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Different Types of Sports Drinks

Updated: Jul 19

Unknown to many, there are many types of sports drinks available from the Supermarket. Different types of sports drinks would be used for different scenarios. Let's start with the type of sports drinks available.

What are Sports Drinks?

Sports Drinks is designed to deliver a balanced amount of carbohydrate, fluid and electrolytes to allow you to simultaneously rehydrate and refuel during and after exercise/training/competition.


Common Aims:

  • adequately fuel your training/exercise/competition + provide fluid & electrolytes for hydration + replenish electrolytes

  • fast fuelling your training/exercise/competition + provide fluid & electrolytes for hydration + replenish electrolytes

  • adequately fuel your training/exercise/competition + provide fluid for hydration

  • provide fluid & electrolytes for hydration + replenish electrolytes


What is in a Sports Drink?

Carbohydrate

Aims of Carbohydrates in Sports Drinks:

  • provides fuel source for muscles and the brain

  • contributes to taste/ palatability


Carbohydrate concentration levels that are higher than 8g/100ml can lead to stomach/gut upset during training/competition and impair performance.

Electrolytes

Flavour (optional)

Other Ingredients (optional)



Here are the different types of Sports Drinks

Traditional Sports Drinks such as Isotonic Drinks

Aim: adequately fuel your training/exercise/competition + provide fluid & electrolytes for hydration + replenish electrolytes


How to identify: Check whether it is within the typical composition of Traditional sports drinks:


  • within the range of ~4 -8g Carbohydrates/100ml AND


  • within the range of ~23 - 69mg Sodium/100ml


  • within the range of ~11- 20mg Potassium/ 100ml

Fast Fuelling Traditional Sports Drinks

Fortified Sports Drinks

Sports Drinks for Fuel & Fluid

Lower Sugar 'Sports Drink'

"Sugar free" 'Sports Drinks'

Electrolyte Drinks



Beverages marketed as a 'Sports Drink'

"Hydration" Drinks

Example: Prime Hydration Drink

  • it doesn't meet the composition of Sports Drinks - containing less sodium and more potassium. As sodium will stimulate sugar and water uptake in the small intestine which helps with hydration, this type of drinks with that amount of sodium should not be considered a sports drink.

  • Using Prime as an example, it contains 1g carbohydrates/100ml and 4g sodium/100ml.

Energy Drinks


Energy drinks are NOT Sports Drinks!!!


Check out how and when to use sports drinks in our next article.


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