Vigorous exercise helps promote heart health, weight loss and overall fitness, but it can also make you sweat one to three quarts of fluid during intense workouts. Although sweating is your body’s way to help keep its core temperature cool, it can lead to the loss of important minerals, dehydration and heat stroke. Isotonic drinks replace those nutrients and fluids quickly, helping to prevent exercise-related injuries and illness.
The purpose of an isotonic drink is to improve the intake of water, minerals and nutrients to facilitate the replacement of what the body uses during effort. It facilitates re-hydration, while contributing to the proper assimilation of the particles needed to support effort (glucose, sodium etc.) An isotonic drink is easily absorbed and quickly leaves the stomach, to ensure optimal efficiency and comfortable digestion.
What does an isotonic drink contain?
- Water is the main ingredient of the drink. It ensures hydration during effort.
- Carbohydrates to ensure energy intake and enable continuous physical effort. The quantity of carbohydrates in a drink must be between 60 et 80 g / litre.
- Sodium to recover salts lost in sweat. In addition, sodium triggers a sensation of thirst and makes it easier to assimilate water and carbohydrates.
- Group B vitamins to facilitate the transformation of into energy and help combat fatigue.
- Potassium is useful in hot or warm weather.
- Magnesium to help reduce fatigue.
- Antioxidants to help the body defend itself against certain toxic waste produced by cell activity.
- There may be protein in the drink, but this is rare. It may be helpful over long periods of effort, i.e. more than 3 hours.
Source: APTONIA
