aw basics

Product of the week ...

This week AW Basics recommends a new Caffeine Boost drink from Lucozade which has been designed to enhance both the mental and physical performance of the athlete

A CAFFEINATED isotonic sports drink is available for the first time ever in the UK.

It is a well-known fact that caffeine – a stimulant – improves performance, but Lucozade Sport has now integrated this into an energy drink – resulting in a winning formula called Lucozade Sport with Caffeine Boost.

Don’t take our word for it, though. One of the earliest athletes to test Lucozade Sport with Caffeine Boost, the international marathoner Liz Yelling, said: “Whether training or running competitively, my main challenge is making sure I am at the top of my game both physically and mentally. Lucozade Sport with Caffeine Boost reduces my perception of effort
and helps me to focus my mind on long runs and gets me up and
ready for key shorter sessions.”

The drink was developed in the Lucozade Sport Science Academy (LSSA) and John Brewer, the performance director at the LSSA, added: “For some time, our team at the LSSA has been monitoring the latest sport science research which demonstrates the positive effect combining caffeine with carbohydrate, and electrolytes can have
on mental as well as physical performance
during sport.

“Research has proven that the mental benefits of caffeine peak an hour after consumption so we therefore recommend drinking Lucozade Sport with Caffeine Boost approximately one hour before training or competing.”

Finally, during the past decade athletes have been continually wary of nutritional supplements due to fears that they may be contaminated. But Lucozade Sport insists it has addressed these concerns and assures athletes that its products can be trusted because they are independently tested for prohibited substances.

► Lucozade Sport with Caffeine Boost is available in Lemon Plus flavour and each 500ml bottle contains 80mg of caffeine (a cup of tea contains approximately 50mg of caffeine, while coffee includes 60mg). In addition to major high street stores, it is sold via www.lucozadeshop.com for 99p per 500ml bottle or £3.44 for a pack of four.

 

Caffeine offers benefits and it’s within the rules

READERS of AW may be aware that caffeine is a controversial substance that has floated on and off the official banned substances list during recent years.

Crucially, at the moment it is not on the banned list and even when it has appeared on the list it would take a huge amount of substance to trigger a positive drug test.

It is also not a diuretic during exercise, so there is no reason why athletes should avoid it during training and races for that reason.

Caffeine use in sport can have side effects, though, particularly when ingesting high doses (greater than 500mg per day) or when taken by those individuals not consuming caffeine on a regular basis.

Therefore, caffeine ingestion should be trialled in training prior to use in competition.

 

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