A trainer at the gym this morning was downing his protein powder by mixing it with Coca Cola.
This was his PWO drink so he was saying the simple sugars and carbs for recovery and that the carbonation speeded the absorption?
How would carbonation speed recovery?
and the drink looked bad…fizzy and chunky
okay… .off to work but I just wondered about the carbonation
I heard carbonation speeds up absorption in my DUI… err I mean nutrition class. The protein shake sounds like a bad idea though. Chunky protein is just nasty. I bet it makes a big mess too. I don’t see why he didn’t just mix it with water and then chase it with coke.
I have also downed a protein shake and chased it with coke as a lazy pwo, but at no point did I try to justify it as anything other.
The carbonation thing is iffy at best. The only one I believe is that it messes up your stomach acid in high quantities.
Carbonation DOES speed absorption on many things. In fact, if I recall, Power Drive was generally recommended to begin with to be mixed with like Soda water to help aid just that, fwiw. I saw several coaches suggest it here.
Kubo
Well, I suppose it’s possible. I don’t know if it should be used for this purpose or not, but I can provide a theory behind why this MIGHT be possible.
Please keep in mind that I have not done any personal studies or research on the theory, it was just presented to me in a university lecture. So take it for what it’s worth. I am not advocating it.
At the base of the stomach, there is a pyloric sphincter, which regulates the rate at which food passes into the small intestine. Fluids exit the stomach more rapidly than solids, carbs more rapidly than proteins, and proteins more rapidly than fat. (This is the place where the reasoning of the trainer breaks down the most, because a whey PWO shake is liquid, so it will exit relatively quickly anyways)
Now, absorption of food and liquids by the stomach is, largey, negligible. Its main function is to break down the food (into chyme) which can then be easily absorbed by the small intestine. Carbonation is supposed to relax the pyloric sphincter, therefore getting food out of your stomach quicker, where it can be absorbed in the small intestine.
To make an anaology, it’s kind of like when people say that champagne “goes to their head”. What is really happening (supposedly at least) is that the carbonation (specifically the CO2) is allowing the alcohol to pass into the small intestine quicker, which means it’s absorbed faster. The result is you get drunk quicker. So the champagne doesn’t really go to your head, it goes to your small intestine.
The same theory applies to alka-seltzer or drinking a carbonated beverage if you just had a HUGE meal. It is supposed to allow the food to pass out of the stomach quicker, thus relieving indigestion.
There you have it. I’m not saying that that is necessarily 100% true. I think many of us can recognize that not everything professors say is always accurate, but I hope that has at least provided a theory as to why it MIGHT be true.
And again, with a whey PWO drink, since liquids enter the small intestine much quicker than solid foods anyways, it probably isn’t helping much. Sounds like he’s just trying to justify the Coca-Cola.
Interesting post, Mindfreak17.
On a slight tangent:
As far as I know, in the U.S., Coke is made with high fructose corn syrup. Not exactly the best source of simple carbs for “recovery”.
[quote]michael2507 wrote:
Interesting post, Mindfreak17.
On a slight tangent:
As far as I know, in the U.S., Coke is made with high fructose corn syrup. Not exactly the best source of simple carbs for “recovery”.[/quote]
Thanks,
And yeah, that’s why I also wanted it to be noted that the theory shouldn’t be used to justify what he is using it for, because I don’t think it’s applicable. Rather he seems to be trying to justify the Coke. I didn’t actually check the ingredients of Coke, but I certainly agree that he could find a much better source of carbs for “recovery”.
I think that the root beer flavored Surge would be significantly tastier if it was mixed with soda water over regular water.
Edit: I was right.
[quote]Mindfreak17 wrote:
At the base of the stomach, there is a pyloric sphincter, which regulates the rate at which food passes into the small intestine. [/quote]
Hehe sphincter. Anyways interesting post and I agree that fructose isn’t a good source of simple carbs because it only replaces liver glycogen and not muscle glycogen right?
[quote]OctoberGirl wrote:
…but I just wondered about the carbonation[/quote]
I usually mix my PWO shake in sparkling mineral water. I just like it.
excuse for being lazy…
if the carbonation really does help, use gatorade powder with sparking water and whey…
come to think of it, I may just try that tomorrow…
Also, based on what mindfreak said, if that were true, it could also explain why diet drinks sill are not as good for you as plain water… just throwing that out there…
Any exact numbers on how much faster the CO2 allows you to digest food ?
well who woulda though. Thanks for all the answers, and Mindfreak thanks for the breakdown of why it might actually work.
Maybe I will steal from Downwarddog and try it with sparkling water. I am not a fan of soda.
Take this for what its worth, but I do remember reading in Flex one time that Jay Cutler will occasionally include regular soda in his post workout nutrition
[quote]TBT4ver wrote:
Take this for what its worth, but I do remember reading in Flex one time that Jay Cutler will occasionally include regular soda in his post workout nutrition[/quote]
Take it for what it’s worth but sometimes zephead4747 will slam a whey shake, drive to hardees and get 2 double burgers with bacon, a large frie, and a rootbeer. Especially after back or leg days
Soda= poison…if I’m doing that I’d rather have a beer post workout.
not kidding.
DG
[quote]Dirty Gerdy wrote:
Soda= poison…if I’m doing that I’d rather have a beer post workout.
not kidding.
DG[/quote]
Guinness for strength.
[quote]Dirty Gerdy wrote:
Soda= poison…if I’m doing that I’d rather have a beer post workout.
not kidding.
DG[/quote]
could it be light beer???
or will an angry mob drown me in a vat of Arrogant Bastard Ale for suggesting such a thing?
[quote]OctoberGirl wrote:
Dirty Gerdy wrote:
Soda= poison…if I’m doing that I’d rather have a beer post workout.
not kidding.
DG
could it be light beer???
or will an angry mob drown me in a vat of Arrogant Bastard Ale for suggesting such a thing?
[/quote]
well that only depends if your on a low carb diet or not 
lol
DG
Speaking of mixing, protein powders are not an acceptable substitute for coffee creamer unless you like to stir it the whole time. Seems it likes to float and coagulate at the top??. and ruin your drink.
I actually mix diet coke with the vanilla Surge for a PTWO vanilla coke. The only way I can stomach the stuff without milk…