Isotonic drinks are drinks closely related to sports practice, but do you know what they really are and what they are useful for? We reveal everything you need to know in this article.
We can find them very easily on the shelves of all supermarkets, and they are usually known by the name of rehydration drinks, although the most common is that they are called isotonic drinks.
They are also known as sports drinks for their different qualities to avoid dehydration caused by sweating derived from any sports practice, hence they are usually associated with sports and with the practice of physical exercise. But its uses do not end there.
Basically we can say that isotonic drinks are drinks that have the ability to rehydrate our body, while increasing our performance.
To achieve this, in its composition we find water, certain complex carbohydrates (such as malt dextrin or glucose polymers), simple carbohydrates (such as dextrose, sucrose, fructose or sucrose) and certain mineral salts (especially potassium, phosphorus, sodium and chlorine).
That is, they are drinks specially designed to avoid dehydration, to rehydrate our body in certain situations. For this reason, they are not only recommended during sports practice, but also when we suffer from diarrhea or vomiting, as it involves the loss of water and electrolytes that are so important and fundamental for the proper functioning of our body.
So what are sports drinks?
As we have mentioned, isotonic drinks are rehydrating drinks that are usually used during sports practice. For this reason they are also known by the name of sports drinks.
Explained in another way, they stand out for being liquids or preparations that, among other very important functions, positively help when it comes to promoting hydration of the body, as well as the replacement of electrolytes lost, especially during sports practice.
And why are they known by the name of isotonic drinks? Mainly because they contain a quantity of sugars and minerals dissolved in water quite similar to that found in the blood, so that they are absorbed quickly in our intestines, passing into the blood and therefore improving hydration.
Why are they known as sports drinks?
As we indicated, they are also known by this name because, at first, they were effectively designed for it: for sports practice, helping to replace both water and minerals that are commonly lost through sweat and sweat. Of respiration.
For this reason, they are very useful and suitable in case of carrying out prolonged or short-term but intense sports activities, even more so if the activity is practiced in hot or humid climates.
Of course, they should not be confused with energy or stimulant drinks, since although they are sometimes confused, they are not the same.
When is it advisable to consume them?
Although the most common is to consume isotonic drinks every time we practice a sport or when we simply do physical exercise, the reality is that they are not absolutely essential for certain exercises, especially when the practice lasts no more than an hour and its intensity is low or slightly moderate.
As long as the environment is not hot and sweating is excessive, at which point its consumption would be more than advisable.
This means that the consumption of isotonic drinks is recommended when physical activity is intense, we sweat excessively and it lasts over time. Why? Very simple: when we practice some physical activity in an intense way, the body temperature rises considerably, which leads us to sweat excessively.
This in turn causes our body to lose salt water through the pores of our skin, so a useful option to recover the substances we have lost is to opt for an isotonic drink.
When practicing sports, it is interesting to drink one or two glasses of water before starting the activity, while in the course of it or after finishing sports, it is useful to drink isotonic drinks even if we are not thirsty. This will help us, as we have mentioned, to replenish the nutrients and fluids that our body has lost, and to maintain the rhythm in case we continue with the activity.
