by Brett Hall R.D.

Created on: May 06, 2007

The following is a detailed review of 7 popular sports drinks, plus a few generic pointers to help you any sports drink you run across.
Way back in 1965 the virtual Stone Ages of sports nutrition a few exercise physiology eggheads at the University of Florida (who probably had money riding on their football team, the Gators) whipped up a secret weapon to help their boys stay hydrated, energized and hitting hard during their grueling, hot games. It was simple reallyjust a bit of sugar, sodium and potassium in water. But science backed it, the Gators loved it, and the team excelled. And so was born the very first sports drink aptly named Gatorade.

While Gatorade hasn't change much over the past 36 years, the science of sports nutrition hasand along with it the number and diversity of sports drinks. Now there are drinks formulated to meet your pre, during, and post workout needs. My goal is to help you separated the jetsam from the flotsam to explain what to drink when and why in order to maximize your endurance sports performance and recovery.
Unfortunately I don't have time to cover all of the 100 plus drinks on the market one by one. So before I do a detailed review of 7 popular drinks let me lay out a few generic pointers to help you critique any sports drink you run across. Keep in mind that there are other cool bells and whistles in some of the more cutting edge drinks (that I'll point out in a bit), but the parameters below are foundational, and should be present in any drink you use for the prescribed purpose.

Use What to look for

Before Endurance Training (BET)
2% to 3% carb concentration to optimize hydration efficiency and top off energy stores.
Low GI, complex carbs (such as Polydextrose) to avoid rebound hypoglycemia during your workout.
Approximately 100 mg of sodium and 40 mg of potassium per 8 ounces to promote rapid absorption of water in the gut and top off electrolytes.
Antioxidants such as beta-carotene, vitamin C and E to prepare the body to handle production of large amounts of free radicals during exercise.

During Endurance Training (DET)
6% to 8% carb concentration to optimize the delivery of carbohydrate energy and water to working muscles.
A mix of complex and simple carbs (such as glucose, fructose and maltodextrin) to provide both quick and longer lasting ready energy sources to best spare glycogen reserves.
Approximately 75 mg of sodium and 25 mg of potassium per 8 ounces to optimize replacement of electrolytes lost in sweat.
500-1,000

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