Gatorade Zero Powder, 3 Flavor Variety Pack, 50 Count

Product Information

A lot of people don’t realize that the “electrolytes” in sports drinks include basic table salt. This is because it’s important to replenish your body’s salt while sweating and exercising. |We review published medical research in respected scientific journals to arrive at our conclusions about a product or health topic. This ensures the highest standard of scientific accuracy. Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, notes that while Gatorade Zero can be a useful tool for athletes who need to replenish electrolytes, it should not be used as a replacement for water. “Plain water is always the best way to hydrate before, during, and after exercise,” he states. A YouTube creator named Blood Sugar King published a video testing the effects of Gatorade Zero on his blood sugar levels. While regular Gatorade caused a significant spike in blood sugar, Gatorade Zero actually caused a slight decrease in blood sugar:

Sodium citrate is the sodium salt of citric acid, and was shown in a clinical trial to improve exercise performance in endurance athletes. Replenishing the electrolytes that you’ve lost is essential to maintaining good health and maintaining crucial bodily functions such as the following: There are also suspicions that artificial sweeteners may cause an insulin response through another mechanism. That is, the sweet taste of artificial sweeteners may trigger an insulin response even without real sugar in your bloodstream. The one benefit of the powder over the drink (if the powder is mixed into a non-plastic container) is that there is no risk of ingesting plastic chemicals, which is a legitimate health risk when consuming acidic drinks from plastic bottles, as we highlighted in our recent review of Prime drink ingredients .Illuminate Labs has a team of medical experts including doctors and Registered Dietitians who are assigned to review the accuracy of health claims and medical research summaries based on the relevancy of their expertise to the article topic. Krenzer ME. Viral gastroenteritis in the adult population: the GI peril. Crit Care Nurs Clin North Am. 2012;24(4):541-553. doi:10.1016/j.ccell.2012.07.003 Regular Gatorade also has many of the questionable additive ingredients that we highlighted in the ingredient analysis of Gatorade Zero, including flavoring agents, citric acid and artificial food dye. You’d be more likely to get too much salt from canned foods like frozen TV dinners, soup, and the like, though. Cans of soup can have 1,000+ mg of sodium—over 6 times as much as a serving of Gatorade Zero.

In particular, Gatorade Zero contains potassium and sodium, which are the two main electrolytes lost after sweating or exercising (1) . This is because Gatorade has 160 mg sodium per serving, which is a moderate amount. But drinking excess Gatorade can increase sodium intake, which is not good for your heart health. Is Gatorade Zero Good for Your Kidneys?

Hydration made easy

Let’s start by actually looking at some Gatorade Zero ingredients. Below is a table showing three flavors. Most of the ingredients are the same for each flavor, but the coloring is actually quite different between flavors. Gatorade Zero contains vitamins and minerals that support overall health and well-being, such as fighting infection, healing wounds, strengthening bones, and regulating hormones. Pedialyte contains more electrolytes, which is beneficial when vomiting or diarrhea causes the rapid depletion of these minerals. Zinc is especially useful as it aids in the absorption of other electrolytes and can help reduce diarrhea.

Electrolyte balance: The electrolytes in Gatorade Zero can help restore electrolyte balance and prevent hyponatremia (a condition where the body has too little sodium). Gatorade Zero was found to be as effective as regular Gatorade at restoring electrolyte balance in athletes. Gatorade Zero provides hydration and replenishes electrolytes lost during physical activity without adding sugar or calories. Department of Health & Human Services. (2020, December 20). Vitamins and minerals. Better Health Channel. Retrieved April 11, 2023, from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au As always, it’s a good idea to consult with a healthcare professional before making any significant changes to your diet or exercise routine. Who Should Avoid Gatorade? Schneider, M. B., Benjamin, H. J., Bhatia, J. J. S., Abrams, S. A., Ferranti, S. D. D., Silverstein, J., Stettler, N., Thomas, D. W., Daniels, S. R., Greer, F. R., McCambridge, T. M., Brenner, J., Cappetta, C. T., Demorest, R. A., Halstead, M. E., Koutures, C. G., LaBella, C. R., LaBotz, M., Loud, K. J., … Rice, S. G. (2022, August 31). Sports drinks and energy drinks for children and adolescents: Are they appropriate? Augusta University Research Profiles. Retrieved April 11, 2023, from https://augusta.pure.elsevier.comEducation: Our Lady of Fatima University Doctor of Medicine (MD), Doctor of Medicine (2012-2015), Angeles University Foundation