My personal trial has come to an end. I evaluated how four performance drinks impacted my time cycling to the top of Elk Mountain. Unbeetable is the clear victor. The disclaimer being my trial only had one participant – me. Plus, my experiment was heavily biased: I was aware of what I was drinking prior to each time trial, and I had every reason to want Unbeetable to be the winner (I have 3000 cans in my garage). Despite this, I tried my best to give 100% effort each time up the mountain, regardless of which drink was being tested.
Now, I change hats. Instead of being the guinea pig, I comb the literature and find the science behind the claims of each drink. Why didn’t I “grow wings” with Red Bull? How did 330 persons go faster than me up Elk Mountain if I really am Unbeetable? What is the proof any of these drinks work? My experiment certainly doesn’t resolve the question. The four drinks evaluated are Red Bull Energy Drink, Coffee (Trader Joe’s Dark), Unbeetable (a beetroot derivative), and Gatorade G-series Prime (G1).
A review of the ingredients of each drink reveals a few common themes. Caffeine is a major component of both Red Bull and coffee (80 mg in an 8.4 ounce can of Red Bull, and 95 mg in a typical cup of coffee). Carbohydrates, primarily in the form of sugars, are present in large amounts in all four (Red Bull -28 grams, Coffee- 8 grams per tablespoon of sugar, Unbeetable- 25 grams, and G1- 25 grams). Unbeetable is unique in being high in dietary nitrates. Beyond this, each drink has various other ingredients which may sound good but for which there is no evidence for enhancement of athletic performance: B-vitamins in Red Bull and G1, and anti-oxidants in coffee and Unbeetable.
I
reviewed each of the drink companies’ websites to find the scientific
justification given for claims of benefit.
I then searched Google and Pub Med to find more support for each drink,
or for the ingredients fueling the companies’ claims. Caffeine, as an enhancer
of sports performance, is well studied.
There is evidence caffeine improves performance in aerobic sports and to
a lesser extent, performance in high intensity (anaerobic) exercises such as
cycling. Although the overall impact of caffeine remains inconclusive, the
International Olympic Committee felt the impact was strong enough to require a limit
on the amount of caffeine measurable in one’s urine that is considered legal
prior to competition. The impact of
carbohydrates on performance is also well studied. The consensus is carbohydrates, prior to
endurance athletics such as cycling, improve performance. Nitrate, the active ingredient in Unbeetable,
has scientific substantiation ranging from basic science research to clinical
trials showing possible benefit in endurance sports. High nitrate consumption leads to blood vessel
dilation and improved muscle efficacy.
When
I tried to find research involving the drinks themselves, rather than
extrapolating benefits based on the ingredients, I found much less data. Red Bull is the best studied. I found three studies concluding Red Bull improves
aerobic and anaerobic performance. In
one of these studies, participants had improved performance during a simulated
cycling time trial after drinking Red Bull.
I was unable to find any good studies evaluating coffee or G1’s impact
on athletic performance. Unbeetable has a study showing increased blood supply
to parts of the brain in older persons, but no studies specifically looking at
athletic performance. The supporting references on the Unbeetable website focus
on the studies of dietary nitrates which is the main “active” ingredient.
How
do I reconcile all this data? Caffeine,
carbohydrates, and nitrates all have well substantiated benefits as enhancers
of athletic performance. Hence, all of these
drinks can rightly claim they “may” improve one’s athletic performance. Red Bull has the most support with studies
specifically evaluating its drink.
What
will I drink prior to competition? I
will probably stick with Unbeetable because it seems to work for me. The fact I had my best ride after drinking
Unbeetable will forever bias me. Plus, I am not a caffeine junkie. If you are
afraid of getting fat, you should probably steer clear of all these drinks,
with the exception of black coffee. The
truth is, all competitive athletes are looking for an edge. At this time, performance enhancing drinks
appear to give them that slight edge.
Each athlete will have to determine which works best for them.
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