"Lack of evidence" that popular sports products work
17 / 07 / 2012
BBC Panorama claims that many sports drinks, protein shakes and high-end trainers are just "another fashion accessory for exercise".
Panorama: The Truth About Sports Products carried out its investigation with the British Medical Journal and researchers from several universities.They said there was a "striking lack of evidence" to back up claims that many sports products improve performance, with the sports drinks they studied showing a negligible affect on performance or recovery after exercising.
Nutrition expert Professor Mike Lean of the University of Glasgow says the market for supplements is "yet another fashion accessory for exercise … and a rather expensive way of getting a bit of milk."
The programme also looks at the benefits of specialist running shoes, which one expert claims have much less impact on injury than other factors such as the distance and intensity of your run.
You can read a BBC article about the investigation here or watch the programme on BBC iplayer.