Adult athletes who engage in high-intensity exercise for long periods of time in hot environments or high humidity have proven beneficial to drink sports drinks. Sports drinks mainly contain sugar and electrolytes, but may additionally sometimes contain vitamins (usually vitamin C or B vitamins), protein, lactic acid, low-calorie sweeteners, citric acid, natural or artificial fruit flavors. The carbohydrates here are glucose, fructose (high fructose corn syrup), sucrose, and maltodextrin, in general concentrations ranging from 20 to 56 g/L.
Small amounts of electrolytes to enhance the flavor of sports drinks and help maintain fluid/electrolyte balance. is added. These are usually sodium, potassium and chloride. Low amounts of calcium, phosphate, and fluoride have also been reported in sports drinks.
Citric acid is a common food additive and is also a mild acid naturally found in citrus fruits. It is necessary for the Krebbs cycle for energy production. But the amounts found in sports drinks are too low to have a significant effect. Citric acid is added to sports drinks for flavor only. Citric acid has no known significant effects on health. Lactic acid is produced naturally in the muscles during and after intense physical exertion. The purpose of adding lactic acid to sports drinks is to regulate acidity. Lactic acid is derived from natural fermentation and is found in many foods. Both lactic acid and citric acid have no effect on physical performance.
Reason for using sports drinks
Sports drinks are typically; It is formulated to prevent dehydration, provide carbohydrates to increase available energy, provide electrolytes to replace losses from sweating, and be delicious. Sports drinks can be classified as having a low carbohydrate concentration (<10%) or a high carbohydrate concentration (>10%). Higher-carb beverages are marketed for carbohydrate loading rather than general consumption before and during exercise. The more popular beverages are those that contain a low concentration of carbohydrates.
The detrimental effects of dehydration on exercise performance before and during exercise. It is well known to minimize The question of whether sports drinks have additional benefits over water alone has been the subject of hundreds of studies in the sports science literature. It is well known that people do not consume enough fluids when engaged in physical activity, and the rate of voluntary fluid intake is often cited as only 50% of fluid loss during exercise. Hypohydration can lead to life-threatening dehydration, with a large number of related deaths occurring each year in the sports world. Hypohydration also leads to decreased salivary flow. This results in insufficient rinsing and buffering of demineralizing acids on tooth surfaces, increasing the potential for erosion.
The frequency and volume of voluntary fluid consumption are affected by beverage properties such as temperature, taste, aroma and appearance. Pleasantly flavored cold sports drinks are more likely to be consumed than water. When the effects of water and three commercial sports drinks on performance and metabolic balance were investigated, the results revealed that all beverages were equally effective in providing water, electrolyte and mineral balance. However, the voluntary consumption of commercial beverages is higher than water, which suggests that these beverages are more attractive.
The main rule when using sports drinks is that they should not be diluted. This changes the carbohydrate and sodium concentrations. Both affect the rate at which the beverage is emptied from the stomach, so the entire process of energy and fluid distribution is delayed. It is also very important to know that the use of sports drinks has been proven not for children and adolescents, but only for adults engaged in intense physical activity, as well as for people who train in high temperatures and humidity. The average children and teens do not engage in high-intensity physical activity. For them, water and a well-established diet are sufficient, and the use of sports drinks, energy drinks or caffeinated energy drinks is not necessary. If used, sports drinks can replace essential nutrients for growth in children and adolescents.
The Difference Between Sports Drinks and Energy Drinks
Sports drinks small intestine It is designed to provide the body with very rapidly absorbed carbohydrates, electrolytes and fluids. In other words, carbohydrates, electrolytes, and fluids taken orally are transferred to the muscles, brain, etc. The time to reach it should be very short. On the other hand, energy drinks contain a much higher concentration (often too high for physical activity) carbohydrates and other ingredients such as vitamins, taurine, L-tyrosine, citicoline, 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan (5-HTP). The compound 5-HTP is a precursor to serotonin and reduces appetite. These types of energy drinks have also become popular, but they did not help during training compared to sports drinks. Also, energy drinks can cause adverse effects when used by teenagers and young adults, or when mixed with alcohol or medication.
Adding small to moderate doses of caffeine (75-200mg) can help maintain exercise performance. If used in the right doses on a daily basis, it can prevent some diseases such as Parkinson's disease. May improve performance if consumed a few hours before anaerobic/resistance exercise, but has no effect on repeated high-intensity exercise. It is the most common stimulant ingredient used in caffeinated energy drinks (CEDs). Caffeine is diuretic when used in the form of energy drinks. In the use of caffeine, the literature also highlights some side effects such as nervousness, anxiety, insomnia, tachycardia, palpitations.
Energy drinks and CEDs have the role of providing instant energy to the body, but they are not as efficient in the long run. On the other hand, sports drinks are designed to replace the fluids and electrolytes lost during training and physical exercises and to give the body very fast carbohydrates and electrolytes. A good level of hydration provides benefits for the health and performance of athletes. Sodium reduces urine losses before starting exercise. Sports drinks will enable athletes to perform longer and at higher intensity, even in hot environments. Sports drinks will replace the fluids lost through sweat and help the thermoregulation process even at these high temperatures and also give the body more energy very quickly. It will provide fuel. Sports drinks have an important role in the recovery of the body, so it is important to use them after training. Their use should be combined with foods and other liquids that provide additional carbohydrates, proteins and many other essential nutrients.
Sports drinks, energy drinks, and CEDs should not be mixed with alcohol or drugs. When any medical treatment is administered, the use of these beverages in general should be discontinued, as their interactions with drugs can be hazardous to health. Mixing alcohol with caffeinated energy drinks will increase stimulation but also reduce sedation. significantly improves performance. Dehydration reduces athletic performance. It can be a high risk to performance as well as health. Moderate border dehydration is a maximum loss of 2-3% of initial body weight. At this point, physical performance is already affected.
In the extreme high temperature and humidity of the environment, it is recommended to add ice to the beverage used in sports. It is also recommended to reduce the sugar content to 4% in case of high need for hydration and to increase the salt to prevent hypoantremia.
It is important to control the hydration level. Not only during exercise, but also before and after physical activity as follows:
• hypotonic drinks before training,
• isotonic drinks during exercise,
• after training In addition to mild hypertonic drinks, we can control the level of hydration with food and other fluids that provide carbohydrates, proteins and many other essential nutrients.
Sports Drinks and Recovery
A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of sports drinks on body recovery not only during training but also after intense training. Sports drinks were used before, during and after each tennis match played. It is well known that a prolonged tennis match can cause muscle fatigue, and this can result in physical performance even after several hours of recovery. will lead to a decrease in rmans. Compared to sports drinks, where the only liquid used was water, the reduction in effort capacity was very limited and performance improved. Considering that a few matches are played for limited periods and the rest periods are short in tennis tournaments, it is important to limit fatigue, aid recovery and improve performance. This goal has been achieved using sports drinks, but it is also important to control nutrition that affects muscle and hepatic glycogen stores. Carbohydrate supplementation before, during, and after each tennis match can also help re-synthesize glycogen stocks between matches.
In order to avoid hypohydration due to physical effort, fluid intake is of course also recommended, taking into account individual, environmental and exercise characteristics. Attention should be paid not only to the timing and volume of fluid intake, but also to the type and composition of fluid to be taken. Many studies have proven that in conditions of sweating, electrolyte loss, hypohydration, and glycogen depletion, the intake of sports drinks can be more advantageous than water. Sports drinks contain an appropriate combination of electrolytes and carbohydrates. Such beverages provide optimizing body hydration, replacement of electrolytes (mainly sodium) and high carbohydrate oxidation as an energy source. The electrolyte portion of sports drinks may show some differences. Drinks used before and during training usually contain sugar and electrolytes, no protein or magnesium.
Sports drinks contain appropriate amounts of carbohydrates and electrolytes to aid hydration and prevent hyponatremia. To maintain a good level of hydration, amounts between 5 and 7 mL per kilogram of body mass 3-4 hours before an endurance event. Fluid intake is recommended and necessary. Intake of substances that expand plasma volume may interfere with the effects of sports drinks and increase the risk of hyponatremia. Not only does hyperhydration help with performance or thermoregulation, it also lowers sodium levels even more.
When sodium falls below 125 mEq/L, hyponatremia is serious and very dangerous for health.
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