Sports Drinks: Performance in a Bottle or the Perfect Placebo? – Wednesday 16th April 2014, 6pm

The consumption of sports drinks is commonplace, from Sunday-league footballers to gym-goers to Olympic athletes.  So it’s no surprise that sports drinks manufacturing is a multi-million pound worldwide industry that through sponsorship and advertising has become increasingly visible in our daily lives.  Where did this popularity come from and do sports drinks really work?

Over several decades, research findings suggested that supplying the body with a source of carbohydrate during exercise, particularly of longer duration, meant that exercise could be performed better, or for longer.  Recently, the evidence base has started to be reviewed with a more critical eye, and some surprising findings are coming to light that may require us to challenge what we think to be true regarding how carbohydrate supplements influence our exercise performance.