Energy drinks 'waste of money' in gym

Thousands of gym-goers who buy energy sports drinks are wasting their money, an expert said today. While the drinks may be suitable for people training for events such as marathons, many exercisers just end up consuming lots of extra calories.

Nick Hudson, national fitness manager for Virgin Active, said those doing workouts of less than two hours did not really benefit from the drinks.

He said: "They're certainly useful for people who compete in very long distance events.

"Your body is generally thought to be able to store enough glycogen (a form of glucose] to last roughly two hours and marathon runners swear by them.

"But those doing shorter, more intense workouts don't really benefit physiologically."

Mr Hudson said people trying to lose weight should avoid the drinks altogether, or opt for a low-calorie version.