Sports Drinks 101. Magnesium; The Unsung Hero.
This discussion will be
limited to Sports Drinks designed for during workouts or events that last less
than 1 hour.
There are many products
out there that claim to be beneficial for athletic performance and/or
recovery. A major group of
products that get a lot of attention and advertising dollars are sports
drinks. It seems that every third
or fourth commercial is for some energy enhancing drink or drink mix. I can think of at least 6 different
sports drinks that I have seen in the last year claiming to be the best product
on the market for rehydration, performance, or recovery. All advertising and exercise fads
aside, the ingredients are the best measure of how well a product will deliver
on the claims that are made.
There has been a great
deal of discussion on glucose levels, osmolality, and inclusion of
protein. There are many different
opinions, and almost as many valid research articles out there. But I have not seen much (and I am
always keeping my eyes open for) discussion about the levels and type of
magnesium in Sports Drinks designed for during exercise.
If we look back to the
basic science classes in High School and College all the way up to the latest
valid research being done, the overwhelming consensus is that without adequate
magnesium in the bloodstream, organs, and muscles, performance is significantly
impaired. Magnesium is a crucial
cofactor in over 300 enzymatic processes that occur within the body. This includes its vital role in
musculoskeletal performance and recovery.
Without magnesium a whole myriad of ill effects on the musculoskeletal
system occur ranging from cramping to weakness to lack of performance.
A review of the
ingredients on most Sports Drinks reveals shamefully low levels of magnesium. The manufacturer claims to have
magnesium and can promote as such, but in reality this low level of magnesium
makes it virtually a waste of effort on the manufacturers part. They might as well not even bother.
In the research, the
studied levels have been in the range of 100 to 500 mg. There has been significant evidence to
indicate that supplementation, especially during the event, with magnesium
results in longer time to exhaustion and enhanced recovery. Granted there have been mixed results,
which requires discussion of another point, the type of magnesium used.
No matter how much
magnesium, or any other ingredient, we pump into our body we will not get any
effect unless it can be effectively absorbed and then utilized. It is well known within the nutritional
expert community that different form of vitamins and minerals are absorbed and
utilized differently. Depending on
the form of the vitamin or mineral it may or may not produce beneficial or
deleterious effects. Looking at
the ingredient list of many Sports Drinks and supplements, the most common form
of magnesium that is found is Magnesium Oxide. This is a form that has a significantly limited
bioavailability (the measure of how well the body absorbs and utilizes the
ingredient) in humans. It is a
cheap form of magnesium and therefore can be sprinkled into Sports Drinks with
little danger of affecting the profit margin for the manufacturer. So, it is true that you are getting
magnesium into your body, but the truth is that you are not effectively utilizing
it.
It appears that this is a
major reason that the research is mixed on the results obtained with magnesium
supplementation. The effects
depended upon the type of magnesium used.
Most articles are hazy on what form of magnesium they used.
A form of magnesium that
has a high bioavailability is Magnesium Glycinate. It is found in the more spendy supplements that quality
Naturopaths, Nutritionists, and myself prescribe to our patients. The high utilization ensures a high
degree of confidence that the magnesium is not just producing expensive
urine. I can see no value in
supplementing the toilet with magnesium to improve my exercise
performance. With this form the
amount can be lower because more is actually be utilized than other forms so
less is needed which means less expense while still getting better utilization
by the body.
Take a look at your Sports
Drink that you have in your cupboard or that you are buying at the store. Does it even contain magnesium? How much? What form?
If you cannot find the
specific amount or form in the ingredients list, the best resource is the
Internet. Most manufacturers have
a website that list the ingredients in their products.
-Dr./Coach Ross
"Strength, Honor, Integrity, & Truth"
A few references:
Kazuhiko
Tanabe, Akiko Yamamoto, Noriyuki Suzuki, Naohiko Osada, Yasuhiro Yokoyama,
Hisanori Samejima, Atsushi Seki, Misa Oya, Taizo Murabayashi, Masaru Nakayama,
Masanobu Yamamoto, Kazuto Omiya, Haruki Itoh and Masahiro Murayama: “Efficacy
of Oral Magnesium Administration on Decreased Exercise Tolerance in a State of
Chronic Sleep Deprivation”. Jpn Circ J. Vol. 62. 341-346. (1998).
Finstad EW, Newhouse IJ,
Lukaski HC, Mcauliffe JE, Stewart CR. The effects of magnesium supplementation on
exercise performance. Med Sci Sports
Exerc. 2001 Mar;33(3):493-8.
Shechter M, Bairey Merz
CN, Stuehlinger HG, Slany J, Pachinger O, Rabinowitz B. Effects of oral magnesium
therapy on exercise tolerance, exercise-induced chest pain, and quality of life
in patients with coronary artery disease.
Am J Cardiol. 2003 Mar 1;91(5):517-21.
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