Choosing a Sports Energy Drink can be pretty confusing. There are so many options – Isotonic Sports Drinks, sports drinks with electrolytes, endurance sports drinks, and countless others.
But which are the best options? And what should you take into consideration when choosing a Sports Energy Drink?
Here’s my list of things to consider:
Low GI – most Sports Energy Drinks are high GI – this means that give you a quick burst of energy followed by a slump which reduces your performance. Even more worrying is that these high GI products stimulate an Insulin response drink-detach.com.
Fructose based – most products are glucose based. Fructose is fruit sugar, much healthier for you, and low GI
Rich in mineral salts – a vital role of a sports Energy Drink is for it to provide mineral salts to replace those lost as you exercise.
Medium Chain Triglycerides – these, commonly referred to as MCTs, are fats composed of medium-chain fatty acids. They are easily absorbed as fuel during endurance events but are not likely to deposit as body fat.
Proof – if the product is as good as it claims to be, there will probably be clinical studies to prove that. Look for studies that show the product increases maximum oxygen consumption (VO2Max), time to exhaustion and aerobic performance.
Biochemicals – the energy drink should contain biochemicals, but it’s easy to not understand why – the role of biochemicals in your sports drink is to help the body clear itself of lactic acid, which is produced during physical exertion and reduces muscle performance.
There are lots of things to consider when choosing a sports drink, and the ingredients of the product you use can affect your training results, so make sure you are choosing the best product available.