Sport Drinks controversy

[dietzie27 0]

what do you guys think of x-factor? i tried 2 kinds and i think its awesome

[Guest Datsyuk*13]

For myself it is Gatorade, preferably the clear strawberry kind but anything will do. Something about powerade i dont like.

[TCsnipes9 0]

I will take any Gatorade over any Powerade. Gatorade just tastes better. that new X factor stuff is awesome! not to mention i got hooked on the lemon lime not on taste, but i drank it before a game when i was like 11 and scored 4 goals. needless to say i stuck with it ever since and im very superstitious (sp?)

same, i also think it tastes a lot better. that new X factor stuff is awesome! not to mention i got hooked on the lemon lime not on taste, but i drank it before a game when i was like 11 and scored 4 goals. needless to say i stuck with it ever since and im very superstitious (sp?)

[ambro 0]

I used to love Blue All Sport (carbonated) when I was little, but now it's terrible. Now all I drink is orange Gatorade or Powerade, both are good. They don't taste the same, but each one tastes really good. Jagged Ice Powerade is the next best kind.

[thejackal 46]

orange anything (the gatorade ice one is my fav) and strawberry and watermelon ice is great too.

[Guest phillyfan]

Anybody ever try that "Accelerade" product?  Taste?  Performance?  I heard it had a different formula or something, where there is more protein than other sports drinks.

That's the stuff endorsed by Carter, correct? I've never tried it, word-of-mouth has prevented me to. I heard that it didn't entirely work, taste wasn't the best, and it was a waste of money. I stick with what has worked for me in the past, not a bad idea.

[Flo Hockey 7 0]

Accelerade is a powder right? The powders never worked for me just never got the taste right

[Fedorov91 0]

I like them the same pretty much. I dont like them while I'm playing because my spit gets all thick and nasty. I like the blue favor powerade and I really liked that green Matrix one a little while ago. :D

[Shorthanded67 0]

For those keeping score at home, Powerade has half the sodium (salt) than Gatorade. Powerade at 55mg with Gatorade weighing in at 110, if my memory serves correctly.

I've heard salt can have adverse effects in performance (such as making you bloat) although I doubt the small amount in a Gatorade would do much. I'd still stay away from french fries before gametime though.

[biff44 0]

There is a small controversy in sports drinks brewing. One maker (accelerade) is touting a study that they funded that shows a 4:1 carb/protein ratio gives atheletes greater endurance during an event.

Other makers, like gatorade, have studies that show that an all-carb drink is better during an event, because the protein sits in your gut and prevents "gastric emptying", which I think means your intestines do not absorb the water as well if there is protein in the drink.

So, let the scientists argue all they want. What I was wondering is do any of you have ACTUAL EXPERIENCE with both types of drinks, and did you notice any improvement in performance when using the carb/protein type drinks, a decrease in performance, or no difference?

My kid sees no difference, and hates the taste of the carb/protein drinks.

[Jim A 4]

Accelerade came out years ago for the cycling/marathon skating/running crowd etc..and then hopped on board with the Avs as well..that 4:1 has been around for a while...

my own .02 is that I like the cycling type products better..they seem to have sugars that don't bog down the GI or whatever it is with regards to digesting..

the ultramaraton guy Dean something has been all over the airwaves as late with his own book out and has some interesting things to say on these subjects

that being said...everyone needs to see what works for them..try it out...keep notes..see how you feel/recover..

unless I'm playing in a multi day tournament, I don't see much impact on either product during a 45-60 min ice game and just stick to water..if I'm feeling a bit beat..I'll bring a Gel or something...since I know that works quickly for me and gets me a little boost

[biff44 0]

I am talking about summer showcases, where you might have 2 games the first day and 2 or 3 the next day if you make it to the finals. With all the summer heat, you need some sort of edge.

Funny you should mention cycling. I was in a bike shop yesterday, and they had something called cytomax sports drink. The label said just what you did, a special blend of easily digested carbs...I was wondering if it was worth a try.

I also notice gatorade is coming out with an "endurance" formula that has more sodium and potasium, but it is not available in the northeast yet.

[Jim A 4]

Cytomax has been a long time staple in the cycling industry..as they make pre, during and post drinks...

once again..it depends on what works for you..but if you need it for recovery...and are going to use it between games to combat fatigue, etc..something with some protein will help you recover...

an easy semi scientific way to do this is play 2 pickup sessions one day, and then do it the next day...keep everythin the same, sleep, what you did, ate,etc..but use Accelerade,Cytomax or something one time...and Gatorade the next week..

you will also find something similar to Accelerade called Endurox...

any bike type site, excelsports.com, coloradocyclist.com etc will have some different offerings..and people who are top racers (ie..multi day stage races,etc.) who can give you some first hand experience to boot..

[mack 44]

Interesting stuff, I'm running a charity full marathon tomorrow morning and have been training for that the last couple of months. I don't drink anything but water during the run and every 45 mins eat the most putrid carb chocolate gel that these guys swear by. I also read something about people actually dying from being overhydrated?

[hockechamp14 0]

Interesting stuff, I'm running a charity full marathon tomorrow morning and have been training for that the last couple of months.  I don't drink anything but water during the run and every 45 mins eat the most putrid carb chocolate gel that these guys swear by.  I also read something about people actually dying from being overhydrated?

gu sports --- is that the chocolate stuff? I have it before big games and between the seond and third periods. The company also makes GU2O which is one of the drinks, I can't remember if it's protein or not, however, they do have the drink in the right proportion of water to sugars and stuff, because gatorade has WAY too many sugars in it to be any good for anything besides after games.

edit: no protein in the GU drinks.

and, isn't being overhydrated considered drowing?... A man died in a pool, he was overhydrated...

[#94 3]

If the athlete drinks too much water, Gatorade, Powerade, anything in a short period of time he/she will become severely cramped and their body may not know how to hadle going from being dehydrated to drowning in fluids, so there is a possibility of the body going into shock.

Same thing applies to someone suffering from heat stroke. The worst thing to do is to put them in a tub of ice water, have them drink ice cold water very rapidly, or put the athlete in a vehicle and blast the A/C. This will cause the athlete's body to immediately go into shock.

As for the sports drinks: the BEST thing to do is take 1/2 a bottle of Gatorade/Powerade and a 1/2 bottle of water and mix the two. Diluted sports drinks are amazing for the athlete.

Drinking Gatorade/Powerade straight up will overload the body's regular sugar intake and cause it to become very fatigued after a brief burst of energy.

So, dilute Gatorade/Powerade with water. It's amazing.

[sherwood21 0]

I have Powerbar energy things, the gooey things that come in packages. I throw that in water and mix it up, drink a bit when I am thirsty. I don't like Gatorade/Powerade, only my mixture or just regular water. I find the sugar leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

[Jim A 4]

Mack,

you can always find something other than chocolate flavored gel!!

the only thing to remember with the gels is that they often need 6-8oz of h2o to wash them down and get them in your 'stream..

I used to skate a lot of ultramarathon stuff (62-86miles) and we'd take them anywhere from every 20-40 minutes...or at least i would..some people would take 2 in the 5 hours and be fine..but i just felt a lot better tossing down at least 3 every 2 hours...

some of the PowerGel even has caffeine for those waning miles..

good points on diluting the typical Gator/Power stuff..the big thing with those is they bog down digestion and absorbtion..

[mack 44]

JimA-

I would love to, but this is the stuff they're providing so I figured I'd go with it. I honestly don't think any flavour would be tolerable in gel form though.

hockechamp-

That's not the brand, it escapes me right now but I'm sure it's not that one you showed.

[Jim A 4]

c'mon man..toss down 0.99 for a flavor you like!! haha..i hear ya though..and GU does make a "plain" version...

[biff44 0]

Yeah, sometimes people die from too much water. The excess water helps to body to sweat/urinate out too much salt. If you have too little salt, all heck breaks lose! The medical term is hypo-natremia.

The idea is to not drink more than you have to, and to make sure you replenish the electrolytes. Something like a gatoraid or powerade (has a little more sodium) should help. In the old times we would take a few salt tablets, but that is frowned on nowadays, because they give so big a jolt of salt that your body has trouble keeping balance.

[dieselbro 0]

I dont really think anything seems to work for me not really any of the sports drinks. Except Vespa on occasions, because it is way too expensive for unimportant games. But I find that eating the right stuff (pasta for carbs etc.) at the right time helps.

[mack 44]

Well finished in about 3:43 today. It was Powerbar's Powergel and was horrendous.

[biff44 0]

Back in the day, in college club hockey, we did most of our carb loading with Molson Ale!

[Joho4 0]

I prefer powerade / gatorade.