NORMAN, Okla.—Adding a low-cal energy drink to a daily exercise program may help improve respiratory function and fat loss, according to a new study published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research.
Researchers from the University of Oklahoma randomized previously sedentary men (n=38) to consume an energy drink or placebo daily, with or without participation in a resistance and endurance exercise regimen, for 10 weeks.
Subjects who only consumed the energy drink had no changes in body composition, fitness or strength over the intervention period. However, the men who were exercising and drinking one energy beverage per day had significantly greater decreases in fat mass and percentage body fat, and increases in their respiratory function, compared to men who were only exercising. In fact, various measures of cardiorespiratory function improved in the energy drink/exercise group, but not in any of the other groups. No adverse effects were seen from daily consumption of the energy drink.
The researchers concluded even without dieting, consuming one low-calorie energy drink a day—in combination with exercise—can improve body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness.
