The Truth about Sports Recovery Drinks
By Joe Stout B.Sc., M.S.
 In
the vast market of sports and energy drinks most are advertised as
performance enhancing or health improving in nature. However a quick
comparison of various brands and it is soon discovered that they are not
so much miraculous as they are well marketed. The fact is, these
caffeinated syrups do little more than over excite the nervous system
and cause an inevitable crash after consumption. Unfortunately for too
long, the consumer has had to suffer from an over abundance of highly
processed, sugar laden, sports/energy drinks. The lineup of ingredients
in these so called performance enhancing “supplements” plays like a bad
detective story. In each drink, the usual suspects are rounded up
(sugar, sucrose syrup, high fructose corn syrup, caffeine, artificial
sweeteners/colors/stimulants, etc.) and yet each product claims
“magical” performance enhancing benefits. The obvious problem is that if
each drink is made with the same unhealthy ingredients, what real health
benefits are there going to be? In all actuality a company can say all
they want about their sugary caffeine water but I can make the same
claim for a cup of stale coffee and we would both be on similar
nutritional grounds.
There are two functions of a sports drink (actually
three but I’ll get to that in a moment). The first is to rehydrate
the body from the effects of dehydration often brought about by
mild, moderate, or intense exercise. The second, to replenish
electrolytes lost by sweat and metabolic activity. Certain sports
drinks handle the first function with ease because they’re composition
is mainly plain water. However many miss even this simple goal by
containing carbonated water which has been cited as causing a variety of
health related problems. As a side note, I should mention that during my
graduate research work, we found that on average around 80% of people
were chronically dehydrated regardless of their level of thirst. Bottom
line, you probably need more water.
The second function, that of replenishing
electrolytes, is almost always either overlooked or executed poorly
by the leading beverages. The discrepancy lies in the fact that the
majority of the minerals found in each bottle are synthetic and exist in
ratios not found in nature. For example, the potassium to sodium ratio
should be around 3 parts potassium to 1 part sodium (3:1) but in almost
every leading beverage I have analyzed the ratio is always 1:3, 1:4, and
even 1:5. This is backwards and leans far too heavily on sodium chloride
(salt) a substance which nearly everyone over-consumes.
 As
I alluded to earlier, there is actually a third function of sports
drinks that, while rarely addressed, is absolutely crucial. I am
referring to the role of antioxidants in combating the damaging
effects of free radical oxidation. In a nutshell, free radicals
cause oxidative damage in living organisms by disrupting a portion of
DNA which then creates a new free radical. These two free radicals will
then disrupt more DNA creating more free radicals, fueling a vicious
cycle. The bad news is that this DNA damage is often at the root of
sickness, aging, and cancer. Even worse news is that oxidation happens
all the time and is difficult to avoid. But perhaps the worst news,
especially for athletes, is that exercise (yes life extending exercise)
creates massive amounts of free radical in the form of Reactive
Oxygen Species (ROS). As exercise frequency and intensity increases,
so does the production of ROS. Obviously, I am not advocating against
exercise as it is clearly a healthy activity. However, if we are not
actively combating the ROS created during said exercise, we are taking 3
steps forward to 2 steps back.
 Fortunately
there is hope. Although healthy sports drinks are far and few between,
there is one that addresses each of the three functions discussed above.
Solar Synergy, when mixed with pure filtered water, counteracts the
effects of dehydration. It also replenishes electrolytes by providing
over 20 bio-organic minerals and electrolytes in natural ratios
(including a healthy 3:1 potassium to sodium ratio).
Solar Synergy also contains an impressive array of superfruits which
when paired with the aforementioned bio-organic mineral/electrolyte
combo, provide an antioxidant synergy that is sure to give free radicals
a knock out blow.
Recover With Antioxidants and Electrolytes
As you read this, your body is waging an endless war
against silent and invisible assassins. These assassins aren’t a new
strain of swine flu, they haven’t caused any widespread panic, and no
amount of antibiotics or vaccines will get rid of them. They are free
radicals and they, and the oxidative damage they cause, are here to
stay. Every single human on God’s green earth is engaged in this battle
and the consequences of this war are linked with diabetes, hypertension,
cancer and many other disease states. These microscopic hit-men (free
radicals) are infinitesimally small and are continuously attacking and
destroying the very foundation of our living cells, our DNA. Free
radical oxidation happens everyday; when we eat, when we work, and
especially when we exercise.
Free radicals cause oxidative damage and although they
are invisible to the human eye, their effects can be noticed in mere
minutes. Find an apple, cut it in half, then wait and within moments,
oxygen molecules will attack the flesh of the apple, cause oxidative
damage, and cause the apple to turn brown. In living organisms, this
occurs as well. There is often a chain reaction wherein one free radical
disrupts a portion of DNA which creates a new free radical. These two
free radicals will then create more free radicals, fueling a vicious
cycle.
So is there any hope? What can we possibly do to slow
or prevent the role of free radical induced oxidative damage? First,
there are some things to avoid. Although total elimination of oxidative
damage is impossible, there are many lifestyle practices that if engaged
in will increase damage. Some practices that speed up free radical
oxidative damage are smoking, eating charred/fried foods, and
overexposure to ultra-violet (UV) light, (i.e. sun/tanning bed). Merely
avoiding these practices is an excellent way to slow down oxidative
damage.
But should we really only play defense when it comes
to our health? As the adage goes, “the best defense is a good offense”
and that is exactly the position we need to take to combat oxidative
damage. Free radicals have a veritable foe in the oxidation war, they
are called, you guessed it, antioxidants. Let’s go back to the apple
analogy from earlier and instead of having the apple merely “avoid”
unhealthy practices like smoking and extreme UV exposure, let’s have the
apple take the offense. We will douse the apple slice with a potent
antioxidant such as lemon juice and then wait for oxidation to occur. We
had better have a good book to read because it is going to be a lot
longer wait than before. The lemon juice is packed with ascorbic acid, (aka
vitamin C) which prevents the apple from oxidizing. Vitamin C is only
one of a long list of antioxidants. Others include vitamin A, vitamin E,
Coenzyme Q10, glutathione, and astaxanthin. There is a much longer list
than just these few, and all of these antioxidants are working to
neutralize the damaging effects of oxidation. Antioxidants are literal
life savers because if we didn’t have these “good guys” in our system,
free radical oxidation (the bad guys) would kill us in a matter of days.
It is really that crucial!
Now that we’ve got the background, let’s hear some bad
news. Oxidation happens all the time. Sometimes we can avoid it,
sometimes we can’t. Exercise is an area where we just can’t avoid
oxidation. Free radical damage will happen if and when you exercise. But
as we all know, exercise is a cornerstone of health and therefore it is
an interesting juxtaposition that exercise can actually induce a life
shortening process like free radical oxidation. When we exercise we
generate Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) which function as free radicals.
As exercise intensity increases, so does the production of ROS. The
problem, as we have seen above, is that these highly unstable (reactive)
oxygen species are directly responsible for causing oxidative damage
during exercise. In fact, ROS has been shown to have a highly negative
impact on muscle performance as well as muscle recovery. Therefore,
everyone involved in a daily exercise routine must make getting enough
antioxidants a priority!
The natural question at this point is “what foods
have the most antioxidants?” and the answer is, “those foods with
a high ORAC value.” The ORAC value stands for Oxygen Radical
Absorbance Capacity and is based on how many free radicals a specific
food can absorb or neutralize. So, if a cucumber has an ORAC value of
214 and a yellow bell pepper has an ORAC value of 694 then the bell
pepper has the capacity to absorb three times more free radicals than
the cucumber. The higher the ORAC, the higher the antioxidant power.
 Mt.
Capra’s SOLAR SYNERGY is the perfect choice for athletes and
non-athletes who are looking for a sports recovery drink that not only
refuels their electrolyte stores but also delivers an antioxidant
knock-out blow to the destructive force of oxidation. SOLAR SYNERGY
contains a proprietary blend of superfoods, antioxidants, and
electrolytes, the primary being
Capra
Mineral Whey.
Intense exercise will always produce free radical
oxidation as well as diminish the body of crucial electrolytes such as
sodium, chloride, and potassium. The
Capra
Mineral Whey that is found in
Solar Synergy supplies the body with much needed bio-organic sources
of over 20 minerals. Remember that bio-organic, or whole food sourced
minerals, are key. There are countless sport recovery drinks that
contain nothing more than table salt and sugar water and have no natural
food sources.
 Mt.
Capra has really taken
Solar Synergy to the next level by insisting all their
electrolytes/antioxidants, have a natural food source. Along with
supplying key minerals/electrolytes, SOLAR SYNERGY contains such
superfoods as goji berries, wild blueberries, acerola cherries, and many
more! These superfoods combined with the bio-organic minerals present in
Capra
Mineral Whey make for a powerful post-workout recovery drink. When
SOLAR SYNERGY is combined with
Mt. Capra’s Double Bonded Protein the pair creates a synergistic
muscle recovery duo that can replenish systemic electrolytes, fuel new
muscle growth/repair, and stave off dangerous free radical oxidation.
SOLAR SYNERGY contains over 20 bio-organic minerals
and 9 superfoods, but for now we are going to focus on one of its many
functional ingredients: Sensoril. In a nutshell, Sensoril is a
multi-patented, proprietary, standardized extract of the Ayurvedic
botanical, Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera). But it really is so much
more than just another Ashwagandha extract. This mind and body
supplement has a list of clinically proven health benefits that is
longer than my arm. We will examine and explain 5 of them. For the sake
of this article length, I will limit my explanations of each health
benefit.
1. Sensoril® a Superior Solution to Stress
 When
the body is stressed, its normal state of balance, or homeostasis, is
disrupted. This causes a series of physiological reactions along the
hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis which results in increased
secretion of cortisol into the bloodstream. Cortisol is known as the
“stress hormone” because it produces a wide range of stress-related
symptoms. Sensoril is an optimal ingredient in
Solar Synergy because it lowers cortisol levels in the body
thus relieving stress. This was demonstrated in a randomized,
double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in which the level of
serum cortisol dropped by 24.2% in subjects taking Sensoril. Interesting
thing about this is that those taking the placebo saw their cortisol
levels rise by nearly 5% that is bad news for those on the placebo and
great news for those consuming Sensoril!
These same subjects also experienced a 69.9% reduction
in an overall measure of stress-related symptoms. Bottom line is that
we’re seeing some pretty hefty clinical data backing up the ability of
Sensoril and thus Solar Synergy to reduce stress in the body.
2. Sensoril is Clinically Proven to Provide Healthy
Energy
Solar Synergy contains the therapeutic dose of Sensoril (250mg)
which has been clinically proven to provide long-lasting, balanced
energy in a safe and effective manner. This type of stimulant-free
energy enhancement lacks the feelings of nervousness and jitters that
normally accompany use of stimulant-based energy ingredients.
In the previously described double-blind,
placebo-controlled clinical trial, subjects taking Sensoril felt
their energy level increase by 79% with no negative side effects
reported.
This energizing effect was accompanied by a rise in
the subjects’ levels of serum dehyroepiandrosterone (DHEA), an
energizing hormone that becomes depleted when people are stressed and as
they age. Research has also found that Sensoril enhances energy-related
metabolism at the cellular level by increasing levels of ATP and other
energy-related cellular metabolites that are produced in mitochondria,
the cell’s energy factory.
3. Sensoril is Proven to Enhance Mental Cognition
Chronic stress and aging are associated with decreased
brain activity due to altered neurotransmitter levels, inhibition of
neural connections, and even neuron death caused by high cortisol levels
and free radical-induced oxidative damage. Parts of the brain like the
hippocampus and cerebral cortex, which are associated with memory and
concentration, are particularly vulnerable to stress and aging-induced
damage.
Sensoril has been clinically proven to
significantly reduce forgetfulness and the inability to concentrate.
Its ability to enhance cognitive function in this way
is caused by the extraordinary, multifunctional properties of Sensoril’s
with anolide glycoside bioactives. They raise levels of acetylcholine,
an important neurotransmitter associated with memory in the hippocampus,
by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase, the enzyme that degrades
acetylcholine. Through their cortisol-inhibiting properties, Sensoril
bioactives protect parts of the brain that are vulnerable to cortisol-induced
neuron damage, including the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. They also
reduce oxidative damage to neurons in the brain both by stimulating
greater concentrations of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide
dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase, and by neutralizing
free radicals directly with their own antioxidant activity.
4. Sensoril can Help Maintain Glucose Balance
Increasingly, more people are having difficulty with
elevated blood sugar levels, Metabolic Syndrome, and insulin resistance.
Research is now showing that the relationship between heightened
cortisol levels and elevated blood sugar levels culminates in
compromised health as a result of the way the body responds to stress
(particularly psychological stress). When stressed, the body secretes
cortisol, which stimulates conversion of stored energy (fat and muscle
protein) into glucose to provide energy that can be rapidly metabolized
to bolster the ability to run away from a stressor or rise up to
confront it (known as the “fight or flight” response).
In the double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial
mentioned previously, Sensoril significantly lowered fasting blood
sugar levels in subjects by an average of 4.7%.
This demonstrates that it is a highly effective
anti-stress and adaptogenic agent and that Sensoril can provide blood
sugar balance support through a reduction in cortisol levels.
5. Sensoril can Support Cardiovascular Health
Prolonged stress can contribute to increased blood
lipid levels, high blood pressure, heart disease, and atherosclerosis,
all of which negatively impact cardiovascular health. Sensoril helps
support cardiovascular health in several compelling ways.
In that same double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical
trial, Sensoril significantly lowered blood pressure and improved
blood lipid levels in subjects.
It also reduced their levels of C-reactive protein, an
acute-phase protein that is associated with systemic inflammation and
has been found to be correlated with increased risk of cardiovascular
disease. Together, these clinical results demonstrate that Sensoril
enhances many factors that are associated with cardiovascular health.
The implications are clear. Sensoril is a powerful and
healthy supplement to add to your regime. I use this ingredient everyday
when I drink a glass of
Solar Synergy. Shouldn’t you be doing the same?
Notes from Christine Dreher CCN, CCH:
 Mt.
Capra’s
Solar Synergy is my recommendation for sport’s recovery drinks.
Along with supplying key minerals and electrolytes from natural whole
food sources, SOLAR SYNERGY contains such superfoods as goji berries,
wild blueberries, acerola cherries, and more. These superfoods combined
with Sensoril and the bio-organic electrolyte minerals present in
Capra
Mineral Whey create a powerful post-workout recovery drink and an
amazing anti-aging and restorative health product.
When
Solar Synergy is combined with
Mt. Capra’s Double Bonded Protein the pair creates a synergistic
muscle recovery duo that can replenish systemic electrolytes, fuel new
muscle growth/repair, and stave off dangerous free radical oxidation.
Resources
For more information on the Solar Synergy click here.
For
more information on the Capra Mineral Whey, click here.
For more information on the Double Bonded Protein, click here.
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