How to choose sports drinks? 

We all have different lifestyles and diverse running abilities and experiences, so the sports drinks that work for some may not work for others. At Runivore, we aim to provide knowledge to help you select sports nutrition and design fueling strategies that meet your specific needs. Here are a few guidelines for making informed choices.

When choosing sports drinks, consider these three criteria:

• Activity type
• Nutrition facts
• Flavor

Activity – What are you fueling for? 

How long and far do you plan to run? How hard do you plan to work? Are you running on trails in a remote area? Is it for a race or daily training? 

First and foremost, it’s important to have an estimate of how much fuel you need. Try these calculators and self-evaluations for calories, carbohydrates, sweat rate, and sweat concentration to get started.

With experience, you can fine-tune your fueling strategy based on how your body reacts under different conditions. And here are four rules of thumb:

1. A fit runner can store up to 90-120 minutes worth of glycogen when running at marathon to near lactic threshold paces. If your activity is under 90 minutes, you may not need to refuel during exercise. At easier efforts, glycogen depletion is also slower.
2. Consume 1 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight per hour. For example, a 60 kg athlete should take 60 g of carbohydrates per hour. Recent studies suggest that the body can process up to 90-120 g of carbohydrates per hour. Gradually increasing your carbohydrate intake during training is recommended to handle a larger amount of the macro-nutrient. Just like your lungs, heart, and legs, your digestive system requires training as well. 
3. Every 20-25 g of carbohydrates require 250 ml of water to process. 
4. The sodium lost during running ranges from less than 200 mg per liter to over 1000 mg for those who sweat heavily. Sweat rates also vary widely, but the average adult sweat about 1 to 1.5 liter per hour during moderately intensive exercise. Obviously, variables such as humidity and temperature can alter your sweat rate. 

Nutrition facts- What are sports drinks made of, and what are the key nutrients?

Understanding the ingredients in your sports drink is crucial, especially if you have a sensitive stomach or food allergy.

Some sports drink products, such as Maurten Drink Mix 160, focus on replenishing glycogen stores and have higher carbohydrate concentrations. Brands like Nuun emphasize hydration and deliver electrolytes with minimal added sugar. Other drinks, such as 32GI’s Hydrate, provide a daily dose of key nutrients pre-run and contain micro-nutrients like vitamins and essential minerals that aren’t in the electrolyte category.

Let’s look at the key nutrients and ingredients found in sports drinks.

Carbohydrates

This macro-nutrient is the primary fuel for endurance athletes. They come in complex forms found in natural foods like whole grains, vegetables, and some fruits, as well as simple forms like glucose, fructose, maltodextrin, honey, and maple syrup. 

Simple carbohydrates are easier to process for mid-race fueling and provide a quicker mouth-to-muscle reaction. However, for daily nutrition and training, consuming healthier complex carbohydrates is recommended. 

There are two schools of thought regarding carbohydrate sources: 

Sugar is sugar. The source doesn’t matter because it’s metabolized into glycogen anyway.

Or 

Natural over synthetic. Although carbohydrates from natural and artificial sources are similar in chemical structures, their production processes differ. Your body may react less favorably to artificial ingredients. Therefore, natural nutrients are more bioavailable and less harmful.

As with most sports nutrition topics, expert opinions vary, and a slew of studies support both sides. In reality, individual preferences, lifestyle, and training goals often determine the most practical solution. Find what works for you.

Electrolytes

There are six main electrolytes – sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, phosphate, and magnesium. Electrolytes dissolve in our blood, produce an electrical charge, and enable critical functions of the human body, such as electrical signaling, muscle contraction, nerve impulses, fluid balance via osmosis, and maintaining the blood’s acid-base balance.

Here are two articles on the electrolytes the human body loses the most during exercise – sodium and potassium.

Branded-chain amino acids (BCAA)

For events that go far and long (ultramarathons, ironman triathlon, or peak bagging), you might need more than just sugar and salt. After all, We deplete more than just carbohydrates and electrolytes during exercise.

L-Leucine, L-Valine, and L-Isoleucine, known as BCAA, are three of the nine essential amino acids, which can’t be produced by the human body and must come from food. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and are critical to many bodily systems. BCAAs, in particular, are crucial components in the muscle repair process and delaying muscle fatigue during running.

Vitamins

These micro-nutrients govern a vast range of human body functions. Vitamins B complex and C are commonly included in sports drinks. 

Vitamin B complex, consisting of eight B vitamins, is responsible for metabolizing nutrients, red blood cell growth, energy levels, eyesight, brain function, digestion, nerve function, hormone and cholesterol production, and cardiovascular health, to name a few. Vitamin C protects cells and supports blood vessels, bones, cartilage health, etc. 

Caffeine

Caffeine has well-documented benefits, such as delaying muscle fatigue, improving nerve signal transmission, and enhancing mood and focus. However, it has side effects like gastrointestinal stress, frequent urination, insomnia, and substance dependence. 

If you regularly consume caffeine, the effects of caffeinated sports drinks may be negligible. To get a real performance boost on race day, we recommend cutting out caffeine for at least 3-5 days before a race.

Flavor – perhaps the most important of the three criteria

It doesn’t matter how nutritious and energy-packed a sports drink is if you don’t like the taste. This is the most subjective component of choosing a sports drink that’s right for you, but arguably the most critical.

The digestive tract begins with the mouth, meaning your taste buds play a part in how well your body will handle a sports drink and whether it may cause gastrointestinal issues. 

On race day, you will be going hard; a lot can happen when you are tested physically and mentally. So control what you can control and be kind to your taste buds and eliminate preventable discomforts such as fuel with subpar flavors.

We don’t have much advice regarding flavor since, as mentioned, it’s highly subjective. But hopefully, the following tips are helpful.

• Start with your favorite foods. If you enjoy the tartness of citrus fruits, lemon- and orange-flavored sports drinks may work well for you.
• Determine your consistency preference. Some sports drinks are effervescent, while others may be thicker. Try different options during workouts to see which agrees with you.
• If you follow a clean diet, try sports drinks with natural ingredients. “Organic,” “all-natural,” and “from a natural source” usually indicate goodies made by Mother Nature.