12 June 2009 06:18 | Posted by: Gareth Nicholas
Tags: Sports drinks, Carbohydrate, Energy, Hydration
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A frequent question that I get asked is are sports drink actually any good? To help provide a suitable answer and perhaps generate some discussion we need to discuss two areas, 1 - energy requirements during sport and 2 - hydration during sport.
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During any exercise our body uses energy; during medium to high intensity activity this energy is predominately from carbohydrate. As the exercise duration increases our demand for energy is also increased. A sport example would be the last 10 minutes in a football match, players are often seen tired with the potential implications being a reduction in skill and motivation. To counteract this, an increase in energy is required and consequently many football teams use sports drinks with this sports nutrition strategy.
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Along with carbohydrate replenishment the other advantage of drinking a sports drink is that it helps with hydration. As we exercise we begin to sweat to try and cool the body. Therefore we are losing water as sweat, along with the water loss is body salts, known as 'electrolytes'. These electrolytes are important not only during sport but also in normal daily living. Drinking water alone will not replenish these lost electrolytes, however drinking a sports drink will. What are your thoughts?
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