Is Gatorade or Powerade better to fuel your workouts?
Intro:
Have you ever wondered how the drinks you are putting inside your body can positively or negatively affect your performance during your workouts? Powerade and Gatorade have been the world's top leading sports drinks and are in question the battle on which is better in terms of taste, energy, healthiness, and overall drink itself. These are the core electrolytes that determine the difference between you feeling bad or preserving that much-needed energy boost through a tough workout.
What are electrolytes?
Electrolytes are essential minerals—such as sodium, calcium, and potassium—vital to many key functions in the body. They're often talked about in association with dehydration and mentioned in ads for sports drinks that promise to replace electrolytes lost through sweat.
Why are electrolytes important in sports?
Electrolytes are essential minerals that play a crucial role in various bodily functions, especially for endurance athletes. Maintaining proper fluid balance and replenishing lost electrolytes can help prevent dehydration, reduce muscle cramping, and improve endurance performance. Once dissolved in liquid, electrolytes carry an electric charge that helps your heartbeat, your blood flow, and other body functions run smoothly. Electrolytes also help your body absorb and maintain the right amount of water.
What is the difference between Gatorade and Powerade?
Both Gatorade and Powerade deal with the science of oral rehydration therapy, the process of replacing fluids and nutrients in your body that are expelled during sickness or over-exertion. The nutrients in this case are the ever-famous buzzword– electrolytes. Sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphate are just a few examples of the essential, naturally occurring electrolytes in our bodies. When we experience vomiting, diarrhea, or excessive sweating, those electrolytes exit our body at a rapid rate and need to be replaced. The typical IV you get in a hospital or the over-the-counter product Pedialyte is an electrolyte shotgun, designed to rehydrate you as quickly as possible. Gatorade and Powerade have the same core ingredients: water, citric acid, salt, and some kind of sugar. In Gatorade’s case, that sugar is dextrose, the same as table sugar. Powerade uses high fructose corn syrup as its sweetener, which is much more powerful than basic sugar. Therefore, Powerade is usually sweeter than Gatorade.
Conclusion: Gatorade is slightly better at replenishing your electrolytes. However, Powerade has some other bonus nutrients like niacin, vitamins B6 and B12, and magnesium. So, really, the difference between Gatorade and Powerade is so slight, that it really comes down to preference in the end. Whichever you feel makes you have the highest energy and performance on the field is the one that would work best for your skill and body to replenish those nutrients.
Sources cited:
“What Are Electrolytes?” Cedars, www.cedars-sinai.org/blog/electrolytes.html. Accessed 22 Aug. 2024.
Maldonado, Charity. “15 Gatorade vs Powerade Nutrition Facts.” Facts.Net, 31 May 2024, facts.net/lifestyle/food/15-gatorade-vs-powerade-nutrition-facts/.
professional, Cleveland Clinic medical. “Electrolyte Imbalance: Types, Symptoms, Causes & Treatment.” Cleveland Clinic, 15 Aug. 2024, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/24019-electrolyte-imbalance.
Life Science, Ixora. “Role of Electrolytes in Sports and Athletic Performance.” LinkedIn, 27 Oct. 2023, www.linkedin.com/pulse/role-electrolytes-sports-athletic-performance-ixoralifescience-c6tmf/.