Given that there is a link between athletic performance and magnesium, then you would think that it would be a given that there would be sports drinks with magnesium salts. The sport drinks manufacturers promote that their products improve performance; magnesium can improve athletic performance so it’s a given.
Right?
Unfortunately the answer is no for most of the more popular drinks. There are very few sports drinks with magnesium on the market.
If you check out the contents of many of the more well known sport drinks then you may be surprised to see that the amount of magnesium they contain is a zero. This may be surprising when you understand that magnesium has been clinically proven to be a vital mineral, required for over 300 processes and reactions in the body including energy production, muscle function, proper functioning of the nervous system, cell regeneration, etc.
Sports drinks, that do not contain all the minerals and electrolytes that you lose during exercise, might be considered as being deficient in what the consumers genuinely believe they shoulde contain. In addition, the so-called ‘energy drinks’ that contain caffeine as one of the ingredients are quoted as actually a negative source of some minerals as they may leach some nutrients from your body which can be exceedingly detrimental to your health if you drink too many.
Many of the more popular sports drinks are considered by some sports nutrition experts as being less than optimal for re-hydration due to the absence (or very low levels) of magnesium. Magnesium is a necessary contributor to the ATP energy synthesis reactions and is required for muscle contraction, nerve conduction and cell division. These experts believe that the losses of magnesium are considerable during strenuous exercise and it is essential for optimal performance that it be replaced.
Sports Drinks with Magnesium
Now some drinks on the market do contain some magnesium so if you are concerned about a deficiency affecting your athletic performance (or maybe you suffer from cramps) then you may wish to consider only using a drink that does offer some supplementation. For example, a drink called ‘Endura‘ promotes itself as containing sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium to ensure that sweated electrolytes are replaced.
Alternatively you can make your own sports drink with magnesium by adding a magnesium supplement to your drink. Be aware though, that some people can have reactions such as stomach upsets when ingesting some magnesium supplements.
If you have any questions about ingesting more magnesium either through sports drinks or in your general diet, then please consult a suitable health care professional.