Adding proteins to sport drinks is of no use
According to latest findings from McMaster University researchers, the addition of protein to sport drinks is of no additional use.
It was remarked via findings that adding protein to a carbohydrate-electrolyte sports drink, in no way, improve cycling time trial performance when compared with the drink alone. It was also remarked that the reason why sport drinks are considered useful is because of presence of carbohydrate and sodium that offers the fuel for working body muscles and maintain fluid balance.
From News-Medical.Net:
“Previous studies that suggested protein was beneficial used ‘ride to exhaustion’ tests that do not resemble normal athletic competition. In addition, the subjects in those studies received less than the optimal recommended amount of carbohydrate,” says Gibala. “Our study shows that protein confers no performance benefit during ‘real life’ exercise when athletes consume sufficient amounts of a sports drink.”
The study, which was funded by Gatorade, comes at a time when the sports drink industry is under pressure to create new products by adding ingredients that might further enhance performance. Some companies have heavily marketed protein-laced sports drinks as the next magic bullet, but Gibala’s research disputes such claims.
Martin Gibala, an Associate Professor of Kinesiology at McMaster, revealed these findings and said that there is no concrete evidence to suggest the usefulness of adding protein to a sport drink though a minimal protein amount before exercises can help in repairing damaged muscles and promotion of training adaptations.
