Foldable Bikes Party: What is a sports drink and when should you use one?

Wednesday, 20 July 2016

What is a sports drink and when should you use one?

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There's a wealth of sports hydration products on the market - but what do they all do? Dr Kevin Currell, head of performance nutrition at the English Institute of Sport, looks at what cyclists should be drinking, and when.

I have to say I feel privileged; I've spent many years studying sports nutrition and did a PhD researching in the area of sports drinks, so I should be well placed, as a triathlete and expert, to know which are really going to make a difference, and which products will be a damp squib.

Yet despite this I see adverts for all the various sports drinks available and get drawn into the marketing hype. Sometimes I have to stop, take a deep breath and remind myself of the science that I know so well.

I can only imagine that for someone without an in-depth knowledge of the science, looking at the range of sports drinks available must be confusing. So let’s take a look at some of the different sports drinks on the market and the science behind them.

Protein shake

What it does: These tend to only contain protein, with maybe a small amount of carbohydrate, plus other vitamins and minerals. There's reams of scientific research showing that consuming protein after training will increase something called muscle protein synthesis. This simply means the body is building the muscle. Consuming protein after training helps the body repair muscles and promote adaptation (where muscles are repaired to become more suited to their use).

How to use it: Protein shakes provide you with lots of flexibility, you get good protein and you can then control your carbohydrate intake. Mix with lots of berries in a blender to make a good post-exercise recovery shake.