General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Carbonation & how it relates to aerobic endurance? Rss Feed  
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2011-08-03 11:57 AM

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Subject: Carbonation & how it relates to aerobic endurance?

I thought I read or heard somewhere a while ago that carbonated beverages - whether it be soda, beer, or even sparkling water - can screw with your body, especially in terms of its aerobic endurance (it messes with your blood or lungs somehow??).

I don't remember any of the details though, or if that's even really what I heard.

I was just wondering if the diet gurus out there have any knowledge on the matter.



2011-08-03 11:59 AM
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Subject: RE: Carbonation & how it relates to aerobic endurance?
Never heard that before.

From personal experience, it makes it more difficult to ingest. Especially if you are not expecting the water to be carbonated.

Stupid Germans and their stupid carbonated water and their stupid Army making me do stupid forced marches and having to use their stupid water......
2011-08-03 12:10 PM
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Subject: RE: Carbonation & how it relates to aerobic endurance?

I have heard the same thing, but not sure if there's any evidence to back it up.  Something along the lines of drinking a lot of carbonated beverages makes it more difficult for your body to absorb as much oxygen or some crap like that.

It doesn't jive with my limited knowledge of how the body works, and I think if there were any truth to it, it would be much more widely known. 

2011-08-03 12:11 PM
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Subject: RE: Carbonation & how it relates to aerobic endurance?
All I know is that Macca breaks it down in his book I Am Here To Win that Coca-cola is his go to drink on the run for Kona.  Since the high fructose corn syrup is based of roughly 50% fructose and 50% glucose, Coke's concentration of sugars, caffeine, and glucose have made many pros call it rocket fuel.  Now if you know from experience that carbonation affects you in negative ways, you can always drink it flat but Macca drinks his carbonated.  
2011-08-03 12:11 PM
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Subject: RE: Carbonation & how it relates to aerobic endurance?

Scout7 - 2011-08-03 12:59 PM Never heard that before. From personal experience, it makes it more difficult to ingest. Especially if you are not expecting the water to be carbonated. Stupid Germans and their stupid carbonated water and their stupid Army making me do stupid forced marches and having to use their stupid water......

A little PTSD?

2011-08-03 12:16 PM
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Subject: RE: Carbonation & how it relates to aerobic endurance?
La Tortuga - 2011-08-03 1:11 PM

Scout7 - 2011-08-03 12:59 PM Never heard that before. From personal experience, it makes it more difficult to ingest. Especially if you are not expecting the water to be carbonated. Stupid Germans and their stupid carbonated water and their stupid Army making me do stupid forced marches and having to use their stupid water......

A little PTSD?



Hey, I nearly choked on that stuff. It was very traumatic.


2011-08-03 12:18 PM
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Subject: RE: Carbonation & how it relates to aerobic endurance?

There is no truth to it. The argument is that carbonation makes the water more acidic by forming carbonic acid. This in turn hurts your endurance or body overall. Studies have shown that there is no effect. The body has a buffering system that neutralizes acids, and on top of that the carbonation itself does not change the pH of water to any noticeable extent.

There are some arguments that carbonation actually helps with the absorption of water, but I haven't seen any studies on this.

Now, the stuff IN the carbonated drink may or may not be healthy. I only drink carbonated water - in fact most days that's the only thing I drink - so I'm not sure about the stuff in the other drinks. Whatever the health effect, it's due to the contents, not the carbonation.

2011-08-03 12:21 PM
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Subject: RE: Carbonation & how it relates to aerobic endurance?
MonkeyClaw - 2011-08-03 12:18 PM

There is no truth to it. The argument is that carbonation makes the water more acidic by forming carbonic acid. This in turn hurts your endurance or body overall. Studies have shown that there is no effect. The body has a buffering system that neutralizes acids, and on top of that the carbonation itself does not change the pH of water to any noticeable extent.

There are some arguments that carbonation actually helps with the absorption of water, but I haven't seen any studies on this.

Now, the stuff IN the carbonated drink may or may not be healthy. I only drink carbonated water - in fact most days that's the only thing I drink - so I'm not sure about the stuff in the other drinks. Whatever the health effect, it's due to the contents, not the carbonation.

Thanks.

2011-08-03 12:23 PM
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Subject: RE: Carbonation & how it relates to aerobic endurance?
MonkeyClaw - 2011-08-03 12:18 PM

There is no truth to it. The argument is that carbonation makes the water more acidic by forming carbonic acid. This in turn hurts your endurance or body overall. Studies have shown that there is no effect. The body has a buffering system that neutralizes acids, and on top of that the carbonation itself does not change the pH of water to any noticeable extent.

There are some arguments that carbonation actually helps with the absorption of water, but I haven't seen any studies on this.

Now, the stuff IN the carbonated drink may or may not be healthy. I only drink carbonated water - in fact most days that's the only thing I drink - so I'm not sure about the stuff in the other drinks. Whatever the health effect, it's due to the contents, not the carbonation.

I would think the hydrochloric acid in your stomach would normally be at a lower ph that Coca-cola. I see that the ph of coke is ~2.8 and the stomach varies from 1.3-3.5 depending on what you've eaten. Proteins buffer stomach ph.

2011-08-03 2:21 PM
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Subject: RE: Carbonation & how it relates to aerobic endurance?
psteiner - 2011-08-03 12:11 PMAll I know is that Macca breaks it down in his book I Am Here To Win that Coca-cola is his go to drink on the run for Kona.  Since the high fructose corn syrup is based of roughly 50% fructose and 50% glucose, Coke's concentration of sugars, caffeine, and glucose have made many pros call it rocket fuel.  Now if you know from experience that carbonation affects you in negative ways, you can always drink it flat but Macca drinks his carbonated.  
I haven't read his book but are you sure he drinks carbonated? Because many long course races have FLAI come on the course to provide calories and caffeine.
2011-08-04 9:06 AM
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Subject: RE: Carbonation & how it relates to aerobic endurance?

the bear - 2011-08-03 2:21 PM
psteiner - 2011-08-03 12:11 PMAll I know is that Macca breaks it down in his book I Am Here To Win that Coca-cola is his go to drink on the run for Kona.  Since the high fructose corn syrup is based of roughly 50% fructose and 50% glucose, Coke's concentration of sugars, caffeine, and glucose have made many pros call it rocket fuel.  Now if you know from experience that carbonation affects you in negative ways, you can always drink it flat but Macca drinks his carbonated.  
I haven't read his book but are you sure he drinks carbonated? Because many long course races have FLAI come on the course to provide calories and caffeine.

It's from his chapter "Coke the world's best sports drink".  He drinks it later on in the race, when the body begins to struggle breaking down complex sugars.  I remember drinking coke at some point around mile 6 in HIM NO this year, and was pleasantly surprised by it.  I've started carrying a frozen bottle of coke with me on my long rides.

To add to this, one IM he did didn't have Coke on the course, and in a panic, he got some Red Bull from a nearby tent.  He said it tasted like crap, and in my opinion it does, but he liked the effects of it so much that he started carrying a red bull in his special needs bag.



Edited by msteiner 2011-08-04 9:07 AM


2011-08-04 9:14 AM
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Subject: RE: Carbonation & how it relates to aerobic endurance?
msteiner - 2011-08-04 9:06 AM

the bear - 2011-08-03 2:21 PM
psteiner - 2011-08-03 12:11 PMAll I know is that Macca breaks it down in his book I Am Here To Win that Coca-cola is his go to drink on the run for Kona.  Since the high fructose corn syrup is based of roughly 50% fructose and 50% glucose, Coke's concentration of sugars, caffeine, and glucose have made many pros call it rocket fuel.  Now if you know from experience that carbonation affects you in negative ways, you can always drink it flat but Macca drinks his carbonated.  
I haven't read his book but are you sure he drinks carbonated? Because many long course races have FLAI come on the course to provide calories and caffeine.

It's from his chapter "Coke the world's best sports drink".  He drinks it later on in the race, when the body begins to struggle breaking down complex sugars.  I remember drinking coke at some point around mile 6 in HIM NO this year, and was pleasantly surprised by it.  I've started carrying a frozen bottle of coke with me on my long rides.

To add to this, one IM he did didn't have Coke on the course, and in a panic, he got some Red Bull from a nearby tent.  He said it tasted like crap, and in my opinion it does, but he liked the effects of it so much that he started carrying a red bull in his special needs bag.

Again, I understand the use of coke, FLAT coke has been a long-course mainstay for sometime now. My question is does he specify CARBONATED Coke, which is the subject of this thread. Seems like that would be just asking for gastro distress.
2011-08-04 9:20 AM
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Subject: RE: Carbonation & how it relates to aerobic endurance?
the bear - 2011-08-04 9:14 AM
msteiner - 2011-08-04 9:06 AM

the bear - 2011-08-03 2:21 PM
psteiner - 2011-08-03 12:11 PMAll I know is that Macca breaks it down in his book I Am Here To Win that Coca-cola is his go to drink on the run for Kona.  Since the high fructose corn syrup is based of roughly 50% fructose and 50% glucose, Coke's concentration of sugars, caffeine, and glucose have made many pros call it rocket fuel.  Now if you know from experience that carbonation affects you in negative ways, you can always drink it flat but Macca drinks his carbonated.  
I haven't read his book but are you sure he drinks carbonated? Because many long course races have FLAI come on the course to provide calories and caffeine.

It's from his chapter "Coke the world's best sports drink".  He drinks it later on in the race, when the body begins to struggle breaking down complex sugars.  I remember drinking coke at some point around mile 6 in HIM NO this year, and was pleasantly surprised by it.  I've started carrying a frozen bottle of coke with me on my long rides.

To add to this, one IM he did didn't have Coke on the course, and in a panic, he got some Red Bull from a nearby tent.  He said it tasted like crap, and in my opinion it does, but he liked the effects of it so much that he started carrying a red bull in his special needs bag.

Again, I understand the use of coke, FLAT coke has been a long-course mainstay for sometime now. My question is does he specify CARBONATED Coke, which is the subject of this thread. Seems like that would be just asking for gastro distress.

He doesn't, so with that in mind he is more than likely talking about flat coke.  Though a Red Bull is "lightly carbonated", and he drinks one of those straight up in races.  Not sure how he handles that.

2011-08-04 9:24 AM
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Subject: RE: Carbonation & how it relates to aerobic endurance?

Quite honestly, I probably don't know enough about this to even make a post, but...

When I was in high school, our football coach would have us drink a cup of coke at halftime - saying that the sugar would give us energy in the 2nd half.

My biology teacher, who was an assistant coach and a very sharp guy, said that it wouldn't work for the purpose we were using it.  He said that there could be some benifit, but we would have to drink it much before half-time to get any benifit from it in the game.

I guess that would still jive with what others have said, if you drank coke early enough in a long race. 

Personally, I've pretty much cut out all soda completely due to the carbonation and its effect on my stomach.  The sugars probably weren't good for me either - and the thought of drinking it now when I'm hot an thirsty really makes me gag.

2011-08-04 10:28 AM
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Subject: RE: Carbonation & how it relates to aerobic endurance?
russrisher - 2011-08-04 7:24 AM

Quite honestly, I probably don't know enough about this to even make a post, but...

When I was in high school, our football coach would have us drink a cup of coke at halftime - saying that the sugar would give us energy in the 2nd half.

My biology teacher, who was an assistant coach and a very sharp guy, said that it wouldn't work for the purpose we were using it.  He said that there could be some benifit, but we would have to drink it much before half-time to get any benifit from it in the game.

I guess that would still jive with what others have said, if you drank coke early enough in a long race. 

Personally, I've pretty much cut out all soda completely due to the carbonation and its effect on my stomach.  The sugars probably weren't good for me either - and the thought of drinking it now when I'm hot an thirsty really makes me gag.

I am not so sure about that. The basically pure sugar/simple carbs found in soft drinks like coke can be metabolized very fast. I would not be surprised that, if you drink it in the first part of half time, at least by the 4th courter, and probably before, you would gain some benefit from it.

For long course triathlon there is a much greater time span for it to work on so it makes much more sense to drink it then.

2011-08-04 10:39 AM
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Subject: RE: Carbonation & how it relates to aerobic endurance?
bel83 - 2011-08-04 10:28 AM
russrisher - 2011-08-04 7:24 AM

Quite honestly, I probably don't know enough about this to even make a post, but...

When I was in high school, our football coach would have us drink a cup of coke at halftime - saying that the sugar would give us energy in the 2nd half.

My biology teacher, who was an assistant coach and a very sharp guy, said that it wouldn't work for the purpose we were using it.  He said that there could be some benifit, but we would have to drink it much before half-time to get any benifit from it in the game.

I guess that would still jive with what others have said, if you drank coke early enough in a long race. 

Personally, I've pretty much cut out all soda completely due to the carbonation and its effect on my stomach.  The sugars probably weren't good for me either - and the thought of drinking it now when I'm hot an thirsty really makes me gag.

I am not so sure about that. The basically pure sugar/simple carbs found in soft drinks like coke can be metabolized very fast. I would not be surprised that, if you drink it in the first part of half time, at least by the 4th courter, and probably before, you would gain some benefit from it.

For long course triathlon there is a much greater time span for it to work on so it makes much more sense to drink it then.

Isn't this basically what they do during an oral glucose tolerance test? Blood sugar levels in normal (non-diabetic) humans are supposed to peak within an hour. The issue is that the drink is so sweet is sometimes causes nausea.



2011-08-04 10:44 AM
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Subject: RE: Carbonation & how it relates to aerobic endurance?

Actually I have read the opposite from two beverage sources; Dietrich Mateschitz (founder of Red Bull, GmbH) and Coca-Cola have both found that a moderate level of carbonation, less than found in most soft drinks such as Coca-Cola speeds absorption of fluids into the gastro intestinal system.

Coca-Cola went so far as to introduce a "sports" version of Coke beverage with tuned (reduced) carbonation and unique packaging for the sports specialty market. That I am aware of, the product either never entered general distribution (yet) or did a brief test market and was subsequently pulled back from the retail market for now.

Red Bull Energy Drink is not intended as a "during activity" energy drink, but the company has experiemented extensively with prototype sports drinks that are carbonated. The idea is the light carbonation "ionizes" the beverage creating easier absorption of fluids even before it reaches the small intestine. Red Bull GmbH has not yet introduced a sports-drink but it is an obvious growth category on the heels of Red Bull Energy Drink and Red Bull Cola.

2011-08-04 10:57 AM
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2011-08-04 11:10 AM
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Subject: RE: Carbonation & how it relates to aerobic endurance?
msteiner - 2011-08-04 10:20 AM
the bear - 2011-08-04 9:14 AM
msteiner - 2011-08-04 9:06 AM

the bear - 2011-08-03 2:21 PM
psteiner - 2011-08-03 12:11 PMAll I know is that Macca breaks it down in his book I Am Here To Win that Coca-cola is his go to drink on the run for Kona.  Since the high fructose corn syrup is based of roughly 50% fructose and 50% glucose, Coke's concentration of sugars, caffeine, and glucose have made many pros call it rocket fuel.  Now if you know from experience that carbonation affects you in negative ways, you can always drink it flat but Macca drinks his carbonated.  
I haven't read his book but are you sure he drinks carbonated? Because many long course races have FLAI come on the course to provide calories and caffeine.

It's from his chapter "Coke the world's best sports drink".  He drinks it later on in the race, when the body begins to struggle breaking down complex sugars.  I remember drinking coke at some point around mile 6 in HIM NO this year, and was pleasantly surprised by it.  I've started carrying a frozen bottle of coke with me on my long rides.

To add to this, one IM he did didn't have Coke on the course, and in a panic, he got some Red Bull from a nearby tent.  He said it tasted like crap, and in my opinion it does, but he liked the effects of it so much that he started carrying a red bull in his special needs bag.

Again, I understand the use of coke, FLAT coke has been a long-course mainstay for sometime now. My question is does he specify CARBONATED Coke, which is the subject of this thread. Seems like that would be just asking for gastro distress.

 

He doesn't, so with that in mind he is more than likely talking about flat coke.  Though a Red Bull is "lightly carbonated", and he drinks one of those straight up in races.  Not sure how he handles that.

 

2011-08-04 11:21 AM
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Subject: RE: Carbonation & how it relates to aerobic endurance?
tkos - 2011-08-04 10:57 AM

I think the marketing goal now with Red Bull (and it is marketing) is as a recovery drink. At least that is what the free sample ladies keep telling me.

All Sport was originally a carbonated beverage, though soon lost its carbonation due to customers objections. 

A few good burps generally deal with nagging stomach issues I may have when I drink carbonation during or near the beginning of an event. 

Coke has never really bothered me.  I mean I'm sure that the coke in my bottle flattens some in the freezer, but I don't do anything to make sure it's flat.  Heck I burp more when I drink certain flavors of Nuun.



Edited by msteiner 2011-08-04 11:29 AM
2011-08-04 11:36 AM
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Subject: RE: Carbonation & how it relates to aerobic endurance?

"I think the marketing goal now with Red Bull (and it is marketing) is as a recovery drink. At least that is what the free sample ladies keep telling me."

Because the primary unique ingredient in Red Bull is taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid), an amino acid, it is predominantly a stimulant drink intended to increase mental and physical acuity. As such it is commonly ingested prior to competition in sports where increased acuity may be an advantage. There are also studies to suggest it may assist in the metabolisation of fat as a fuel source during low level aerobic exercise.

Red Bull got its name from its active ingredient taurine, from the greek/latin etymology taurus or "bull", hence, "Red Bull".



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