Gatorade has launched a new sports hydration drink called Gatorlyte which they’re aggressively marketing as a “rapid rehydration” product.
In this article we’ll analyze whether the average person working out really needs a specialty rehydration drink, and also analyze all of the ingredients in Gatorlyte to give our determination on whether it’s healthy or not.
Are Hydration Drinks Necessary?
Sports hydration drinks typically consist of water, sugar and electrolytes, along with some other filler ingredients. The theory behind this type of formulation is that glucose from sugar provides energy and electrolytes replace those lost by sweating.
Medical research suggests that sports hydration beverages containing electrolytes and carbohydrates optimize performance in prolonged endurance events (like marathons), but we can’t find much medical research suggesting they improve performance in the average person.
If you’re going to the gym every day to jog for 30 minutes or lift weights, we don’t believe it’s necessary to use a sports hydration drink. For people trying to lose weight, we believe it’s even more illogical to use a drink like Gatorlyte instead of water, because the additional calories are detrimental to weight loss.
Gatorlyte Ingredient Review
Gatorlyte has several different flavors, all with similar formulations. We’re using the Gatorlyte Mixed Berry product as a basis for our ingredient review, and the Nutrition Facts label above is from this product.
The active ingredients in this product are sugar and an electrolyte blend of potassium, calcium, magnesium and chloride.
We take no issue with the electrolyte inclusion, but we know from previous medical research that added sugar is harmful in excess. For elite athletes who consume no other added sugar throughout the day, and use Gatorlyte to replenish during intense workouts, there’s certainly no issue, but for the average American who’s already consuming too much added sugar, we would recommend avoiding any sports drinks with added sugar.
Gatorlyte also contains the preservative and flavor enhancer citric acid. This compound can be naturally derived from citrus fruits like lemons, but over 99% of its commercial production comes not from citrus fruits, but from a fungus called Aspergillus niger as documented by a recent medical review on this ingredient published in the Toxicology Reports journal.
The study linked above found that citric acid derived from the fungus can cause whole-body inflammation in some patients, which is why we recommend avoiding all food and beverage products containing this ingredient. Even though this potential side effect is rare, it doesn’t seem logical to consume this ingredient when it has a documented risk and no nutritive benefit.
This Gatorlyte flavor also contains two artificial food dyes: Red 40 and Blue 1. A medical review on the toxicology of food dyes concluded that Red 40 was contaminated with carcinogens (cancer-causing compounds), and that Blue 1 causes hypersensitivity reactions.
We recommend avoiding all products with artificial food dyes. Like citric acid, they provide zero health value and they may pose a health risk, so it makes sense to avoid them.
Gatorlyte also contains natural flavor, which is a generic term often used by food manufacturers which doesn’t define what actual chemicals are used. Without the information on which specific chemicals are used in the natural flavor, it’s impossible for consumers to be certain that the product is safe.
Overall we don’t find this formulation to be very healthy, and would recommend avoiding it. Even elite athletes with a need for sports hydration drinks could find an alternative without food dye, citric acid or flavoring agents.
Gatorlytes Packets Review
Gatorade also sells a separate electrolyte product in powder form confusingly called “Gatorlytes.” It comes in a packet and can be mixed into water or any other beverage.
These packets contain more sodium but fewer electrolytes than Gatorlyte drinks. The stats are below:
Sodium
Gatorlytes powder: 780 milligrams (mg)
Gatorlyte drink: 490 mg
Magnesium
Gatorlytes powder: 40 mg
Gatorlyte drink: 105 mg
Potassium
Gatorlytes powder: 400 mg
Gatorlyte drink: 350 mg
Calcium
Gatorlytes powder: 80 mg
Gatorlyte drink: 120 mg
What makes Gatorlytes the superior product from a health context is that it contains zero questionable additive ingredients. The formulation is just electrolytes, with no added sugar or artificial food dye. We would definitely recommend Gatorlytes powder over Gatorlyte drink.
We recently reviewed the LMNT electrolytes product favorably because of its clean formulation, but that product didn’t contain calcium so Gatorlytes may be nutritionally superior.
Whole Foods Alternatives
There are whole foods that are rich in electrolytes which may be healthier alternatives to commercial electrolyte products.
According to the USDA, coconut water is rich in potassium and natural sugars.
Pickle juice is high in sodium and often used to treat muscle cramps. It has a pungent taste that may be off-putting to some people, so try a small amount at home before taking pickle juice on a run.
Many fruits and vegetables are high in individual electrolytes, so the healthiest natural electrolyte option may be a homemade smoothie.
One quarter of a watermelon contains over 100 mg of magnesium according to the USDA resource linked above. Spinach is incredibly high in calcium, with one bunch (340 grams) containing 337 mg calcium. Celery is naturally high in sodium and bananas have relatively high potassium.
A smoothie with watermelon, spinach, celery and banana would taste better and be healthier than any electrolyte drink on the market in our opinion, and would also contain natural sugar suitable for elite athletes.
For athletes engaged in high-intensity training losing significant water through sweat, consider adding a small amount of pickle juice to add significant sodium to the smoothie.
