'Sports Drinks: Performance in a Bottle or the Perfect Placebo? – Wednesday 16th April'

Published On Mon 14 Apr 2014 by Roddy Isles

The consumption of sports drinks by everyone from Sunday-league footballers to gym-goers to Olympic athletes has become commonplace in recent years, but where has this popularity come from and do they actually work?

Those are the questions that Dr Shaun Phillips from Abertay University will be asking at the next Café Science event held in Dundee. ‘Sports Drinks: Performance in a Bottle or the Perfect Placebo?’ takes place at Dundee Science Centre on Wednesday, 16th April.

“Sports drinks are now ubiquitous at every level from public parks and gyms to top-level performance centres,” said Dr Phillips. “Therefore it’s no surprise that sports drinks manufacturing is a multi-million pound worldwide industry that, through sponsorship and advertising, has become increasingly visible in our daily lives.

“Over several decades, research findings suggested that supplying the body with a source of carbohydrate during exercise, particularly of longer duration, meant that exercise could be performed better, or for longer.  Recently, the evidence base has started to be reviewed with a more critical eye, and some surprising findings are coming to light that may require us to challenge what we think to be true regarding how carbohydrate supplements influence our exercise performance.”

Dr Phillips is a Lecturer within Abertay’s Division of Sport & Exercise Science. His research interests include perceptual regulation of performance, fatigue mechanisms and energy metabolism during exercise.

Café Science was launched in January 2008, and has attracted over 5000 visitors since then. The monthly events are informal discussions led by leading local researchers that allow members of the public the opportunity to learn more about the ground-breaking science happening locally.

Café Science Extra allows members of the public to meet with up-and-coming scientists from the Universities of Dundee, St Andrews and Abertay, the James Hutton Institute, and Dundee Science Centre.

‘‘Sports Drinks: Performance in a Bottle or the Perfect Placebo?’ takes place at Infusions coffee shop, Dundee Science Centre at 6pm on Wednesday, 16th April. Doors open at 5.30pm, and the event is free and open to all. There is no need to book in advance but an early arrival is recommended.

More information is available at www.cafesciencedundee.co.uk.

Contact:
Roddy Isles
Head of Press
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN.
TEL: 01382 384910
MOBILE: 07800 581902
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk