According to findings by a research team from McMaster University, the addition of protein to sports drink will not make the biking athlete race faster. The study is published in the August edition of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, reported that adding protein to a carbohydrate-electrolyte sports drink did not improve cycling time trial performance compared to the sports drink alone.

"Sports drinks improve performance during prolonged exercise because of two key ingredients: carbohydrate, which provides fuel for working muscles, and sodium, which helps to maintain fluid balance," says Martin Gibala, an associate professor of kinesiology at McMaster.

"Research also supports the practice of consuming protein after exercise to promote muscle recovery. However, the alleged benefit of consuming protein during exercise is controversial."

The research, conducted on 10 trained cyclists who performed a simulated 80 km bicycle race on three occasions, found that there was no additional benefit of protein supplementation.

The study, funded by Gatorade, came in lieu of the sports drink industry's pressure to create new products by adding ingredients that might further enhance performance.

Actually, some sports drink companies have already heavily marketed protein-laced sports drinks as the next magic bullet, but this new research disputes such claims.

The research firmly reiterates that eating a little protein after exercise is important to help repair damaged muscles and promote training adaptations, but there is no compelling evidence suggesting hat endurance athletes need protein during exercise.

Source: EurekAlert