Role of Functional Beverages on Sport Performance and Recovery

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 10; no. 10; p. 1470
• Main Authors: Orrù, Stefania, Imperlini, Esther, Nigro, Ersilia, Alfieri, Andreina, Cevenini, Armando, Polito, Rita, Daniele, Aurora, Buono, Pasqualina, Mancini, Annamaria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI 10.10.2018; MDPI AG
• Subjects: Athletic Performance - physiology; Beverages; CHO-enriched beverages; dehydration; Dehydration - physiopathology; Exercise - physiology; functional beverages; Functional Food - analysis; Humans; hydration; lipid-enriched beverages; Nutrients - analysis; protein-enriched beverages; Recovery of Function; Review; sports drinks; Water-Electrolyte Balance - physiology; functional beverages; CHO-enriched beverages; sports drinks; hydration; dehydration; protein-enriched beverages; lipid-enriched beverages
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu10101470

Functional beverages represent a palatable and efficient way to hydrate and reintegrate electrolytes, carbohydrates, and other nutrients employed and/or lost during physical training and/or competitions. Bodily hydration during sporting activity is one of the best indicators of health in athletes and can be a limiting factor for sport performance. Indeed, dehydration strongly decreases athletic performance until it is a risk to health. As for other nutrients, each of them is reported to support athletes' needs both during the physical activity and/or in the post-workout. In this study, we review the current knowledge of macronutrient-enriched functional beverages in sport taking into account the athletes' health, sports performance, and recovery.