Volume 6, Spring 2008 - Saddleback College

Fall 2007 Biology 3A Abstracts
Figure 2. Line graph displaying the mean values for
distance traveled for each of the four liquids tested
during 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes and 120
minutes
Ounces
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Average Liquid Consumed (ounces)
30 60 90 120
Time (minutes)
Water
Gatorade
Accelerade
Cytomax
Figure 3. Line graph displaying the mean values for
ounces of liquid consumed during 30 minutes, 60
minutes, 90 minutes and 120 minutes, for all four
liquids tested
Discussion
Carbohydrates and proteins provide the
necessary fuel that humans need during exercise.
Although water is a good source of hydration for the
body, people exercising for more then 30 minutes need
more then H20 to keep them energized. The main goal
of this experiment was to test different sports drinks
during a period of long exercise to see if the difference
in carbohydrate and protein levels had an effect on the
cyclist’s performance and exertion level. The data for
the water sample showed a decrease in distance
traveled compared to the other drinks (Figure 2). This
is expected over a 2 hour time period when there are no
carbohydrates or proteins being consumed and
therefore the body is not receiving the energy it needs
to provide endurance. The water sample also showed
an increase in the amount of liquid consumed over the
2 hours of exercise concluding that the participants
needed to drink more water to keep cycling (Figure 3).
Next I compared the individual sports drinks
with the mean scores for water. There are many
previous studies that examine the effects of
carbohydrates and proteins on endurance and time-toexhaustion
rates during strenuous exercise. A study
published in the Journal of Sports Science tested the
difference between the carbohydrate only sports drink
and the carbohydrate-protein sports drink on 13 cyclists
over 120 minutes exercise period. This study resulted
in a significant difference for the carbohydrate group
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Saddleback Journal of Biology
Spring 2008
(P < 0.05) when compared to the placebo group, but
not a significant difference for the carbohydrate-protein
group meaning there was no added effect of protein
during exercise (Osterberg et al., 2007). After reading
about these studies I was interested to find out if the
added protein really did have an effect on performance
and exertion during long periods of exercise.
The first sports drink, Original Gatorade, has
14g of carbohydrates per serving (8 fl oz) and 0g of
protein per serving. Although participants did show a
slight increase in distance traveled per 30 min segment,
the mean scores were not significant (P = .997). The
next drink tested was Accelerade, which has 15g of
carbohydrates per serving (8 fl oz) and 4g or protein
per serving. The combination of carbohydrates and
protein was expected to increase the participants
performance level based on pervious studies; however
the data did not result in a significant difference (P =
.998). Finally Cytomax was tested, which contains 22g
of carbohydrates per serving (8 fl oz) and 0g of protein
per serving. The data for Cytomax did show increased
mileage per 30 minute segment and a decreased
amount of liquid consumed, however it was not
statistically significant (P = .988). Overall there did
not seem to be a difference of performance level when
comparing the carbohydrate only solutions to the
carbohydrate-protein solutions. The added protein in
the Accelerade sports drink did not provide the
participants with increased performance levels when
compared to the carbohydrate only sports drinks.
Along with the distance traveled and ounces
of liquid consumed, the participant’s general exertion
levels were recorded and resulted in moderate
differences among the liquid. Based on 3 exertion
levels (weak, moderate, and strong), the participants
recorded feeling weaker during the water trial than any
other liquid tested. When the three sports drinks were
compared, Cytomax (Carbohydrate only) scored with
the strongest level of exertion, participants felt best
throughout the 2 hours while drinking this liquid.
Cytomax has a significantly higher amount of CHO
compared to the other drinks, which may be the cause
of the improved exertion levels. Based on these
findings, the protein did not show any added effect to
the endurance or exertion level of the participants
compared the non-protein drinks.
Based on my data collected and the statistical
analysis, my original hypothesis was not reached in this
experiment. The protein-carbohydrate sports drink,
Accelerade, did not prove to be any more efficient
during strenuous exercise than the carbohydrate only
sports drinks (Gatorade and Cytomax). Although
protein did not result in improved performance,
carbohydrates did add to the participant’s performance.