Why Protein Should NOT Be In Your Sports Drink
Why Protein Should NOT Be In Your Sports Drink
Independent Research Shows No Benefit
why not protein?
When you are performing aerobic activity the blood supply to your stomach is shut down so that more blood can be supplied to your working muscles. You want as much blood as possible routed to your muscles to supply fresh oxygen for the energy conversion process. More blood means more oxygen which translates into higher performance. Anything you do to take blood away from your muscles is completely counterproductive to athletic performance.
The problem with protein is that it has to go through a digestive process which requires your blood to be re-routed back to the stomach and intestines. This reduces the amount of oxygen rich blood available to your muscles, thus impacting performance. Protein is also known to inhibit gastric emptying, thus slowing the slowing rehydration and possibly causing “sloshing” and stomach discomfort. Drinks without protein, fats or fiber are able to be absorbed through osmosis, thus eliminating the digestive processes and associated blood requirements.
the better solution
You should look for sports drinks with high levels of complex carbohydrates, low simple sugar levels and NO protein (see related article Simple Sugars Can Hurt Performance). Here is a run down of the top sports drinks:
But don’t take our word for it, read some of the studies for yourself:
American College of Sports Medicine
Failure of Protein to Improve Performance when Added to a Sports Drink
Science Daily
Protein-added Sports Drinks Don’t Boost Performance
About Walking
Sports Drink with Protein No Better for Endurance
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