• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

  • Fitness
  • Workouts
    • Best Shoulder Workouts
    • Best Chest Workouts
    • Best Leg Workouts
    • Best Leg Exercises
    • Best Biceps Exercises
    • Best Kettlebell Exercises
    • Best Back Workouts
    • Best HIIT Workouts
    • Best Triceps Exercises
    • Best Arm Workouts
  • Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Pre-Workout
      • Best Bodybuilding Supplements
      • Best Supplements for Weight Loss
      • Best Creatine
      • Best BCAAs
      • Best Multivitamin for Men
      • Best Collagen Supplement
      • Best Probiotic
      • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workout
      • Best Magnesium Supplements
      • Athletic Greens AG1 Review
    • Protein
      • Best Protein Powder
      • Best Whey Protein
      • Best Protein Powders for Muscle Gain
      • Best Mass Gainer
      • Best Protein Shakes
      • Best Organic Protein Powder
      • Best Pea Protein Powder
      • Best Protein Bars
    • Strength Equipment
      • Best Home Gym Equipment
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Weightlifting Belts
      • Best Weight Benches
      • Best Functional Trainers
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Resistance Bands
      • Best Trap Bars
    • Cardio Equipment
      • Best Cardio Machines
      • Best Rowing Machines
      • Best Treadmills
      • Best Weighted Vests
  • News
  • Exercise Guides
    • Legs
      • Back Squat
      • Bulgarian Split Squat
      • Goblet Squat
      • Zercher Squat
      • Standing Calf Raise
      • Hack Squat
    • Chest
      • Bench Press
      • Dumbbell Bench Press
      • Close-Grip Bench Press
      • Incline Bench Press
    • Shoulders
      • Overhead Dumbbell Press
      • Lateral Raise
    • Arms
      • Chin-Up
      • Weighted Pull-Up
      • Triceps Pushdown
    • Back
      • Deadlift
      • Trap Bar Deadlift
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Inverted Row
      • Bent-Over Barbell Row
      • Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
      • Pendlay Row
Healthy Eating

Study Reveals One Surprising Benefit of High-Carb Sports Drinks

Carbs aren't the devil, and they might even boost immunity during strenuous activity, says a recent study.

Doug Dupont

Written by Doug Dupont Last updated on June 23, 2014

Carb consumption during an athletic event doesn’t seem to make athletes any better at sports. However, in a recent article in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, investigators have proposed an alternate reason to drink sports beverages.

The researchers of the study suggest that there may be a dose-response relationship between carbohydrate consumption during exercise and immune response. Because of the advent of “light” sports drinks with low sugar content, the researchers wanted to know if there would be a difference in immune response between a standard sports drink, a light sports drink, and plain old water.

Study Design

Each participant completed an 18km to 20km run at seventy percent of their VO2 max three times, with a week in between the runs. Each time they drank from a one-liter bottle that contained one of the following three beverages:

  • In one of the runs, the drink was a seven-percent solution of carbohydrates (70g of carbs).
  • In another the drink was a light sports drink consisting of 1.5% carbohydrates (15g of carbs).
  • The final trial was just flavored water.

Before and after each race, blood was drawn to determine immune response. The researchers were looking for markers of stress and immune response, such as the hormone cortisol and the cytokine interleukin-6. They also directly examined several types of white blood cell counts.

Results

As expected, there was no difference in performance. In fact, there was only a minute difference between each of the three trials. With a test length of over an hour and a half, that’s some pretty amazing consistency. Heart rate was highest in the high-carb group, although not significantly. This was perhaps due to increased energy need for digestion.

There were, however, significant differences in immune response. The expected dose-response was pretty much on point. The 1.5% solution seemed to help a little, but was largely the same as the flavored water. However, the seven-percent solution had a markedly reduced immune response.

The authors concluded that carbohydrate consumption should be utilized during distance running events. The ideal rate is about 45g per hour, which is the rate at which it was consumed in the seven-percent solution. The purpose, as we have seen, is not to improve performance in the short term, but rather to mitigate the need for immune response.

Another Interpretation

Let me offer an alternative possibility. It is likely that the researchers are correct, and the reduced immune response is due to reduced stress via carb consumption. However, based solely on these results, it’s also possible the carbohydrate simply reduced the specific response studied by the researchers, without actually decreasing the stress. This alternative conclusion would still be consistent with the results.

The end goal, the researchers say, is to help prevent future infections by less exposure to stress. There is no doubt that the immune response was reduced in the higher carbohydrate group. The goal of reduced infections would seem to be supported by the results of this study, but since the rate of infections was not studied, it’s hard to say. You might also expect that performance would increase with better immune response, but it did not.

One thing is for sure: performance is unaltered by high-carb intake in the short term. Whether or not carb consumption during endurance training is actually beneficial has yet to be seen, but this evidence is a step in the right direction.

References:

1. Johanna Stenholm, et. al., “Effects of Carbohydrate Ingestion on Acute Leukocyte, Cortisol and IL-6 Response in High-Intensity Long-Distance Running,” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000470

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

Doug Dupont

About Doug Dupont

Having grown up at the foot of a forest covered mountain in rural Vermont, Doug was active from a very young age. Hiking, running, and climbing were a part of everyday life in the Green Mountains. This culture of exercise led to dabbling in martial arts as a teen, and also getting work in a local powerlifting focused gym. Doug continued to pursue knowledge and training in exercise, becoming a certified personal trainer while still a teenager. Once in college he began his hand at the business side of fitness, taking a management position at a large local gym. During that time he became a founding member of the UVM Brazilian Jiu Jitsu club, and was the first among their competition team. After only a few months he was assisting in coaching, and ran conditioning program for the club.

Out of college Doug set up his own training center. He grew his list of clientele including several professional MMA athletes, eventually going so far as to corner a world title fight. He has continued ­­­to develop his business into today.

View All Articles

Recommended Articles

Sweet potatoes.
Your Complete Carbohydrate Prep Plan
iifym, macros, macronutrients, micronutrients, nutrition
The Carb Debate: Good, Bad, or the Devil?
shutterstock167849024copy
Your Food and Your Mood: Carbs, Depression, and Cognitive Decline
shutterstock99465581
Is Starch Dangerous? Why You Maybe Shouldn’t Worry About Grain Brain

Primary Sidebar

Latest Articles

Australian Strongman Smashes World Record by Pulling 44,753-Pound Crane

Regan Grimes Kicks Off 2023 Mr. Olympia Prep With Grueling Back and Biceps Workout

Best Massage Guns for Runners, Back Pain, Under $100, and More (2023)

CrossFit Games Athletes, Powerlifting Champion Among Big Names to Join Gladiator TV Series Reboot 

Latest Reviews

Best Functional Trainers of 2023 for Small Spaces, With Smith Machines, and More

Pure Protein, Jacked Factory, and RXBAR protein bars on a red background

Best Protein Bars for Weight Loss, Muscle Gain, and More (2023)

Best Magnesium Supplements of 2023 for Better Sleep, Leg Cramps, and More

Best Budget Barbells of 2023 for CrossFit, Powerlifting, and More

woman lifting barbell

Be the smartest person in your gym

The Breaking Muscle newsletter is everything you need to know about strength in a 3 minute read.

I WANT IN!

Breaking Muscle is the fitness world’s preeminent destination for timely, high-quality information on exercise, fitness, health, and nutrition. Our audience encompasses the entire spectrum of the fitness community: consumers, aficionados, fitness professionals, and business owners. We seek to inform, educate and advocate for this community.

  • Reviews
  • Healthy Eating
  • Workouts
  • Fitness
  • News

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed

© 2023 · Breaking Muscle · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · Affiliate Disclaimer · Accessibility · About