If you think that addition of proteins to sport drinks can make you run faster then you are probably wrong as per findings from researchers at the McMaster University.

This study was able to found that adding protein to a carbohydrate-electrolyte sports drink does not enhance cycling time trial performance as against the sport drink in isolation. It was also remarked during the study that sport drinks are helpful just because of carbohydrate that provide the necessary fuel needed for working body muscles and sodium, which is beneficial for maintaining fluid balance.

The findings of this study 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 went on to remark that no concrete evidence came up to suggest that endurance athletes need protein during strenuous exercise sessions though a small amount of proteins after exercises can be beneficial for repairing damaged muscles and promotion of training adaptations.