Carb Mix and Hydration

Hi everyone. If I mix 800mls of water with 90grams of carb drink mix, is the combination still as effective as just 800mls of water for hydration?

In other words, does adding carb mix make the bottle less effective for hydration?

Adding mix means there’s less overall water in the bottle, because the mix displaces the water. Depending on your hydration needs, if you want/need the full 800ml of water you’ll need a bigger bottle.

For reference, I use 24oz (710ml) bottles with 90g of carbs and 1200mg of sodium/electrolytes per hour. However, once mixed I loose about 50ml (~1.7oz) due to displacement. So depending on your mix/concentration you can expect about the same.

1 Like

For sure, so the displacement is the only loss in terms of hydration?

I think isotonic is about 6% to maximise absorption as well as hydration…I tend to go a bit higher 50g in about 600ml - I would suggest that if you need more eat on the bike rather than using higher concentrations

2 Likes