Impact of beverage acceptability on fluid intake during exercise

Area of Science:

• Sports Nutrition
• Exercise Physiology
• Sensory Science

Background:

• Fluid intake during exercise is crucial for performance and health.
• Beverage palatability can influence voluntary consumption.
• Understanding factors affecting fluid intake during physical activity is important for athletes and researchers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how beverage acceptability affects fluid intake during prolonged exercise.
• To examine the impact of exercise on the perception and liking of beverages.
• To compare voluntary fluid intake of flavored carbohydrate-electrolyte drinks versus water.

Main Methods:

• Two experiments were conducted with athletes and runners.
• Subjects selected most (M) and least (L) acceptable flavors of a 6% carbohydrate-electrolyte drink (CE) and water (W).
• Fluid intake and beverage acceptability were measured during 180 minutes of exercise under various drink conditions.

Main Results:

• Intake of the most acceptable flavor (M) was significantly greater than least acceptable (L) and water (W) throughout exercise.
• Even the least acceptable flavor (L) led to significantly greater intake than water.
• Beverage acceptability increased during exercise, particularly for less preferred flavors.

Conclusions:

• Flavored, sweetened carbohydrate-electrolyte beverages significantly enhance voluntary fluid intake during exercise compared to water.
• Exercise state can alter beverage perception, increasing the acceptability of even less palatable options.
• Optimizing beverage flavor is a key strategy to promote adequate hydration during physical activity.