15 - A Comprehensive Study on Sports and Energy Drinks

Abstract

Sports and energy drinks are nonalcoholic beverages which are prepared for revitalizing the body to overcome burnout. The sports drinks are often consumed during or post-athletic period for rehydration and energy drinks are taken to reduce exhaustion. However, the sports and energy drinks differ from one another in terms of ingredients, functions, and consumers. In case of sports drinks, the main ingredients are carbohydrate of 4%–8% glucose and its polymers, sucrose and fructose and electrolytes which include sodium, potassium, and magnesium. The energy drink, on the other hand, contains caffeine as their fundamental additive. Guarana, in minor concentrations, is often used as caffeine source along with taurine and ginseng. The high amounts of caffeine in the energy drinks are conjugated with natural stimulants which act in enhancing the effects of caffeine. Energy drinks also contains a certain amount of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and sugars. Although the major component in the sports drink is water, the presence of other ingredients in the drink helps to hold the nutrients for a prolonged duration of time when compared to water by enhancing the absorption procedure through the stomach and small intestine. The consumption of sports and energy drink also depends on the sodium content of one’s body since sodium has an important role in maintaining fluid balance of the body. Development of personalized sports and energy drinks are the recent focus by researchers that are being conducted in this field which optimizes the formation of the drinks based on the sodium content of a body.