Different Types of Sports Drinks

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

Includes sodium and potassium

Aims of Sodium in Sports Drinks

• encourage fluid intakes by triggering the thirst response

• increasing the absorption of fluid

• increasing fluid retention

Aim of Potassium in Sports Drinks

• helps maintain electrolyte balance

• can assist with muscle contraction during training/competition/ exercise

Flavour (optional)

Flavours help to make it more palatable for you to drink more fluids compared to water during and after training/ competition/ exercise.

Other Ingredients (optional)

There are beverages that have other added ingredients or fortified with other nutrients such as vitamins, whey protein, caffeine. These extra ingredients may or may not have any additional benefits over a traditional sports drink. Some may affect palatability and affect the aims of what a traditional sports drink should have. Others may provide added performance benefits when used properly. Read the next article to find out more.

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

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

How to identify:

1. Read the ingredients list: May a blend of carbohydrates e.g. sucrose with fructose, fructose with glucose or maltodextrin with sucrose, etc.

2. 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

Fortified Sports Drinks

Aims: May be similar to traditional sports drink but additional aims depend on what is added.

How to identify: Read the ingredients list and Nutrition Information Panel. Claims may not be that accurate. Any nutrients that are added on top of what the traditional sports drinks contains may be considered fortified. For example, other ingredients that are traditionally not added before such as protein, vitamins, caffeine, etc.

Examples: 100 Plus Pro High Protein, 100 Plus Active

Some Sports Drinks that are fortified with vitamins may still be considered Sports Drinks as it may not affect the aims of the sports drinks.

Some sports drinks may contain added protein, but this seems to be of no further benefit when taking during exercise. It may be consumed after exercise instead. It always lies on the timing of consuming.

Sports Drinks for Fuel & Fluid

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

How to identify: lower sodium and potassium content but carbohydrates should be within range of a traditional sports drink

Lower Sugar 'Sports Drink'

Aim: provide fluid & electrolytes for hydration + replenish electrolytes

How to identify: Read the ingredients list and Nutrition Information Panel. Claims may not be that accurate. Contains some Carbohydrates and similar ranges of sodium and potassium with the traditional sports drinks

It may have added flavours to make it more palatable to entice you to consume more fluids but little/no carbohydrates for fuelling. We still need some carbohydrates to help with hydration.

"Sugar free" 'Sports Drinks'

Aim: provide fluid & electrolytes for hydration + replenish electrolytes

How to identify: Read the Nutrition Information Panel. Claims may not be that accurate. Contains similar ranges of sodium and potassium with the traditional sports drinks

It may have added flavours to make it more palatable to entice you to consume more fluids but no carbohydrates for fuelling.

Example: 100 Plus Zero Sugar

• Using 100 Plus Zero Sugar, it contains 0g Carbohydrates/100ml and 39mg sodium/100ml

Electrolyte Drinks

Aim: provide fluid & electrolytes for hydration + replenish electrolytes

How to identify: Read the Nutrition Information Panel. Claims may not be that accurate. Contains similar ranges of sodium and potassium with the traditional sports drinks

It may have added flavours to make it more palatable to entice you to consume more fluids but no carbohydrates for fuelling.

• Example: Hydralyte Sports
  

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

• it doesn't meet the composition of Sports Drinks

• it contains more sugar and caffeine

• high levels of sugar can cause stomach discomfort during exercise

• Using Red Bull - Classic as an example, it contains 16.2g carbohydrates/100ml and unknown amount of sodium/100ml.

Energy drinks are NOT Sports Drinks!!!

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