Dextrose 10% Drink is Superior than Sodium Dextrose in Increasing Blood Glucose and Sprint Speed in Soccer Players: a Double-Blinded Randomized Crossover Trial Study

Abstract

Background: Sports drink should be formulated to be effective in improving sports performance, but there is no standard of agreement about the most effective formulation. The diversity of situations in which these drinks are used for and the various factors might contribute to its specific efficacy. The main elements of a sports drink are water, sugar and salt. The major constituents which can be manipulated to alter the functional effects of sports drinks are the carbohydrate (CHO) concentration, type and the electrolyte content. The solution of either dextrose (D) 4-8 % or sodium dextrose (Na-D) are able to increase the blood glucose (BG). However, there are still no comparison about the differences in effects between solely D versus Na-D on soccer players. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of D supplementation on BG, VO2max, and sprint speed compared with Na-D. Method: We conducted a double-blinded crossover study of a 22 young male (19±1.1 years) soccer players, consumed either D or Na-D fluid. We compared pre and post data of BG, VO2max and sprint speed between D and Na-D group. The primary outcome was differences in ΔBG between D and Na-D group. Secondary outcomes were differences in ΔVO2max and Δsprint speed between D and Na-D group. Results: The mean BG level was higher in D compared with Na-D group [136±22.9 mg/dl vs 118±21.5 mg/dl] (p = 0.009). Mean differences of ΔBG of D (mean before and mean after) compared with ΔBG Na-D (mean before and mean after) is 16.8mg/dl (p = 0.001). The mean of sprint speed is faster in the D group [15.2±1.25 sec vs 15.9±1.61 sec] (p = 0.019), but we found no significant differences in VO2max between both groups [42.1±3.44 ml/min/kg vs 42.3±3.98 ml/min /kg] (p = 0.834). Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that D drink without added sodium has a large influence effect in increasing the BG level and sprint speed.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials, NCT04206579. Registered 20/12/2019 – Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04206579?term=NCT04206579&draw=2&rank=1