What is the best sports drink to use with exercise?

This was so much easier to determine ten years ago, but now that more and more sports drinks are on the market, with different combinations of carbohydrates, protein and caffeine, it has gotten to be a little tougher to figure out. There has even been recent research suggesting that chocolate milk is as good of a recovery drink as any sports drink! So what should you do? Do you need to choose a different drink for before your workout, while exercising, and for recovery?

Gatorade® was the first sports drink to enter the market back in the 1960s. A sports drink is defined as a beverage with carbohydrates in a concentration of 2- 8.75% with an osmolality of less than 400 mOsm. Gatorade® and other sports drinks typically contain carbohydrates and electrolytes that fall within that concentration. Before the advent of sports drinks, if anything was consumed at all during exercise, the beverage of choice was typically water. However, during strenuous exercise, water does not hold up well. Research has shown that people are more likely to stop drinking prematurely when water is consumed, leading to dehydration. So the sodium that makes a sports drink taste less than wonderful serves a purpose in that it keeps you drinking. The sodium in sports drinks serves a second purpose as well – it can prevent the concentration of sodium in the blood from decreasing too much, which is a possibility of a significant amount of water is consumed. So sports drinks encourage a person to drink more and maintain an appropriate level of sodium in the blood.

Now let’s add another reason into the mix for choosing a sports drink over water. The carbohydrates in the drink serve as a much needed energy source during exercise. So why limit sports drinks to 8.75% carbohydrate level? What is wrong with concentrated sugar packets? Due to the way the nervous systems works, digestion automatically decreases during exercise. When you consume carbohydrate drinks that are above 8-9%, it causes the stomach to slow down even more, leading to cramps and stomach pains. So sports drinks provide a source of energy, but only to a point. In addition, absorption increases by combining multiple types of carbohydrates. Gatorade®, for example, contains both sucrose and glucose.

What about sports drinks that contain protein? The addition of protein to a sports beverage is intended to increase the rapid storing of protein and glycogen in muscles after a workout. In addition, the soreness that may come with the breakdown of muscle during exercise can be decreased with consumption of protein. This can be seen with lower levels of creatine phosphokinase (CPK) in the blood, indicating less muscle injury. Thus, recovery has shown to be quicker with the addition of protein after a workout.

Let’s not forget about caffeine. Red Bull® and other energy drinks (not to be confused with sports drinks) contain high levels of both carbohydrates and caffeine. Carbohydrate levels are typically higher than the 8-9% that is the recommended limit in carbohydrate concentration during a workout. A ratio of 4:1 carbohydrate to protein is commonly found in recovery drinks. Drinks with caffeine, protein, vitamins and a high carbohydrate concentration are best left for after a workout is completed. One recent researcher has suggested that chocolate milk, which happens to have a 4:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio, could be a possible option for a recovery drink.

To review, sports drinks with a 4-8% carbohydrate concentration with electrolytes are the best choice just before and during a workout. Save the drinks with a higher carbohydrate concentration, caffeine, protein, and vitamins for after the workout for the goal of recovering faster. Using the right drink can help you to perform better and recover faster. Don’t forget that this is one part of the picture, including proper diet, sleep and chiropractic care to keep your body performing as best as it can.

Dr. Brian Lancaster