Abstract
Background: Carbohydrate-electrolyte drinks support performance and recovery during athletic activities. The impact of these isotonic drinks is usually verified by means of placebos without energy. Objective: We checked the extent to which commercial sports drinks may be superior to a syrup–water mixture, similar in calorific value, during an intermittent exertion. Method: In a cross-sectional study, three homogeneously parallelized groups, including a total of 35 test subjects, performed full-strain endurance and speed tests (5,000 m, 3,000 m, 1,500 m, 800 m, 400 m, and 200 m). During the rest intervals, isocaloric drinks with the same CHO (6,66–7,0 g), but different sugar (ISO1: 2,46 g; ISO2: 5,6 g; syrup: 6,7 g) and electrolyte content were given in a randomized way. The parameters of running performance, body weight, rating of perceived exertion, heart rate, and blood lactate concentration were analyzed. Results: Over the distances (p≥0.10), the results did not show any ergogenic effect of the isotonic drinks in comparison with the syrup–water mixture. There were also no significant differences in terms of rates of perceived exertion (p≥0.26) and the physiological parameters of heart rate (p≥0.30) and blood lactate (p≥0.18) among the groups. Conclusion: During intermittent and repetitive exertion below 30 minutes, homemade energy drinks exhibited the same effects as commercial sports drinks.
Highlights
Considering the large number of competitions and intensified training loads, maintaining and restoring performance in intermittent phases of exertion by means of dietary intake is a key factor (Jeukendrup & Gleeson, 2010)
We checked the extent to which commercial sports drinks may be superior to a syrup–water mixture, similar in calorific value, during an intermittent exertion
The ISO2 group achieved the fastest time over the 3,000 m distance and was 12 and 27 s faster than the ISO1 and placebo groups, respectively
Summary
Considering the large number of competitions and intensified training loads, maintaining and restoring performance in intermittent phases of exertion by means of dietary intake is a key factor (Jeukendrup & Gleeson, 2010). The administration of carbohydrate-containing sports drinks has positive effects on performance or recovery during athletic exertion (Lee et al, 2011). Systematic reviews and meta-analyses showed that the administration of carbohydrates before, during, and after exertion has a positive effect on physical performance (Colombani et al, 2013; Pöchmüller et al, 2016; Stellingwerff & Cox, 2014; Vandenbogaerde & Hopkins, 2011). Performance improvements are seen in exercise durations exceeding 70 minutes This threshold, reviews conducted by Colombani et al (2013) and Pöchmüller et al (2016) did not report on any ergogenic effects. Carbohydrate-electrolyte drinks support performance and recovery during athletic activities. The impact of these isotonic drinks is usually verified by means of placebos without energy. Conclusion: During intermittent and repetitive exertion below 30 minutes, homemade energy drinks exhibited the same effects as commercial sports drinks
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