How do isotonic drinks work

When to use: As a recovery drink after intense or sustained exercise, for extra carbohydrates in the lead up to a race. Hypertonic drinks contain a higher concentration of salt and sugar than blood, making them a good way to supplement your daily carbohydrate intake or top up glycogen stores. Hypertonic drinks can cause dehydration as the body has to move water from the bloodstream into the intestine to dilute the fluids before it can absorb them.

This can make you feel thirsty and sometimes nauseous. Why not try: If you prefer to refuel with real food after exercise, eat your snack or meal alongside a hypotonic Veloforte hydration drink.

Keen to learn more? Read our article on perfecting your running or cycling hydration strategy or discover more about the different types of energy drinks. Shopping Cart. Know your tonicity Sports energy drinks are broken down into three different types depending on their concentration compared to the human body, or tonicity to give it a technical name.

The three commonly seen types of sports drinks are: Hypotonic — which has a lower concentration of fluid, sugars and salt than blood Isotonic — which has a similar concentration of fluid, sugars and salt to blood Hypertonic — which has a higher concentration of fluid, sugars and salt than blood Each drink has different benefits to support your training.

What exactly are hypotonic drinks? How do hypotonic sports drinks work? What are the disadvantages of hypotonic drinks? Isotonic sports drinks Best for: Carbohydrate release When to use: Shorter duration or high-intensity workouts; when you want carbohydrates overhydration during endurance exercise.

What exactly are isotonic drinks? How do isotonic sports drinks work? What are the disadvantages of isotonic drinks? Many studies have examined the effects of carbohydrate beverages like sports drinks during continuous exercise lasting 1—4 hours or longer, such as running and cycling.

The majority of these studies show improvements in performance when consuming these beverages 6. Likewise, athletes in team sports that are most similar to prolonged continuous exercise, such as soccer, are most likely to benefit from sports drinks Generally, the number of carbs that may be beneficial increases as the duration of exercise increases.

Research has shown that small amounts of carbs fewer than 30 grams per hour may improve exercise performance in events lasting 30—75 minutes Sessions lasting 2—3 hours may benefit from more carbs — up to 60 grams per hour However, these recommendations are for continuous high-effort activity without rest.

In athletes, sports drinks may improve performance in various types of exercise, with the clearest benefits being seen for prolonged exercise without rest. The number of carbs that may be beneficial increases as the duration of exercise increases.

While sports drinks can benefit athletes who engage in long or intense training sessions, they are probably unnecessary for most gym-goers. If you perform light-to-moderate exercise, such as walking or jogging, for less than 1 hour, you probably do not need to use sports drinks.

Similarly, if you only perform weight training, you probably do not need to use sports drinks, even if you spend over an hour at the gym. If you do decide to use a sports drink, you should probably consume smaller amounts for exercise lasting less than an hour and no more than 30 grams of carbs for a session lasting 1—2 hours For those trying to maintain or lose weight , another important factor to consider is energy balance, or the balance between the number of calories you consume and burn.

If you want to lose weight, you need to burn more calories in a day than you consume. If sports drinks are unnecessary for the type of exercise you do, consuming them provides you with unnecessary calories that could hinder your weight loss goals. For example, a pound kg person may burn about calories when jogging for 30 minutes Consuming 12 fluid ounces ml of a common sports drink may provide about 20 grams of carbs and only 80 calories.

For example, weight training may only burn around calories in a minute session if you weigh pounds 68 kg Think about whether the type and duration of the exercise you do requires a sports drink and be aware of how many calories you consume from these beverages.

Although sports drinks can improve the performance of athletes during several types of exercise, they are probably unnecessary for most people.

If you choose to drink these beverages, it is important not to overconsume them. Much of the marketing of sports drinks focuses on their ability to keep you hydrated by replacing water and electrolytes lost through sweat. How much you sweat can vary based on many factors, including how long and intensely you exercise, your training level and your environment.

One study compared 13 different beverages, including sports drinks and water, to see how well they hydrated the body Researchers provided They found that milk, orange juice and an oral rehydration solution provided the highest amount of hydration.

Oral rehydration solutions are specifically designed to cause fluid retention and contain higher levels of sodium and potassium than a normal sports drink.

An interesting finding from this study was that there was no difference in the hydrating ability of water, sports drinks, tea and cola. In fact, some beverages that are typically considered to be dehydrating, such as coffee and beer, hydrated the body about as much as water.

In fact, other research has indicated that coffee can help keep you hydrated, contrary to popular belief Another factor to consider is that your enjoyment of certain beverages could affect how much you drink. Research has shown that the flavor of sports drinks causes athletes to drink more than if they were consuming water alone 22 , Your average sports drink is a concoction of water, sugars typically maltodextrin, glucose syrup or sucrose , citric acid preservative and gives a tangy taste , and salt sodium chloride.

Some drinks are labelled 'isotonic' which means that they have a similar concentration of sugars to our blood and are unlikely to cause tummy upsets. Hypertonic drinks are high in sugars - useful if you are on your last legs on mile 20 of a marathon - but they could cause diarrhoea as your gut struggles to balance the difference between the sugars in the drink and the sugar level in your body.

Find a range of services to suit you, from medication through to managed programs. Anita Bean, nutritionist and author of The Runner's Cookbook , says: "Sports drinks can increase your stamina and performance if you are exercising at a high intensity for longer than minutes. The sugars in these drinks provide additional fuel for working muscles, helping to maintain blood sugar levels and increasing endurance.

Isotonic drinks have a similar concentration to body fluids which means they are absorbed faster than plain water, while the sodium can be beneficial when sweat losses are high, helping to stimulate thirst and promote water retention.

However, the results were only significant during exercise sessions longer than 90 minutes. In contrast, a review of studies in non-elite athletes in real life situations reported mixed results for sports drinks.

Other studies have found no performance benefits. The evidence shows that elite athletes or those taking part in regular, endurance exercise can benefit from sports drinks - but what about the rest of us?

Is it worth chugging a bottle after a Crossfit class or yoga session? Probably not, according to sports nutritionist, Rin Cobb:. Taking a sports drink adds unnecessary calories as well as costing a lot of money if you use them regularly," she reveals. This is a fair point given that two thirds of the UK population are overweight , and a common way of burning calories is to take to the gym or join a running group.

A ml bottle of sports drink will add calories to your diet as well as around four teaspoons of sugar. Dietician, Dr Sarah Schenker, warns: "This is enough to replace the calories that you worked so hard to use up, so if your goal is to create an energy deficit and boost weight loss, having a post-workout sports drink is the last thing you need.

Due to their acidity, sports drinks also have the capacity to erode tooth enamel, leading to sensitive teeth and discolouration. One way to get around this is to use a straw or a sports bottle and avoid sipping the drinks over a long period of time.

For those exercising longer than minutes at high intensity, you won't have enough glycogen stored body sugar to last so it's important to take carbohydrate supplements such as sports drinks or gels.