Systematic Review: Carbohydrate-Electrolyte Drink Shows Small Performance Effect
A systematic review with meta-analysis (21 randomized trials, 316 participants) compared carbohydrate-electrolyte drinks with water or a non-caloric placebo during exercise at 22 °C or above. On average, participants performed slightly better with the drink, mainly in endurance tasks. Whether it offsets heat-related performance losses is not shown by this work.
1. What the Research Says
The benefit was small (Hedges' g = 0.37; 0.45 for aerobic endurance). The prediction intervals included zero, so the effect may be absent in individual future trials. For strength, explosive power and anaerobic endurance the results remained inconclusive. All trials compared drink and water at the same temperature rather than heat with cool conditions. The work therefore does not show that the drink offsets heat-related losses; ambient temperature and exposure duration did not measurably change the result.
2. How It Fits Earlier Research
The new review finds a small benefit of carbohydrate-electrolyte drinks for aerobic endurance, consistent with earlier controlled trials that also reported improved performance. Whether the drink offsets heat-related performance losses is not answered by them either. Carbohydrate-electrolyte feedings improve 1 h time trial cycling performance. (1997) · The effects of ingesting a carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage 15 minutes prior to high-intensity exercise… (2008)
3. Source
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