The difference between sports drinks and ordinary drinks is that:
A. Sports drink is a low permeability drink. If the concentration of electrolyte and sugar in the beverage is too large, the osmotic pressure will also increase accordingly, thus slowing down the emptying speed of the beverage in the gastrointestinal tract, easily leading to abdominal distension, and ultimately affecting sports ability and performance. Therefore, sports drinks must have low permeability.
B. sugar content. The sugar content of sports drinks is generally between 4% and 8%. For better sports drinks, there are also strict requirements on the types of sugar, usually oligosaccharides, which can not only reduce sweetness, but also provide more sugar supply without affecting absorption, quickly replenish body energy and relieve fatigue.
C. content of electrolyte. Sports drinks are rich in mineral elements such as sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium, and their concentration is equivalent to the concentration of electrolytes in human body, which can quickly replenish the mineral content lost due to sweating.
Finally, sports drinks are different from carbonated drinks, coffee, fruit juice, beer and other alcoholic drinks popular in the market. Sports drinks are healthy drinks and are suitable for rehydration before and after strenuous exercise. However, it is not advisable to drink too much fruit juice and carbonated drinks before exercise, which may easily cause discomfort such as belching, stomach pain and stomach acid.