Sports Bars are a tailor-made, purpose-built energy bar designed to cater for the added demands of athletes on the run.  There is a whole industry based on sports bars and they are becoming increasingly available - you can buy a range of brands in sports shops, gyms and supermarkets.  So what makes these bars purpose-built for an athlete?

The current interest in sports bars is often linked to the successful development of the PowerBar in the mid 1980's.  This bar was developed by an elite runner (Brian Maxwell) and his wife, Jenny, a nutritionist.  After 'hitting the wall' and suffering a dramatic performance loss in a marathon, Brian became interested in making a carbohydrate-rich bar that could be consumed by athletes during exercise to provide an additional fuel source.  The PowerBar was developed from recipes made in the Maxwell home, and was first trialled and distributed by a network of endurance and ultra-endurance athletes on the race circuit.  Marketing of the bar developed from a cottage industry in 1986 to a successful international company.  The success of the PowerBar has lead many other companies to make products to share in the 'athlete menu market'.

The AIS Sports Supplement Program lists Sports Bars within Group A supplements - that is, supplements that are approved or recommended for use by AIS athletes. 

Sports bars provide a compact source of energy, carbohydrate and protein.  Although  the size and composition of bars varies, the carbohydrate content is typically 30-50 g per bar.  Most bars are low in fat (2-3 g per bar) and fibre.  These characteristics make them ideal to eat during exercise or immediately after exercise when other solid foods are not well tolerated.  An exception to the low-fat guideline is the range of sports bars manufactured for use with the Zone diet.  These bars are advertised to have an energy composition of 40:30:30 - 40% of energy from carbohydrate, and 30% of energy each from fat and protein.  The protein content of sports bars ranges from minor (<5 g), to substantial (10-15g+).  Most sports bars are fortified with vitamins and minerals, so that an intake of 1-2 bars typically provide the daily recommended intakes of these micronutrients.  The composition of commonly available bars is summarised in Table 1, with comparison to food products such as muesli bars and cereal bars.

Sports bars have been designed to assist athletes in meeting their dietary needs in specific sports situations:

• They provide a more concentrated source of carbohydrate than sports drinks and provide a substantial fuel boost when consumed during or after exercise.
• They provide an easily chewed and digested form of solid food to help satisfy hunger during prolonged exercise (i.e. road cycling).
• They provide an easily consumed source of carbohydrate and protein for post-exercise recovery.
• They provide a reliable source of protein and micronutrients for the athlete who is travelling or living in a situation where there is limited access to a range of nutrient-rich foods.

Sports bars are not designed to be used as a general snack or as a replacement of daily meals.  Substituting wholesome foods such as cereal bars, cereal, fruit, toasted muffins, sandwiches and low-fat fruit yoghurt with sports bars is an expensive option for an athlete and may prevent the athlete from meeting requirements for a range of nutrients and food factors that are not provided in the sports bar.  Therefore, while sports bars can play a specific role in the athlete's sports nutrition plan, they are not intended to play a general role in meeting dietary goals.

Sports bars are best used as a purpose-built food to meet specific sports nutrition goals.  Below is a number of situations when the use of sports bars would be appropriate:  

* Athletes undertaking prolonged training sessions or competing in endurance events need suitable carbohydrate snacks to keep pace with fuel needs and to satisfy hunger.  Cyclists and ironman triathletes, for example, routinely train and compete through meal times.  Sports bars provide a portable, compact snack that is easily consumed during exercise

* Athletes with high energy requirements need energy-dense snacks that are portable and easily consumed on the run.  For these athletes, sports bars provide a compact source of energy, carbohydrate and protein that can be kept in their sports bag and consumed as a snack between meals or immediately after training sessions.

* Athletes involved in multi-event competitions, such as round-robin tournaments need to have a range of compact, easily digested snacks on hand to keep pace with their fuel requirements.  Sports bars along with breakfast bars, sandwich halves, dried and sliced fruit, toasted muffins, low-fat yoghurt, juice and sports drink are all good examples of snacks suitable to eat when there is limited time between games to eat regular meals.

* A carbohydrate-rich snack or meal should be consumed in the 1-4 hours prior to competition or training to enhance body fuel stores.  Sports bars provide a low-fat, low-fibre, carbohydrate-rich snack that requires minimal preparation or storage.  They are a useful option to include as part of a pre-event or pre-training snack, especially when that athlete is unable to eat a more substantial meal or has limited time before they exercise.  Sports bars also provide an excellent option for athletes who are too nervous to eat before competition or are at high risk of gastrointestinal problems during exercise.

* Athletes who undertake a busy schedule of training and competition should follow a pro-active recovery plan, with a schedule of well-timed meals and snacks.  Post-exercise recovery goals include refuelling and rebuilding, and are enhanced by the early supply of carbohydrate and protein, and perhaps, micronutrients.  Sports bars provide a compact and portable supply of these nutrients, and are valuable for athletes whose appetite or practical situation limit the immediate intake of everyday foods.  Sports bars may provide a snack option until the usual meal schedule can be resumed.

* Sports bars can also be included as part of a low residue/fibre meal plan for athletes attempting to make weight in weight-category sports such as light-weight rowing and boxing.  Athletes in weight-making sports should seek the advice of a qualified sports dietitian to ensure they optimise their preparation in the lead up to competition.

* Sports bars are a useful snack for travelling athletes who have minimal facilities for food preparation and storage.  For travelling athletes who have fussy eating habits or are travelling to countries that have limited food variety, sports bars are a convenient, nutrient-rich snack that is easily packed with their luggage.

Sports bars offer a range of practical advantages over everyday foods in certain situations faced by athletes.  Nutritionally, sports bars provide a greater source of energy (kilojoules) and carbohydrate per bar compared with everyday foods such as muesli bars and breakfast bars.  Unlike muesli bars and cereal bars, some sports bars also contain a significant serve of protein.  Finally, since many sports bars are fortified with a range of vitamins and minerals, they provide a greater source of these nutrients compared to muesli and cereal bars.

However, all these advantages come at a cost as sports bars are considerably more expensive than other bars and wholesome snack foods.  Furthermore, sports bars are generally lower in fibre compared to foods such as fruit, breakfast cereal and bread.  For these reasons, the AIS encourage the use of sports bars in specific sporting situations rather than as a general snack choice for the busy athlete.

Further information can be found in the AIS Sports Supplement Fact Sheet on Sports Bars.

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