Gatorade may have millions of dollars worth of research behind it and a bunch of star athletes endorsing it, but it turns out the humble old banana still does a better job of giving you an energy and nutritional boost when you're exercising. New research looked at whether a banana or a carbohydrate sports drink like Gatorade was more beneficial when consumed during a period of intense cycling: Researcher Dr. David C. Nieman describes the results: "We found that not only was performance the same whether bananas or sports drinks were consumed, there were several advantages to consuming bananas." They had antioxidants and nutrients that the Gatorade-like drinks don't have, and bananas offered a healthier blend of sugars too. Well, I guess there goes our justification for slamming expensive sugar water to enhance our performance at the gym. Looks like we're back to a good old-fashioned banana courtesy of nature and maybe some regular, non-smart water too. Ho hum. At the very least, maybe the banana industry can start printing celebrity endorsements on the peels so we can feel validated about our choice to go natural.


Bananas Are as Beneficial as Sports Drinks, Study Suggests [ScienceDaily]