Sports Drinks and Nutrient-Enhanced Waters:
Are They Right for Me?
In 2009, Gatorade® sales worldwide totaled $895.8 million. This equals almost one 16-fluidounce (fl oz) bottle of Gatorade for every person on earth, and 2009 was a slow year in sales! In
addition, nutrient-enhanced water sales total hundreds of millions of dollars each year. But are
these sports drinks and fortified waters really necessary? Are there other choices that work just
as well?
Most sports drinks contain calories, sugar, and electrolytes (usually sodium or potassium).
Electrolytes help the cells of your body maintain fluid balance and perform certain essential
functions, such as keeping your heart beating and your muscles moving. Gatorade is a great
example of a basic sports drink, containing about 50 calories, 14 grams (g) of sugar, 110
milligrams (mg) of sodium, and 30 mg of potassium in 8 fl oz. Gatorade comes in 20-fl-oz and
32-fl-oz bottles, providing anywhere from 125200 calories, 3556 g sugar, and 275440 mg
sodium per bottle. Gatorade usually costs $1$2 per bottle.
Nutrient-enhanced waters usually have the nutrients found in sports drinks, plus additional
vitamins, minerals, and/or supplements. The most popular nutrient-enhanced water contains
about 50 calories, 13 g fructose sugar, vitamins C, B3, B5, B6, and B12, and electrolytes (usually
sodium or potassium) per 8 fl oz. Depending on the flavor, it also contains additional
supplements, including minerals (eg, zinc, chromium), fat-soluble vitamins (eg, vitamin A,
vitamin E), choline, caffeine, and taurine. The typical nutrient-enhanced water contains 20 fl oz,
which provides 125 calories, 33 g sugar, and well over 100% of your daily need for vitamins C,
B3, B5, B6, and B12. Like Gatorade, nutrient-enhanced water costs $1$2 per bottle.
Who should use sports drinks and nutrient-enhanced waters?
According to Exercise Physiology: Basis of Human Movement in Health and Disease, sports
drinks are most beneficial for people performing continuous physical activity for longer than 60
minutes. Most exercise lasting less than 60 minutes will not result in severe carbohydrate and
electrolyte depletion. Drinking water will maintain fluid balance for shorter periods of exercise.
If you are not physically active, you do not need a supplement such as Gatorade, because it will
provide calories, sugar, and sodium that your body does not need.
Nutrient-containing waters have added vitamins, minerals, and supplements that are touted to
increase energy, provide better focus, or strengthen the immune system. Your body uses vitamins
and minerals to help metabolize the carbohydrates, protein, and fat that you eat, and assist many
hormonal and inflammatory responses in your body. If you eat at least 1600 calories per day
from a range of food sources, (lean protein, dairy, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc), you
probably do not need vitamin supplements unless you have a diagnosed vitamin deficiency.
According to Joanne Larson, MS, RD, LD, your body uses only about 15% of a vitamin and
mineral pill supplement and the rest is excreted in your urine. This also applies to nutrientcontaining waters. At $1$2 per bottle, nutrient-enhanced water is maybe just an expensive
supplement, especially when you consider that a multivitamin/mineral pill can cost as little as
10¢.
What are the alternatives?
If you want to increase your fluid intake, but hate drinking plain water, try a few of these tips:
 Squirt a fresh lemon or lime into your water or add a splash from purchased lemon or lime
juice
 Try naturally flavored seltzer water, if you like carbonation
 Add a small splash of 100% juice to a large container of water or plain seltzer
 Consider a warm cup of tea or coffee in the morning, choosing decaf if you are sensitive to
caffeine
 Purchase the calorie-free versions of Gatorade or nutrient-enhanced water if you desire the
sweetness and flavor of these products, but realize that these calorie-free versions do contain
artificial sweeteners
How much of these products do I need while in training?
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has a series of well-established
recommendations for sport drink use for those who train vigorously:
 At least 4 hours before exercise, drink about 23 milliliters (mL) of water or a sport beverage
per 1 pound (lb) of body weight:
– For example, a 150-lb athlete needs to drink 300450 mL, which equals about 1015 fl oz of
liquid
 Consume approximately 8 fl oz (1 cup) of fluids every 15 minutes, about eight large swallows:
– For exercise events lasting longer than 1 hour, cold sports drinks containing 6%8%
carbohydrates, sodium, and potassium are of greater benefit than water alone, helping to
replace the fluids lost from sweating
 After exercise, consume about 1624 fl oz of fluid for every 1 lb of body weight lost during
exercise:
– Weight loss during exercise usually indicates fluid losses rather than loss of body fat or lean
mass
While nutrient-containing waters are perhaps similar to sports drinks in calorie, electrolyte, and
carbohydrate content, the ACSM does not publish guidelines for their use. Their added vitamins
and minerals are not yet proven as useful for exercise. A well-balanced, adequate-calorie diet
usually will provide most of these nutrients.
References and recommended readings
American College of Sports Medicine, Sawka MN, Burke LM, Eichner ER, et al. American
College of Sports Medicine position stand: exercise and fluid replacement. Med Sci Sports Exerc
[serial online]. 2007;39:377-390. Available at: http://journals.lww.com/acsmmsse/Fulltext/2007/02000/Exercise_and_Fluid_Replacement.22.aspx?WT.mc_id=HPxADx2010
0319xMP. Accessed May 10, 2012.
American Dietetic Association; Dietitians of Canada; American College of Sports Medicine,
Rodriguez NR, Di Marco NM, Langley S. American College of Sports Medicine position stand:
nutrition and athletic performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc [serial online]. 2009;41:709-731.
Available at: http://journals.lww.com/acsmmsse/fulltext/2009/03000/nutrition_and_athletic_performance.27.aspx. Accessed May 10, 2012.
Ask the Dietitian®. Vitamin supplements. Available at: http://www.dietitian.com/vitamins.html.
Accessed May 10, 2012.
Brown SP, Miller WC, Eason, JM. Exercise Physiology: Basis of Human Movement in Health
and Disease. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins; 2006. Available at:
http://books.google.com/books?id=1b0iwv8jGcC&pg=PA209&lpg=PA209&dq=water+for+exercise+less+than+60+minutes&source=bl&ot
s=LIDFUCScSo&sig=MYdtunGjFSOT5F9BRkAdphDN6kM&hl=en&ei=z9PSTOqBHIH78Ab
p3JD3Dg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBsQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q
=water%20for%20exercise%20less%20than%2060%20minutes&f=false. Accessed May 10,
2012.
Fuller J. How Vitaminwater® works. Available at:
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/vitaminwater2.htm. Accessed May 10, 2012.
Gatorade.com. Hydration to help replace what you sweat out. Available at:
http://www.gatorade.com/default.aspx#product?s=gatorade-g. Accessed May 10, 2012.
Montague-Jones G. Sports drinks suffer sales volume slump in US. Available at:
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Financial-Industry/Sports-drinks-suffer-sales-volume-slumpin-US. Accessed May 10, 2012.
Vitaminwater. Food/beverages: hydration for every occasion. Available at:
http://www.facebook.com/vitaminwater. Accessed May 10, 2012.
Contributed by Jason Machowsky, MS, RD, CDN, CSCS
Review Date 5/12
G-1475