Energy drinks
The advancement in commercial energy drinks has really boomed in the last few years. This has resulted in various companies competing for the number 1 sports drink, using a number of famous sporting players and athletes to make their point.
Kept in the world of sports stars and elite athletes, these drinks help to fuel, support and improve an athlete’s ability, but what about Joe and Jane public? How do these sports and energy drinks affect their performance?
Fitness improvements lie at the heart of these sports and energy drinks, yet the very people buying them are more interested in cosmetics than any potential development in ability. A survey carried out on 2,188 potential gym goers found that although 44% of the 18-24 year olds questioned had used a gym only 7% cared about their fitness. The study would suggest that fitness was not the driving factor behind the motivation to attend a gym, and that the likely motivation was body image. Now what’s wrong with that you might say, the drinks taste good and are designed to make us better at exercise so no problem, right? Well in theory I would have to agree and say that if used as intended, such as to give more sustainable energy in a race etc, then I would not mention anything, but this is not how they are being used.
The majority of people I see that are using these drinks are in the gym for cosmetic reasons, mainly to lose weight, tone up or sculpt some part or another of their bodies. The drinks that they are using contain calories, the very thing that these people are here to apparently lose! The amount varies between different makes but normally ranges between 140 kcals and 250 kcals, that’s a lot of calories to be taking when the point of the ‘exercise’ is to be losing. It’s not just sports drinks that are loaded with excess sugar. Coke, Sprite and Ribena are all high in calories coming in at between 210 and 255 kcals per 500 ml bottle. Now, I don’t imagine when you knock back these drinks you are aware that a 500 ml bottle of Ribena (255 kcals) has more calories than a standard bar of Dairy Milk (238 Kcals)! I certainly don’t often see people on the cross trainer tucking into a chocolate bar to keep them going, but often see them drink one or sometimes two high calorie drinks.
Below are just a few samples taking in viewing at a local gym and all kcals are per 100 ml, with most coming in 500 ml serving
Kept in the world of sports stars and elite athletes, these drinks help to fuel, support and improve an athlete’s ability, but what about Joe and Jane public? How do these sports and energy drinks affect their performance?
Fitness improvements lie at the heart of these sports and energy drinks, yet the very people buying them are more interested in cosmetics than any potential development in ability. A survey carried out on 2,188 potential gym goers found that although 44% of the 18-
The majority of people I see that are using these drinks are in the gym for cosmetic reasons, mainly to lose weight, tone up or sculpt some part or another of their bodies. The drinks that they are using contain calories, the very thing that these people are here to apparently lose! The amount varies between different makes but normally ranges between 140 kcals and 250 kcals, that’s a lot of calories to be taking when the point of the ‘exercise’ is to be losing. It’s not just sports drinks that are loaded with excess sugar. Coke, Sprite and Ribena are all high in calories coming in at between 210 and 255 kcals per 500 ml bottle. Now, I don’t imagine when you knock back these drinks you are aware that a 500 ml bottle of Ribena (255 kcals) has more calories than a standard bar of Dairy Milk (238 Kcals)! I certainly don’t often see people on the cross trainer tucking into a chocolate bar to keep them going, but often see them drink one or sometimes two high calorie drinks.
Below are just a few samples taking in viewing at a local gym and all kcals are per 100 ml, with most coming in 500 ml serving
Brand
Type of drink
Energy kcals
Boost
Caffeine drink
47 kcals
Coca Cola
Cola drink
42 kcals
Explosade
Orange drink
28 kcals
Lucozade Sport
Orange drink
28 kcals
Ribena
Blackcurrant drink
51 kcals
Sprite
Lemon / lime
44 kcals
The answer does not lie in ‘low cal, ‘diet’ type drinks either. The recent indications from studies done suggests that some of the artificial sweeteners found in these drinks are actually being linked to all manner of nasty conditions from diarrhea to things far more serious...
To sum up if you are performing at a high level and wish to increase your ability to go for 33% longer etc, then these energy drinks work, but for the huge majority of regular gym goers who wish to improve their appearance and lose weight they should be avoided.
To sum up if you are performing at a high level and wish to increase your ability to go for 33% longer etc, then these energy drinks work, but for the huge majority of regular gym goers who wish to improve their appearance and lose weight they should be avoided.