Wrigleyville Sports Stores

Wrigleyville Sports Stores

Wrigleyville Sports Stores

A “sports drink” is any beverage formulated to rehydrate and replenish minerals and nutrients during exertion. Most commercially available sports drinks contain carbohydrates and electrolytes to help an athlete maintain a high level of performance over an extended period of time. Sports drinks can be hypotonic, isotonic or hypertonic formulations, depending on the concentration of minerals and carbohydrates in the beverage. Different formulations are intended for different situations. Hypertonic drinks should be consumed either several hours prior to exercise (so-called “carbohydrate loading”) or immediately after exercise, while isotonic and hypotonic drinks are best used during or immediately after exercise.

Classification of Sports Drinks

Hypotonic drinks: Sports drinks with less than 8% concentration of carbohydrate and minerals are hypotonic (lower particle concentration) compared to normal human body fluids. These drinks are absorbed rapidly from the intestine, and are good for rapid fluid replacement during and after exercise. These drinks are usually lower in calories than other types of sports drinks, and are therefore also suited for everyday consumption (unrelated to exercise).