Science in Sport Immune

As the name suggests, Science in Sport's Immune are electrolyte tabs with added vitamin C and iron for immune system support – ideal for staving off illness and winter sniffles.

Let's make something clear from the start: it's very difficult to positively ascertain whether these tablets have actively helped me avoid illness. I try to eat healthily alongside a balanced active lifestyle – generally considered to be the best way to ensure a strong immune system – as well as keeping good hygiene. I'm not obsessive with the alcohol gel, but you'll always find some stashed away somewhere in my backpack. As a result, I'm already pretty well covered, albeit prone to the odd infection as the weather gets colder like anyone else.

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So, what do we know? SiS, whose findings are in line with plenty of other scientific studies, suggests that vitamin C and iron play a key role in a healthy immune system and energy production, and that your immune system is suppressed immediately post-exercise. As a result, ensuring your body is supplemented with these key micronutrients could have a positive role to play in helping your immune system recover from bouts of exercise.

That's not to say you can take these instead of following a healthy diet or good hygiene, but they'll theoretically provide your body with some of the ingredients it needs to work at its optimum level.

You also get 0.9g of (total) salt per tab along with the 200mg of vitamin C and 2.5mg of iron, which helps with efficient muscle function in the same way as the standard GO Hydro tabs do. In this regard they're very effective, highlighting just how big an impact adequate salt intake during cycling can have, regardless of the ambient temperature.

Taste is as good as any effervescent tablet SiS makes – a light orange taste, but enough when you're crying out for fluids either during or post-ride, when your taste buds seem especially sensitive to your cravings.

Where I question the Immune tabs is in their value; if what you want is a vitamin boost to supplement your training, what's wrong with a simple vitamin C supplement from a supermarket, which tend to cost around a quarter of the price and do the same job? Salts can easily be obtained from a full carbohydrate mix in one of your bottles, or through recovery food, so that base can easily be covered too. Alternatively, you can take a wider view to guaranteeing micronutrient intake and take a full (daily) multivitamin instead, still at a far cheaper price.

> Find more road.cc reviews of hydration products here

Sports supplement companies make their money by claiming specificity in their products – the clue is in the title: 'sports supplements' – and in many respects there's a lot to be said for this. After all, I'm not going to claim for a second that you won't benefit from ample or moderately increased intake of vitamin C and iron – it's likely the effectiveness of your immune system will be helped in some way.

In conclusion, then, I'll say this: while the Immune tablets successfully tick a useful box, it's a very specific box, and could easily be covered by better value (or more comprehensive) options elsewhere from products that essentially do the same thing without the branding, or through well-considered general nutritional choices.

Verdict

Decent enough product, but there are cheaper ways of boosting your immune system