There are Three Main Types of Sports Drinks: Isotonic, Hypotonic and Hypertonic

Sports drinks are used to supplement the loss of electrolytes, water and energy after exercise, helping the athlete recover quicker by replacing the key ionic-substances back into the body. They are designed to give the athlete an equal amount of carbohydrates and fluids to provide an almost instant rehydration and refuel during physical activity. This essay will explain the purpose of the contents of sports drinks and their uses in the human body.

There are three main types of sports drinks; Isotonic, Hypotonic and Hypertonic. A hypotonic drink will contain a lesser concentration of sugars and electrolytes in comparison with a human body - meaning it would be absorbed faster than water. They contain more solvent than solute, meaning it would be less concentrated than inside of a cell. Most sports drinks are classified as Isotonic, meaning the concentration of electrolytes is similar to that found inside the cells, it will be absorbed at the same rate as water. These drinks contain equal amounts of solute and solvent, meaning it will be equal to that inside a cell. And lastly Hypertonic, there are were the concentrate is greater than that found in a human's body fluids. Hypertonic drinks are the slowest rate of absorption but offer the highest dosage of energy out of the three. This drink contains more solute than solvent, resulting in a more concentrated solution.

Sports drinks should contain 4-8% (4-8g/100ml) carbohydrate and 23-69mg/100ml sodium (American College of Sports 2007) to provide the best amount of fluid and fuel delivery. Studies have shown that sports drinks that contain Proteins and amino acids (in a concentration of 2%) provide a superior recovery in specific exercise scenarios. (Stearns et al. 2010) Carboh...

... middle of paper ...

...AA, 2013) But what drink to use is dependent on what you want to achieve when doing the physical activity. If you are attempting to do exercising to lose weight, or are doing it in short bursts (around 1hr), water is the way to go. For most people, “their fluid requirements can be met by water” (Professor Clare Collins, DAA, 2013), and they will generally not be sweating enough to lose many electrolytes. On the other hand, if you are an athlete and need to perform at your peak for a longer period of time, sports drinks are the way to go. When exercising, muscles use the stores of carbohydrates for fuel. These store will become depleted after around 90min, at which point fat is used instead. Fat is not an efficient source of energy, and the performance will drop indefinitely. The carbs in sports drinks help to keep athletes at their peak for longer periods of time.