathon was first done by Ron Hill at the European Championship Marathon in Athens in 1969. He won the race. He tweaked the process for the '72 Olympics in Munich by doing a long hard run followed by three normal training days with hardly any carbs followed by three days of little to no training but took in large amounts of carbs. Terrorism delayed his preparation and the marathon by a day. This time he took 6th place. In the early to mid '70s there was some debate over whether or not fluids mixed with carbohydrates were good for you. By the 1980s several studies showed that taking in carbs during races longer than 90 minutes improved performance and that if the solution was less than 8% it didn't hinder gastric emptying and fluid balance. In the 1990s sports drinks became much more popular and sports bars and gels started to appear on the market.

Today: With all the recent advances in sports nutrition there's almost too much to choose from on the market. Did you know that Gatorade has 11 different sub-brands on the market? (Original, AM, Fierce, X-Factor, Rain, Tiger, G2, Carbohydrate Energy Formula, Endurance Formula Power [powder], Protein Recovery Shake[powder], and Nutrition Shake[powder]). But that's not a bad thing. Today we have access to a broad selection of carbohydrate powders and drinks that include a combination of complex carbohydrates like maltodextrin and simple sugars like fructose and sucrose. You do need to educate yourself about the products, make sure you read the labels, and test out different products well before race day. Not all sports drinks contain the same ingredients. Some contain sodium, caffeine, and/or protein. The amount of fructose and/or sucrose (simple sugars) varies and some use artificial sweeteners. And don't forget there's always subjective things like taste that may play a factor in your selection. For example, I love the powder version of Accelerade, but the bottled version has a really weird feel in my mouth. You'd think they'd be the same, but their not.

Luckily because there are so many different varieties of sports drinks on the market, you're likely to find something to suite your needs. For example, if high amounts of fructose or sucrose give you stomach issues you can now find ones that have lower amounts like Gatorade G2 or ones that use complex carbs like LIV Organic Sports Drink or Powerade Zero that contains no carbs but does provide electrolytes and sodium.

With so many different types of sports drinks on the market, it's hard to know exactly which one you need. I've yet to see one that says on the label, "Drink me if you run more than 2 hours and sweat a lot." I've discovered three different groups of sports drinks—isotonic, hypotonic, and hypertonic. Doesn't mean much to ya, does it? You're not alone. Didn't mean must to me either until I sorted out the three. Okay, here's a breakdown that might help clarify the three types of sports drinks and when you should use them:

Isotonic Sports Drinks—Contain electrolytes and 6-8% carbs. Isotonic sports drinks usually contain about 120-170 calories per 500 ml of fluid. Probably the most common type of sports drink, isotonic sports drinks are good for normal replacement of fluids lost through normal sweating incurred during middle and long distance runs. (Examples: Accelerade, Gatorade [original], Gatorade Endurance Formula, Powerade [original], PowerBar Endurance Sport [powder])

Hypotonic Sports Drinks—Contain electrolytes and a small amount of carbs. This type of drink replaces fluids quickly but doesn't provide much of an energy boost. If a runner uses hypotonic sports drinks on a long run, he/she will need to supplement with sports gels to get the needed carbs. (Examples: Gatorade G2, Powerade Zero, Amino Vital)

Hypertonic Sports Drinks—Contain about 10-15% carbs and usually about 240-320 calories per 500 ml of fluid. These drinks are designed to replenish carb levels after exercise or to top off the glycogen stores before an endurance run. Hypertonic drinks are good for marathons or ultraruns. Due to the high levels of carbs, if hypertonic drinks are used during exercise, it's very important that a runner also take in some isotonic or hypotonic drinks too to help replace fluids. (Examples: Endurox R-4, Gatorade Performance Series, PowerBar Performance Recovery, Isopure Endurance)