It’s common to see athletes drinking brightly colored drinks before, during and even after workouts. But do sports drinks improve exercise performance?

A sports drink has a balance between carbohydrates and electrolytes that is similar to blood. They replenish the electrolytes lost through sweating, and are ideal for longer, more intense workouts.

Sport drinks are designed to replace the electrolytes and water that you lose through sweat. These include sodium and potassium. While the exact composition will vary from product to product, sports drinks usually contain a mixture of ingredients that help you.

A properly formulated sports...