Williams, M. B., Raven, P. B., & Ivy, J. L. (1999). Effects of recovery drinks after prolonged glycogen-depleted exercise. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 31(5), Supplement abstract 486.

Highly-fit male cyclists (N = 8) cycled for two hours to deplete skeletal muscle and liver glycogen. During a four-hour recovery, R4 Recovery Drink or Gatorade was ingested and their restorative capacities measured after performing a test at 85% VO2max to exhaustion. Ss repeated the protocol for each condition.

The R4 drink produced better levels of plasma glucose and insulin and a significant increase in time to exhaustion. Final oxidation products were lower in the R4 condition.

Implication. The R4 drink is better than Gatorade for promoting recovery from glycogen-depleting exercise.

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