Sports drinks can aid athletes

LOS ANGELES TIMES
Forget the vitamins. The best supplement to help athletes' bodies recover from the stress of heavy-duty exercise is good old-fashioned sugar -- found in sports drinks.
That's because the drinks, which are 6 percent to 8 percent sugar, help restore much of the body's depleted supply of carbohydrates. Sports drinks supply forms of sugar, such as glucose and sucrose, that are quickly absorbed and in optimal concentrations. Fruit drinks contain fructose, which can lead to cramping or stomach upset.
David Nieman, a marathon runner and researcher at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., has devoted a decade to studying the effects of sports drinks on athletes' immune systems.
The magic bullet, if one exists, is a liter of a sports drink for every hour of heavy exertion, said Nieman, a professor in the department of health, leisure and exercise science.