Is ther any evidence that sports drinks actually work?!
It there any evidence that is contradictory?
REAl evidence, I already know what they do, so for example any tests that have been carried out?
Answers:
Over the course of a prolonged session of vigorous intermittent or continuous exercise, the muscles turn over a lot of glycogen (a complex of glucose, water and potassium stored as fuel in the muscles) and the body loses electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium).
Despite being popularly depicted as a great evil, sodium (as obtained from salt) is the most abundant mineral in the human body, and terrestrial herbivores such as elephants (whose natural environment in short on sodium/salt) go to great troubles to manoeuvre their colossal bulks into tight caves at night to obtain "salt licks".
Of course, lots of people are mostly inactive and yet spend large parts of each day ingesting more carbohydrates than their bodies have room for. I can't be bothered to cite any specific examples right now, but there's plenty of evidence that repeatedly overconsuming carbohydrates in any form can damage your health, but there's also plenty of evidence that muscles well stocked with glycogen perform better during vigorous exercise, and that consuming readily utilized carbohydrates (especially glucose) not long after such training (or even during it if it's prolonged) helps with recovery from exercise and spares skeletal muscle from being broken down (most of the amino acids in skeletal muscle can be converted into glucose when blood sugar levels are dropping too low).
Thus, there is evidence that readily utilized carbohydrates are helpful around vigorous training for those who are not repeatedly overconsuming carbohydrates anyway. That doesn't mean that any given hypermarketed and excessively expensive "sports drink" is any better than any cheaper and more "natural" concoction (e.g. a bit of milk mixed with water and glucose powder and a pinch of mineral-rich sea salt). Tacky "sports drinks" are not necessary around vigorous training, but glucose and electrolytes are very helpful.
I don't know about enhancing performance, but I do know that Gatorade and other drinks with electrolytes in them are proving themselves to be helpful to people after or during a marathon or other extended period of exercise that makes you sweat. It helps to rehydrate a person very quickly and get depleted electrolytes restored. A lot of doctors recommend it to patients who do activities that can leave them dehydrated very quickly.
Most of these 'energy' drinks contain aspartame. That's as healthy as playing marbles on the motorway.
Some contain Taurine. It is all sorts of kelter that you just do not need in your body.
The best thirst quencher is water, the best energy source is glucose.
www.sweetpoison.com
Well, i got proof.
Look on the back, they are full of sugar and all they will do is give you a quick sugar rush lasting 10-30 seconds.
Actually they are full of sugar and salt.
vitamins
they help with dehydration -not performance.
None,best sports drink there is ,is skimmed milk