The newest way to drink while you're training

1. Is that why we eat carbohydrates in training at all?

2. Washing your mouth with carbohydrates

3. Scientific research

4. The proposed mechanism of action

1. Is that why we eat carbohydrates in training at all?

One of the main fuels for the body during exercise is carbohydrates, which can be extracted from outside in the form of food or from internal stores called glycogen, which is stored in the muscle and liver. Other nutrients such as fats or even selected fatty acids, which support physical activity, although their body stores are almost unlimited, so their consumption during exercise does not translate into improvement of sports electrolytes.

2. Washing your mouth with carbohydrates

Although isotonic intakes are common to many people, in fact most people should be able to live without them. It is assumed that training must last longer than 2 hours to require a steady supply of carbohydrates. Such a statement is strongly rooted in the scientific and popular science literature. However, it has recently been discovered that consuming carbs during about an hour of physical activity can also improve athletic performance. This is quite strange because at this time there should be no depletion of glycogen and hypoglycemia. The response is more surprising than it would seem.

3. Scientific research

One of the first studies to demonstrate this dependence was published in 2004. Participants were given a given distance on a stationary bicycle, given a drink containing a simple carbohydrate or water during exercise, which they flushed through their mouths and then spit out. The group using a carboxylic drink completed the given distance faster and generated more power. There are many similar studies showing similar results, although most of them were based on endurance exercises. Unfortunately, current literature shows that higher-intensity exercise, such as interval training, does not improve the effect of the above-described exercise.

4. The proposed mechanism of action

The theory behind consuming isotonic beverages during long, exhausting training is simple. Carbohydrates reach the muscles, are used by them, and prevent hypoglycemia. In shorter training and mouthwashing, the explanation is much more difficult. The best explanation for this is stimulation of taste receptors in the oral cavity.