Spoonful of Sugar in Water Has the Same Effect with Energy Drinks水中加糖媲美功能飲料

文/妮古拉·哈莉 譯/郭譯心

By Nicola Harley

根據科學家們的說法，往一杯水中添加一勺糖能比一些功能飲料更有效地提高體能。

[2]巴斯大學的研究者稱，在運動會前，往運動員水瓶中添加攪拌食用糖，其飲用效果會影響成敗。

[3]越來越多為體育鍛煉提供能量的運動飲料選用蔗糖或葡萄糖與果糖的混合物，但仍有許多僅僅依賴葡萄糖。

[4]然而，研究者們發現，混合不同種類的糖能提高人體腸道吸收糖的效率。

[5]在其發表于美國生理學會雜志《內分泌學與新陳代謝》的最新一項研究報告中，巴斯大學的研究者們分析了耐力運動對肝糖原水平的影響。

Adding a spoonful of sugar to a glass of water could be more effective at enhancing sporting prowess than some energy drinks, according to scientists.

[2] Researchers at the University of Bath say that stirring table sugar into a water bottle before a big physical event could be the difference between success and failure.

左小龍跨在摩托車上，目光迥然，神情堅定，包括泥巴在內的所有人都詫異的看著如同雕塑一般的左小龍，一時沒有了言語。

[3] An increasing number of sports drinks designed to provide energy during exercise use sucrose or mixes of glucose and fructose—but many still rely on glucose alone.

[4] However, researchers found that combining different sources of sugars improves the rate at which people can absorb them from the gut.

[5] In a new study, published in the American Journal of Physiology—Endocrinology & Metabolism, they assessed the impact of endurance exercise on liver glycogen levels.

[6] The team tested various drinks to see how different carbohydrates could help avert the decline of liver glycogen levels and tiredness.

[7] Their experiment, conducted on long-distance cyclists, showed that ingesting carbohydrates in the form of either glucose or sucrose can achieve this.

[8] Both sucrose—in the form of table sugar—and glucose are important carbohydrates often referred to as simple sugars.

[9] The major difference between them is that each sucrose molecule is made up of one glucose and one fructose molecule linked together.

[10] Scientists warn that such glucose-only drinks could produce gut discomfort and suggest sucrosebased alternatives—or simply sugar in water—can help make exercise easier.

[11] Dr Javier Gonzalez, the lead researcher, said: “The carbohydrate stores in our liver are vitally important when it comes to endurance exercise as they help us to maintain a stable blood sugar level.

[6]該團隊測試了各種飲料，以觀察不同的碳水化合物在防止肝糖原水平下降和緩解疲憊感方面的區別。

[7]他們以長途騎手為實驗對象，證明了以葡萄糖或蔗糖的形式來攝取碳水化合物都能夠達到這樣的效果。

[8]蔗糖（食用糖）和葡萄糖是兩種常被稱為單糖的重要碳水化合物。

[9]它們的主要不同在于每個蔗糖分子由一個葡萄糖和一個果糖分子連接而成。

[10]科學家提醒，那些只含葡萄糖的飲品會引起腸道不適，建議大家選用蔗糖基替代品或只是往水中加糖，就可以使運動輕松些。

[11]首席研究員哈維爾·岡薩雷斯博士說：“進行耐力運動時，我們肝臟中儲存的碳水化合物極其重要，因為它們能幫我們維持血糖水平的穩定。

“然而，盡管我們對通過運動和吸收營養儲備肌肉碳水化合物儲量的變化有相對豐富的了解，但對運動中和運動后，肝臟儲存碳水化合物的優化知之甚少。

“我們的研究表明，在運動過程中攝取碳水化合物能阻止肝臟中碳水化合物的消耗，而不是在肌肉中的消耗。

“Our study showed that ingesting carbohydrates during exercise can prevent the depletion of carbohydrate stores in the liver but not in muscle.

“This may be one of the ways in which carbohydrate ingestion improves endurance performance.

“We also found that the exercise felt easier, and the gut comfort of the cyclists was better, when they ingested sucrose compared to glucose.

“This suggests that, when your goal is to maximise carbohydrate availability,sucrose is probably a better source of carbohydrate to ingest than glucose.”

[12] The scientists recommend up to 90g of sugar per hour for optimal performance during exercise lasting over two and a half hours. ■

“這可能是碳水化合物的攝入改善耐力表現的方法之一。

“我們同時發現攝入蔗糖能讓運動變得更輕松，也能讓騎手的腸道舒適度提高。

“這意味著，當你的目的在于最大化利用碳水化合物，蔗糖作為一種碳水化合物可能是比葡萄糖更好的攝入選擇。”

[12]科學家們建議，想要在兩個半小時以上的運動中獲得最佳表現，每小時需攝入高達90克的糖。 □