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Sky’s the limit…
AGS Forsikring
+47 67 24 74 02 www.agsforsikring.no
AGS
F O R S I K R I N G
We believe it is our passion
for sport and our focus on
providing excellent customer
service that has made several
Norwegian sports federations
choose
AGS
and
Sportscover
as
partners on specialised insurance
coverage for their members.
For the scandinavian market
contact our insurance team in Oslo
touchline
18
Insight
Recent research seems to suggest that sports
drinks do indeed give professional athletes the
edge.
In an article published in the prestigious journal
The European Journal of Sports Science, research
has shown that “ingestion of sports drinks increases
sustainability of a given workload, with an average 36%
greater endurance capacity than with water and placebo”.
This finding is in line with other research, but this is the first
study that has attempted to chart the effect of consumption
of the drinks prior to, during and after strenuous exercise.
The report goes on to state that- “for athletes participating
in repeated exercise bouts within a single day, ingesting
sports drink during exercise and recovery will improve
subsequent endurance capacity compared with water and
placebo”.
The Australian Institute of Sport endorses the use of sports
drinks, indicating that they assist in athletic performance
and in recovery. One of the reasons for their endorsement
of the drinks is the taste, which
promotes greater consumption than
water. They also credit the drinks with
the replacement of electrolytes, particularly
sodium, which is useful for maintaining thirst
drive and may help to reduce urine losses during post-
exercise recovery.
While athletes clearly benefit from the consumption of energy
drinks, people who engage in less strenuous exercise should be
wary of drinking too much energy drink.
Choice magazine claims that ordinary people risk gaining weight
because of the high sugar content of the drinks. Adults should
be especially wary of children’s intake, because the salt in sports
drinks is even more undesirable for children than it is for adults
because their maximum recommended intake is less. The acid in
the drinks can also be damaging for tooth enamel.
S P O R T S
D R I N K S
•
Sports drinks should be regarded as
the sports supplement with the greatest
potential to enhance performance in a
wide variety of sporting situations.
• Sports drinks are an ideal fluid to
consume during and after training and
competition sessions, allowing the
athlete to replace fluid and electrolyte
losses, and simultaneously providing
an additional source of carbohydrate
fuel. In many situations, sports drinks
are a better choice than water
• Sports drinks are likely to promote
better fluid intake than water.
• Sports drinks increase retention of fluid
consumed post-exercise by reducing
urine losses.
• Sports drinks provide an additional
source of fuel that may enhance
performance and reduce immune
stresses.
• In situations in which these benefits do
not occur, sports drinks do not detract
from performance compared to water.
However:
• They should only be consumed when
undertaking regular, intensive exercise
• Children should drink minimal
quantities
• There is no evidence that they can help
to relieve the symptoms of a hangover.
Sports Drinks: the facts