food technology... isotonic drinks
Isotonic drinks are used by endurance athletes to help them replace some of the water they lose by sweating both during and after an event. They are now also being marketed at the rest of us mere mortals – hinting at improved performances as we jog around the park…
But what exactly is an ‘isotonic’ drink?
Isotonic drinks are often preferred to water by athletes because they contain a small amount of carbohydrate (less than 8%) and sodium. This carbohydrate content provides a small amount of extra energy – always helpful on a long run – but it’s the sodium that’s crucial.
In these drinks, you find the same concentration of sodium as you get in blood plasma. And – quick lesson in ancient Greek coming up – here’s how the word came about: "iso" means "equal", and "tonos" means "pressure". Put them together and you get "isotonic". Not that the ancient Greeks had Lucozade of course, but they had a word for it!
Anyway! When sodium is absorbed into the blood from the small intestine it takes water with it. This helps replace the sodium lost through sweating and also reduces the amount of water excreted from the body.
Dehydration can severely impair your sporting performance so drinking isotonic drinks that help to re-hydrate you more effectively than plain water can improve your performance whether you’re taking part in an endurance event or just trying to get through your aero-funk-butt-sculpt class without pegging out!
make your own
You don’t have to be sponsored by a major sports manufacturer to be able to afford isotonic drinks – in fact you can can make your own very easily:
Just add a pinch of salt to a drink of squash.
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