What are sports drinks?
Sports drinks are specially formulated drinks that provide our body with the fluids it needs and continuous energy during exercise. They help to improve athletic performance and provide our body with important nutrients that are lost through sweat. At the same time, they are also ideal thirst quenchers. They are available as a finished drink, as a powder or as an effervescent tablet. Even a slight fluid deficit during sport can lead to a decrease in performance.
How do you find the right sports drink?
There are also differences between sports drinks that you should be aware of. Not every drink is equally suitable for every sport. That’s why it’s worth taking a look at the list of ingredients!
What are the differences in sports drinks?
1. Isotonic («Iso» means «the same»)
Isotonic sports drinks have a identical concentration of nutrients and electrolytes as human blood. There is thus a balance and the liquid can be absorbed by the body quite quickly.
Our product recommendations:
- Enervit Isotonic Drink
- WinForce Isotone
- Sponser Isotonic
2. Hypotonic («Hypo» means «under, under»)
Hypotonic sports drinks have less concentrations of nutrients and electrolytes than human blood. So there is a deficit, this causes better and faster fluid absorption in the small intestine than isotonic drinks.
At the same time, hypotonic drinks are ideal in endurance sports , as they are better tolerated, acid-free and milder are flavored.
Our product recommendations:
- WinForce Carbo Basic
- Sponser Long Energy
- Nutriathletic Carbo Fuel Formula
3. Hypertonic («hyper» means «more»)
Hypertonic sports drinks have more concentrations of nutrients and electrolytes than human blood. Hypertonic drinks such as Cola, pure fruit juices, lemonade and energy drinks stay longer in the stomach and must first be diluted with the body’s own water before being absorbed in the small intestine. The fluid intake is significantly slowed down and are therefore rather unsuitable for sport.
4. Zero / Low Carb
These drinks are suitable for stresses that require electrolytes without additional energy. These are particularly useful for fat metabolism training .
Our product recommendation:
- Hammer Nutrition FIZZ
- Powerbar 5 electrolytes
- Nocco
Which nutrients should the sports drink contain?
During intense physical exertion, our body needs sufficient fluid intake to compensate for possible nutrient deficits. Sodium (salt) in particular, but also potassium, calcium and magnesium as well as the trace elements: iron, iodine, copper and zinc should be contained in the drink.
During sporting activities less than an hour sports drinks are not absolutely necessary. However, the same applies here: a sufficient supply of fluids with water !
Why are amino acids contained in sports drinks?
Amino acids are important for all metabolic processes in the body. Among other things, these counteract muscle loss and support faster recovery after training.