Sports Drinks

Guide Note

Sports drinks are specially formulated to help active athletes rehydrate after competition or a workout. The drinks also replenish various nutrients and electrolytes. Popular sports drinks include Gatorade, Powerade, and several others.

Fast Facts

1. Designed to replenish carbohydrates in athletes
2. 1966: Gatorade introduced
3. Powerade is owned by Coca-Cola
4. Restore nutrients that water does not

Advertisements for sports drinks often attempt to point out the benefits of drinking specially formulated beverages over regular water. They claim that water alone is not enough to replenish the body of what it needs to keep going, and that drinks like Gatorade have additives to boost carbohydrates and restore nutrients lost through strenuous activity. Sports drinks were originally marketed to athletes only, but non-athletes also enjoy drinking these types of drinks. Therefore, other low-sodium and low-calorie sports drinks are marketed to non-athletes.

• *Isotonic: typically six to eight percent sugar.
• *Hypertonic: lesser proportion of water and greater proportion of sugar
• *Hypotonic: greater proportion of water and lesser proportion of sugar