High Octane Sports Fuels ©1995 Joe Friel

In the last 20 years there has been a growing revolution In sports nutrition.

It all started in the 1970s with a sports drink developed at the University of Florida-Gatorade. Now there are more products on the market than can be sampled in a two-hour workout.

The field has expanded well beyond drinks consumed during exercise. Now there are carbohydrate loading drinks, recovery drinks, sports bars, and energy gels. Look for even more products to hit the market soon containing glycerol - an additive that has recently been shown to turn the body into a water-absorbing sponge.

It's getting confusing. To help clear the haze, here is a quick primer in sports nutrition products.

* Sport drinks. Besides Gatorade other products are Exceed, PowerAde, Hydra Fuel, Cytomax, All Sport, Body Fuel, Endura, Sportola, and 10k. What all of these drinks have in common is a low carbohydrate content and sodium. Both of these have been found to speed the fluid's movement from the stomach into the small intestine where it can be absorbed.

Sports drinks should be used during exercise lasting an hour more. Generally an athlete should take in one or two pints (16-32 ounces) per hour depending on size, known rate of fluid loss, and heat. A few big gulps have been shown to work better than frequent, small sips.

* Carbohydrate loading drinks. In the early 1980s as carbohydrate loading came into general practice before long events such as marathons, companies began marketing drinks that would speed the process with far less bulk than found in solid foods such as pasta. Some drinks in this category are Ultra Fuel, ProOptibol, GatorLode, Exceed HCS, GatorPro, Metabolol, and Endura Optimizer.

These drinks are used in the last three days before an event lasting two hours or more. They enable the body to store more carbohydrate thus pushing fatigue farther away from the start line. Besides carbohydrates they usually contain some fat and protein to mimic a meal. They yield about 400 calories per 16 ounces.

Some athletes have started using them in events lasting longer than four hours, such as the Ironman Triathlon, since its difficult to get in enough calories otherwise. Care must be taken in doing this as loading drinks containing more than 3 grams of fat per serving could delay absorption leading to dehydration.

* Recovery drinks. There's a lot of cross-over between loading and recovery drinks. The common element of products intended to speed recovery following long or intense exercise is the inclusion of higher protein along with carbohydrate.

Much of the fuel used during exhausting exercise comes from protein. If this is not replaced soon afterwards there may be a loss of muscle mass and recovery is greatly delayed.

Drinks that fall into this category are Shaklee Fitness, Shaklee Physique, Hot Stuff, NitroFuel, Power Surge, ProOptibol, Nutrament, and Metabolol. They should be used immediately following exercise up to two hours later for best results.

* Sports bars. In the mid-1980s PowerBar launched a new category into the fray - sports bars. Although they look much like a candy bar, the primary ingredient is carbohydrate, not fat, and all contain protein. Most have fewer than three grams of a fat, a necessary limit for exercise, although some are high in fat.

Examples are PowerBar, CytoBar, EdgeBar, GatorBar, Exceed Sports Bar, Sportola Sports Bar and Performance Bar.

Bars should be used in exercise lasting longer than about 90 minutes. The major limiter for these products is their absorption rate. You must drink eight to 16 ounces of fluid with every bar eaten and yet it wilt still take 30 minutes or more for the fuel to get to your working muscles.

* Gels. The newest entry is energy gels-gooey liquids that come in pouches to be torn open and sucked out. Their main attraction is the convenience of a small package and yet high energy yield-about 100 calories per packet.

In this category are ReLode, Packet Rocket, Gu, and Squezzy. During exercise lasting an hour or more, take one every 30 minutes drinking eight to 10 ounces of fluid with each. During four-hour or longer events consume a packet every 15 minutes.