Non-alcoholic beer: How good is beer without alcohol for us after biking?

BIKE: Cyclists drink water, fruit juice spritzers or special isotonic sports drinks to balance their fluid levels. How suitable is non-alcoholic beer as a thirst quencher?

Uwe Schröder: Basically, we differentiate between action drinks and recovery drinks. Beer is not an ideal drink during sport. Its carbon dioxide makes it unsuitable for the drinking bottle and also leads to a bloated stomach. And as salt is primarily lost through sweating during activity, it is important to pay attention to the sodium content, which is hardly or not at all present in beer. The European Food Safety Authority in Parma recommends a dosage of around one gram of salt per litre. So-called "salty jumpers", i.e. athletes with a quickly visible salt rim on their clothes, should use even higher doses.

And before and after sport?

If you like it, you can drink non-alcoholic beer about 15 minutes before exercising. Basically, drinking a measured amount of carbohydrate-containing drinks such as non-alcoholic beer immediately before exercise prevents the so-called "rebound effect", i.e. overcompensation due to drinking too much after exercise.

As a regeneration drink, non-alcoholic beer fulfils important functions: It balances water levels, its carbohydrates stabilise blood sugar levels, helps to quickly replenish depleted muscle energy stores and the mineral potassium it contains helps to store this carbohydrate energy in the muscles as quickly as possible.

A recognised recommendation is to consume approx. 1 g of carbohydrates per kg of body weight immediately after exercise for effective regeneration and replenishment of glycogen stores. Drinks containing carbohydrates, such as non-alcoholic beer, can easily fulfil this recommendation.

As around 19 mg of potassium is stored in the muscle cell per gram of carbohydrate, potassium-rich drinks are particularly suitable for regeneration after intensive activities.

More about nutrition during sport:

>> SPORT AND NUTRITION: This is what mountain biking is all about!

>> DRINKING MEALS TESTED: What are the benefits of Yfood, Foodie, Huel and co. for athletes?

>> HEALTHY FOOD: Cooking - and eating - for cycling

>> MORE STRENGTH, LESS WEIGHT: The perfect diet for indoor cycling

Non-alcoholic beer: residual alcohol of up to 0.5 % is usually not a problem

Keyword marketing: Some beers are specifically marketed as "isotonic". Are these beers actually better than those without labelling?

In the European Union, a drink may be labelled as isotonic if its osmolality (concentration of osmotically active particles) is between 270 and 330 mOsm/kg. Accordingly, beers labelled as such give me the assurance that I am getting a relevant amount of carbohydrates as well as electrolytes and, of course, water.

However, the property "isotonic" is not the sole indicator of the quality of a sports drink; it only indicates the amount of osmol contained. Concentrations of up to 16% carbohydrates have proven to be well tolerated for the action drink - i.e. the drink directly on the bike. This means that 160 g of readily available carbohydrates, such as sugar or glucose, are dissolved in one litre of water. This solution is hypertonic but only suitable under certain conditions.

Are there people who should avoid non-alcoholic beer?

As with bread, beer is of course absolutely the wrong drink for people with a gluten intolerance. Incidentally, this group seems to be growing among endurance athletes. However, gluten-free beer is now also available. These beers are usually labelled gluten-free and are safe for people with gluten intolerance.

Otherwise, non-alcoholic beer is always a good choice as a thirst quencher for athletes, especially after sport - if it suits the taste. A residual alcohol content of up to 0.5 % is usually not a problem. Our blood is never alcohol-free because our body produces ethanol itself and even rye bread or bananas contain alcohol. Many people don't realise this. Nevertheless, DiSE e.V. recommends the 0.0 % variant for performance-orientated athletes. It offers the advantage of having no alcohol-related diuretic effect, which is particularly important to compensate for the large sweat losses typical in endurance sports.

The low alcohol content in "non-alcoholic" beer (up to 0.5%) can also have a slight diuretic effect, which could impair rehydration after exercise. If it is important to recover as quickly as possible, e.g. in a training camp or when training twice a day, the complete absence of alcohol in 0.0% beer can promote muscle regeneration and recovery. This is because alcohol inhibits protein synthesis. This delays muscle building and repair after intensive training.

Does non-alcoholic beer also have positive effects on health?

Non-alcoholic beer contains polyphenols, which have anti-inflammatory properties and can help to reduce oxidative stress. This can support muscle recovery and reduce inflammation after intensive training. In addition, a study carried out in Munich on marathon runners showed that diseases of the upper respiratory tract, which are typical of endurance athletes, occurred less frequently and less severely. This result is attributed to the secondary plant substances (polyphenols).