According to findings from researchers at the McMaster University, addition of protein to a sports drink does not help you race faster.

It was found during the study that adding protein to a carbohydrate-electrolyte sports drink did not improve cycling time trial performance as against the sports drink alone. It was also found that the reasons why sports drinks are helpful in sports are because of carbohydrate, which offers the necessary fuel for working body muscles, and sodium, which is helpful in maintaining fluid balance. These findings were revealed by Martin Gibala, an Associate Professor of Kinesiology at McMaster.

From News-Medical.Net:

“Previous studies that suggested protein was beneficial used ‘ride to exhaustion‘ tests that do not resemble normal athletic competition. In addition, the subjects in those studies received less than the optimal recommended amount of carbohydrate,” says Gibala. “Our study shows that protein confers no performance benefit during ‘real life’ exercise when athletes consume sufficient amounts of a sports drink.”

The study, which was funded by Gatorade, comes at a time when the sports drink industry is under pressure to create new products by adding ingredients that might further enhance performance. Some companies have heavily marketed protein-laced sports drinks as the next magic bullet, but Gibala’s research disputes such claims.

Gibala remarked that there is no concrete evidence to suggest that endurance athletes are in a need of protein during exercise sessions though a little of protein after exercises is helpful in repairing any damaged muscles and promotion of training adaptations.