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Anaerobic Respiration In Sports Drinks

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Sports drinks are used to rehydrate athletes during and after exercise. However, the efficiency of these electrolyte drinks has been questioned.
During respiration glucose from food is added to oxygen to form ATP,C02, and H20. During exercise, glucose and oxygen are used at a much faster rate due to increased muscle contractions. There are two types of respiration; aerobic and anaerobic. During aerobic respiration,glucose is added to oxygen to produce CO2,H20, and 38 ATP molecules. However, during high-intensity exercise,the oxygen supply is less than the demand. Because of this, anaerobic respiration takes over. This type of respiration can occur without oxygen, however ,it only produces 2 ATP molecules in comparison to 38. In addition …show more content…

During exercise, glucose is required in large amounts at a faster rate. The glucose and fructose (which is converted to glucose) in sports drinks provides the cell with the carbohydrates that are required for ATP synthesis. In addition to glucose, electrolytes such as sodium are added to sports drinks. The thirst mechanism doesn't initiate until 2% of bodily fluid has been lost. However, by the time the thirst mechanism initiates,performance has already decreased. Sodium initiates the thirst mechanism prematurely to solve this problem. In addition to premature thirst initiation, sodium assists muscle …show more content…

Before exercise, the cell and its surroundings are in an isotonic state.This means that there is the same amount of water and molecules on both sides of the membrane. During exercise,water is lost at a faster rate through perspiration. Therefore, the cell goes into a hypotonic state, which means that the water rushes into the cell via osmosis; the movement of water from an area of high to low concentration. The majority of sports drinks are isotonic. Some scientists argue that the isotonic state of sports drinks renders them ineffective in regards to cellular hydration. It has been argued that because water isn't entering the cell during an isotonic state,performance is impaired due to improper cellular hydration. It should be noted that sports drink consumption after exercise is detrimental. After exercise,glucose demand slows down. When the supply of glucose from sports drinks is greater than the demand,it is eventually converted to fat via lipogenesis. In addition to the negative effects of sports drinks, it is also important to take into consideration, the fact that glucose/electrolyte requirements and sport drink ingredients will vary. Therefore,while one sports drink could improve performance for one person, it could be ineffective for someone else. Also,sport drinks are likely innefective for aerobic (cardio based) excercises that

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