Should You Drink Lucozade During A Match?
Lucozade has long been a sponsor of many different football teams and leagues in the past 10 years, from the FA Premier League to League Football, and it sure has the budget to do so, with the sports drink industry being worth over a billion dollars. Therefore, the company needs to make sure that athletes believe it will help their performance, which leads to continued sales. But does the drink benefit footballers during a match? And if so, how does it do this? Let's take a closer look.
What is an Isotonic Drink?
Lucozade is described as an isotonic drink, which means that it has similar levels of both salts and sugars as the human body does. The idea is that if you drink something that is similar to the fluids already in your body, it will replace these well and keep your levels balanced, allowing you to work at peak performance.
What are the Benefits of an Isotonic Sports Drink like Lucozade?
One of the main ingredients within Lucozade is glycogen, which is great if you are exercising for over 60 minutes as you will be in a football match. Performing at a high level for a longer period, like 90 minutes, can deplete your energy supplies and cause your muscles to begin to feel fatigued. The glycogen sourced from the sugars within Lucozade can help combat muscle fatigue. Studies from the Journal of Applied Physiology back this up, showing that those who consume isotonic sports drink such as Lucozade managed to increase their treadmill running time to exhaustion by over 27% in those who often run, showing an increase in performance overall. This can also help with muscle recovery after exercise, meaning that muscles can heal better and faster.
Lucozade also contains electrolytes that your body loses during exercise through sweat. These electrolytes (found in the salts of Lucozade) are vital as they help the body increase the amount of fluid it can absorb. Therefore, they help combat dehydration and its effects – vital if you exercise for a long time.
Additionally, if you have not been able to eat before a match, you may be quickly running out of energy, faster than others around you on the pitch. An isotonic sports drink such as Lucozade is a great option, therefore, as it tops up your carbohydrate levels which can be converted to energy, boosting your performance over a short period of time.
When to Drink Lucozade During a Match?
In moderation, Lucozade can be drunk before a match to boost energy at the start or during to keep your energy levels up. If you are considering using it during a match, the best time will be during halftime or right before kick-off. Drinking Lucozade at halftime allows you to refuel and re-energise before the second half of the match.
Conclusion
While drinking water can increase your hydration levels, Lucozade can do this and more by adding necessary salt and sugars back into your body, allowing it to perform better and recover faster.
