Page 41 - Mariners Cricket Club (Singapore) - Souvenir Magazine 2020

ingredients like caffeine, guarana, taurine, ginseng, L-carnitine, creatine and glucuronolactone that
can improve performance albeit over a short term. They generally contain 80 to 140mg of caffeine
for every 8 ounces and may serve as a source of energy, increasing alertness and reducing fatigue,
thus postulated to enhance exercise performance and power output. The Table below provides an
overview of drinks for performance and recovery in sport and exercise.

Type of drink Sub-type Main ingredients Performance Recovery
Isotonic 
Carbohydrates
Sports drinks Hypotonic Electrolytes 
Hypertonic Flavoring agent 
Carbohydrates
Energy drink 
Caffeine, Taurine
Proteins &
Recovery drink 
Carbohydrates

Drinks for performance

Isotonic, hypotonic and energy drinks have been postulated to enhance exercise performance or
enable the athlete to maintain the effort of exercise. The main considerations for performance
enhancing drinks would be their ability to increase time to exhaustion, preserve power output and
maintain hydration during exercise. The table below provides some practical information related
to performance enhancing sports drinks.

Rate of
Sugar When to Examples of drinks
Type of drink absorption Function
concentration consume them in market
in body
Before and/ Fast Mizone; Hydralyte
or during Sports; Powerade
Hypotonic Below 5% Fast hydration;
exercise lasting low energy Zero; G Active &
>30min G2; Powerade Zero
100 Plus; Pocari
Sweat; Gatorade;
Moderate
During Gatorade
Isotonic 6-8% Moderate exercise lasting hydration; Endurance;
Moderate
>30 min Powerade
energy
ION4; Maximus;
Staminade
Energy drinks*
*Not recommended Red Bull; Monster
for children, pregnant 11-15% Slow 10-60 min High energy Energy; Rockstar;
women and those with before exercise Hi-Tiger;
heart problems or high 5-hour Energy
blood pressure

The varying concentrations of salt and sugar serve different functions such as rapid rehydration
for hypotonic drink, carbohydrate replenishment and moderate rehydration for isotonic drink and
mainly carbohydrate restoration for hypertonic drink. However, research shows that hypotonic
and isotonic drinks may be more effective in improving sports performance than other drinks.
Energy drinks, best consumed before exercise, may increase power generating ability, improve
reaction time, alertness, and elevate mood state. However, some of these effects may be lower in
individuals consuming high amounts of coffee on a regular basis.

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