Sports drink hauled up for unsupported claim

But one such product, Club Energise marketed by the Ireland-based C&C Group, has been pulled up by the UK's Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) for making claims based on studies carried out on another product.

Marketing material for Club Energise, an isotonic sports drink which means that it contains a dilute mixture of carbohydrate and electrolytes, claimed it could 'rehydrate seven times faster than water'.

But while the advertisers said their claim was supported by two peer-reviewed studies, one authored by Seifert et al, and the other by Minehan and colleagues, the ASA​ disagreed.

It noted that the product tested in the Seifert study contained approximately 33 per cent less carbohydrate and over 50 per cent less sodium than Club Energise. Both ingredients affect the rate of rehydration and therefore are not close enough to the product tested in the study to substantiate the specific rehydration claims made for Club Energise, said the ASA.

Although it acknowledged that there is evidence to show that some isotonic drinks could rehydrate up to seven times faster than water, the Authority concluded that it did not substantiate the claim that Club Energise could do so.

C&C has been told to remove the claim but it is unlikely to be the last company to offer compelling statistics in a sports drink marketing campaign.

"There has been a steady trend for making health claims and it is inevitable that as sports products become more sophisticated, companies will feel more confident about making claims,"​ said Gary Roethenburgh from market research firm Zenith International.

He added: "It is an increasingly competitive world out there and I would expect to see more of this."​

Several sports drinks have used this year's numerous sports events, from the Olympics to Euro2004, to push products with enhanced marketing, he added.

Club Energise was launched in Ireland last year. The company's first functional beverage is backed by a marketing budget of €1 million.