Sports Drinks

@gulpNOW www.giveuplovingpop.org.uk @gulpNOW www.giveuplovingpop.org.uk Executive Summary 3 Introduction 4 - 5 Emergence of the Sports Drink Industry 5 - 6 Convergence of the Sports Drink Industry 6 - 7 Types of Sports Drinks 7 - 8 Performance Enhancement 9 Water 9 - 10 Sugar 10 - 11 Electrolytes 11 - 12 Critique of the Sports Drink Industry 13 - 15 The Thirst Fallacy 16 - 17 Urine Colour 17 Recommendations 18 - 21 References 22 Appendices 23 2 Sports drinks are a relatively recent phenomenon, yet anatomically modern humans have been running around for some 200,000 years. So why do we need them? The producers of sports drinks are keen to emphasise that their products provide hydration before, during and after physical activity—and may even be better than water—but the evidence is tenuous. Many issues have been raised with how and why the sports drink industry conducts its research. Experts have concluded that for the general public, water and a balanced diet is all that is required to facilitate regular exercise. Michael Viggars 3 @gulpNOW www.giveuplovingpop.org.uk Introduction peaking at 165 million litres sold in 2011, falling to 150 Sports drinks are a particular million litres in 2013—a type of soft drink that are decrease of just over 9%. This usually rich in carbohydrates may be attributed to the (in the form of sugar), aggressive marketing minerals, electrolytes and strategies of energy drinks flavourings and are purported targeting the same consumer to optimise hydration before, group as the sports drink during and / or after physical industry. activity and improve athletic performance. They are not to be confused with energy drinks such as Red Bull and Monster, which contain high concentration of caffeine designed to increase alertness and fend off drowsiness. In contrast to energy drinks, sales of sports drinks appear to be in decline in the UK, 4 @gulpNOW www.giveuplovingpop.org.uk Emergence of the Sports approach—as the team’s loss Drink Industry of fluids through sweating led to dehydration, salt depletion In 1965, Dr. Robert Cade, and in some cases heatstroke. assistant professor in the renal division of the College of Medicine at the University of Florida, was contacted by Dewayne Douglas, assistant coach of the Florida Gators Freshman football team, after 25 American football players had been admitted to the hospital infirmary the They found that adding previous weekend due to glucose to a salt-water heat exhaustion and solution increased the rate at dehydration. which both sodium and water Douglas needed something to were absorbed by the small “negative the strain that the intestine. Naturally, they brutal summer heat had concluded that a drink inflicted upon his players”. containing glucose and Cade supposedly knew that sodium would be valuable to replacing fluids would be a athletes requiring instant true advantage for the rehydration. team—hardly a scientific The physiological hunch that 5 @gulpNOW www.giveuplovingpop.org.uk their prototype, lemon- Whilst Gatorade appears to tinged, glucose-salt solution have been created with would benefits the Gators honest intentions, a quickly paid off. The drink was given developing market saw to players in a game versus several competitors enter due the heavily favoured to the commercial potential. Louisiana State, ranked fifth Gatorade currently dominates in the country. The University the North American sports of Florida Gators came from drink market, holding a 77.2% behind to win 14-7. Gatorade share to Powerade’s 21.7% was born. [2], a share they undoubtedly Convergence of the wish to maintain. Sports Drink Industry When considering the UK market, energy drinks such as In an interview in 2005, Dr. Red Bull are often considered Robert Cade said: a type of sports drinks, and “I never thought about the frequently claim to benefit commercial market. The the consumer in similar ways. financial success of this stuff To learn more about energy really surprised us. I am drinks, please see our energy proud that Gatorade was drinks briefing. based on research into what Contrary to Dr. Cade’s the body loses in exercise. statement, the most common The other sports drinks were UK sports drink—Lucozade created by marketing Sport—began life as companies.” [1] 6 @gulpNOW www.giveuplovingpop.org.uk Glucozade and was designed from “Lucozade aids in 1927 by William Owen, a recovery” to “Lucozade Newcastle chemist, as a replaces lost energy” taking source of energy for people on a broader meaning and suffering from illnesses such opening up new markets. as the common cold and Types of Sports Drink influenza. There are three main Following a major rebrand in classifications of sports drinks the 1980s, brought on in part containing various by the commercial success of concentrations of fluid, Gatorade across the pond, electrolyte and carbohydrate. Lucozade shook off the The rationale is that different ‘hospital champagne’ label athletes competing in and began targeting young different sports have different people rather than ‘stay-at- energy requirements before, home mothers’, tripling their during and after exercise; and sales to £75 million in the sports drinks can be tailored process. Their slogan changed to match exact specifications. 7 @gulpNOW www.giveuplovingpop.org.uk 8 @gulpNOW www.giveuplovingpop.org.uk Performance body temperature through Enhancement sweating. As sweat evaporates, heat is released. Sports drinks were initially This can also impact the conceived to be an aid to relative solute athletic performance and concentrations. therefore it is necessary to Sweat production as a understand their constituents consequence of physical and what they may offer activity can amount to 1—2 during exercise. litres per hour (L/hr), Water depending on exercise Water is abundant in the intensity and duration, body, making up 60% of our clothing, air movement and body mass, and serves many humidity [3]. Unless body vital functions, such as water is replaced at transportation of nutrients appropriate and oxygen and removal of waste products, lubrication of joints and serves as a medium for chemical reactions in the body. During exercise, heat is produced during the process of converting chemical energy into mechanical energy; therefore to prevent us overheating, we regulate our 9 @gulpNOW www.giveuplovingpop.org.uk appropriate times and in energy sources are suitable appropriate amounts we may for different types of exercise. become dehydrated. Even At low to moderate intensity mild dehydration (about 2% exercise the body has enough loss of body weight) can time to break down fatty result in headaches, fatigue acids to produce energy. In a and reduced physical and very lean individual there is mental performance [4]. enough adipose tissue and Sugar muscle triglycerides (fats) to The human body can derive sustain exercise for several energy from a number of hours. However, as physical different sources including exertion and energy demand carbohydrates, fats and increases the body switches proteins. The rate at which to carbohydrate as the energy can be produced from primary energy source as it these macronutrients varies, can be metabolised much and therefore different more quickly—although 10 @gulpNOW www.giveuplovingpop.org.uk availability of carbohydrate is Electrolytes much lower and cannot be Before we can move, our sustained for extended brain has to send a signal via periods of time. our nervous system to a The fact that carbohydrate muscle or a group of muscles can be broken down to asking it to contract; the produce energy so quickly muscle(s), which are attached provides the rationale for to bones by tendons, then their presence in sports become shorter, pulling on drinks. Ultimately, glucose is the bone which produces the major useable source of movement. Critically, the carbohydrate energy and can stimulus from the brain must be metabolised anywhere in be sufficient to generate an the body and that is why it is impulse causing contraction found in such vast quantities of the muscle. in sports drinks. 11 @gulpNOW www.giveuplovingpop.org.uk Without sufficient levels of and potassium concentrations sodium and potassium our and increase blood flow to muscles cannot contract this area, providing more of efficiently. When we sweat, these electrolytes [5] - sodium and potassium are negating the need for sports released giving sweat its salty drinks at this intensity. taste. Energy drinks contain from the electrolytes which include brain sodium and potassium, and occasionally calcium and chloride, all intended to prevent muscle fatigue. However, sodium is secreted by the pancreas into the large intestine (where water is Impulse absorbed) and does not necessarily need to be supplemented. Cairns & Lindinger suggested that with moderate intensity exercise, the combined shifts of sodium and potassium would be insufficient to cause to the fatigue. In fact, the body can muscles Neurons transmit signals from our brains to detect falling levels of sodium our muscles, asking them to help us move. Electrolytes are needed to pass the message down the neuron. 12 @gulpNOW www.giveuplovingpop.org.uk Ultimately, sports drinks are a variety of soft drink and the harmful effects of consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages are well documented (see our ‘Facts on Sugar’ briefing). However, sports drinks are alleged to perform a specific function—that is to hydrate an individual before, during and / or after exercise and improve athletic performance. Several issues have arisen regarding the research methodologies used to support the claims made by sports drinks companies as well as the claims themselves bending the truth and misleading customers. 13 @gulpNOW www.giveuplovingpop.org.uk claims to hydrate athletes, replenish electrolytes and provide fuel for working muscles [6]. Noakes suggests it is more accurate to state that, “Gatorade is the sports drink whose effects on the human body during exercise Interestingly, despite have been the most Lucozade’s rebranding thoroughly studied”.

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