The truth about sports drinks

It has been found in a joint investigation by the BMJ and BBC Panorama  that there is “a striking lack of evidence” to support claims about improved performance and recovery for many sports products like drinks, trainers and protein shakes.

The investigation reveals new research carried out by the Oxford Centre for Evidence Based Medicine and the BMJ, concluding that no sound evidence could be found to support claims made by some of sport’s biggest brands and that it is “virtually impossible for the public to make informed choices about the benefits and harms of advertised sports products.” The article suggests that the fear of deyhration has been a successful marketing ploy by the makers of sports drinks.

The investigation concludes: “For now, the evidence we do have seems to be leading us to a rather common sense and affordable solution. Eat a well balanced diet, drink water, find some comfy shoes, and get out there and exercise regularly.” Click here to go to the BMJ site.

BMJ 2012;345:e4737 (21 July 2012)