Saddleback Journal of Biology - Saddleback College

Fall 2009 Biology 3B Paper
40
35
Sprint Time (seconds)
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Water
1
Gatorade
Figure 2. Bar graph displaying the meanSEM for the difference of sprint time between water and Gatorade
exercise runs (p=0.311, paired two-tailed t-test). Sprint time for water hydration was recorded as 21.67.6, while
Gatorade was found to be 31.85.4.
Discussion
In the study, no significant difference was
established between the VO2max and sprint time of the
athletes when drinking water before testing versus
Gatorade. Although the results with Gatorade did
show a slight overall increase in athletic performance,
they were not considered significantly different
(p>0.05) than those of water. This study demonstrates
that there is no advantage of hydrating before
incremental exercise with Gatorade versus hydrating
with water. These results agree with the original
expectation that there would be no significant
difference between the two groups.
Khanna’s (2005) study showed opposite
results, concluding that there is a significant difference
in athletic performance and stamina when
supplementing with a carbohydrate-electrolyte drink
such as Gatorade, versus a drink with no
supplementation such as water. The study showed that
carbohydrate-electrolyte supplementation before
exhausting exercise leads to superior performance.
These results likely differ from the present study due to
the fact that Khanna’s experiment tested athletes until
exhaustion, lasting up to 100 minutes. The length of
exercise plays a large role in choosing a hydration
method from a short sprint to a lengthy marathon and
likely contributes to the results in the present study. If
the time of exercise was increased in the study at hand,
athletes would lose a greater volume of sweat
enhancing the need for hydration. In addition, greater
sweat loss leads to loss of sodium, potassium and other
necessary electrolytes which create the osmotic
gradients which help control hydration and muscle
contraction (Smith 1992). Gatorade replaces these lost
electrolytes and provides the body with energy in the
form of carbohydrates. With a longer biking time and
larger test group, a significant difference is more likely
to be obtained which would demonstrate that Gatorade
is a more effective hydrator than water. This could
possibly lead to a higher VO2max and longer sprint
time for the Gatorade test run in each subject.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Professor Steve Teh
for his time, help and advice. In addition, we thank
Saddleback College Biological Sciences Department
for allowing us to use their facilities and for loaning the
Jaeger Oxycon Mobile unit used in the study. Finally,
we appreciate the test subjects used in the experiment
for the donation of their time.
Literature Cited
Bergeron, M., J. Waller, and E. Marinik. (2006).
Voluntary fluid intake and core temperature responses
in adolescent tennis players: sports beverage versus
water. British Journal of Sports Medicine. ProQuest
Health and Medical Complete, ProQuest.
Duvillard, V., S. Braun, W. Markofski, M. Beneke, and
R. Leithauser. (2004). Fluids and Hydration in
Prolonged Endurance Performance. Nutrition. Vol 20,
#7-8. pp651-656.
Khanna, G.L., I. Manna (2005). Supplementary effect
of carbohydrate-electrolyte drink on sports
performance, lactate removal & cardiovascular
response of athletes. Indian J Medical Resource. Vol.
121. pp665-669.
Smith, J. (1992). A Look at the Components and
Effectiveness of Sports Drinks.
Journal of Athletic Training, Vol 27. #2. pp173-176.
105
Saddleback Journal of Biology
Spring 2010