Haul Buns

Energy Drinks and Mind Games

April 17, 2009 at 3:59 pm 1 comment

Energy drinks like Gatorade and Propel may help you achieve your fitness goals, a new study says, but not in the ways science previously thought. An article published in The Journal Of Physiology‘s latest issue finds that sugary drinks boost endurance even if they’re not ingested (the study’s subjects just swished the drinks and spit them out). This makes the scientists involved in the study think what the mouth tells the brain about these drinks — rather than their caloric content — is what makes them a must-have for high-performing athletes.

The coolest thing about all of this, in my opinion, is that it lends even more support to the idea that the brain is the biggest determiner of your ability. Muscles, heart, lungs… they’re all necessary, but your mind — and the way it processes information from your body — really is the limit when it comes to working out.

(Of course, this doesn’t mean you should go out and start chugging high-calorie sports drinks in the hopes of turning into Venus or Serena Williams. I’m no scientist, but I can safely say that the drink alone won’t do it for ya.)

Read Science Daily‘s take on the study here, or check out the study’s abstract here.

Entry filed under: Fuel Yourself. Tags: Kim.