Gatorade sells a sports hydration drink called Gatorlyte which the brand is positioning as a healthier alternative to the original Gatorade formulation. It's described as a "specialized blend of five electrolytes to deliver rapid rehydration" that has "lower sugar and no artificial sweeteners or flavors."
But is Gatorlyte actually healthier than Gatorade? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? Do regular people even need sports hydration beverages? And why do we considered the powdered version of this product to be healthier?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Gatorlyte to give our take on whether or not it's healthy.
We'll also share our honest experience purchasing and testing the drink, compare its healthiness to original Gatorade and Pedialyte, and explain why we considered powdered Gatorlytes packets to be healthier than the drink.
Key takeaways:
- Contains many ingredients we consider unhealthy
- Lower added sugar (and thus healthier) than Gatorade
- We do not consider Gatorlyte to be healthy
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Gatorlyte Mixed Berry are shown below:
image source: https://www.gatorade.com/gatorlyte
Sugar is the first ingredient, and a 2019 medical review found that added sugar is harmful in excess, and is associated with increased risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
Citric acid is typically manufactured from a fungus called Aspergillus niger and appears to cause whole-body inflammation in some individuals according to a medical review published in the Toxicology Reports journal.
Red 40 is an artificial food dye, and a medical review on the toxicology of food dyes concluded that Red 40 was contaminated with carcinogens (cancer-causing compounds) in some cases.
Natural flavor is a generic descriptor used by food manufacturers which doesn’t define what actual chemical compounds are used.
As we explained in our Athletic Greens reviews article, there are documented toxicity concerns regarding some natural flavoring agents and their metabolites.
Purified stevia leaf extract is a healthy and natural sweetener that's plant-derived and has been shown in a meta-study to have no effect on blood sugar levels, which makes it a healthier option than added sugar or artificial sweeteners in our opinion.
Potassium chloride and magnesium oxide are part of an electrolyte blend.
A review published in the Nutrients journal found that supplemental electrolytes can improve athletic performance.
Overall, we consider Gatorlyte somewhat likely to improve athletic performance and endurance short-term, due to the inclusion of sugar and electrolytes.
We do not currently recommend Gatorlyte because we don't consider it to be healthy, due to the inclusion of artificial dye and refined sugar, along with its single-use plastic packaging.
We Tested Gatorlyte
As one of the authors of this article (Calloway), I wanted to try Gatorlyte myself to share my thoughts on its taste and its effects during exercise:
I play basketball with minimal breaks for 60-120 minutes a few times a week and usually just drink water. Today I purchased the Orange flavor of Gatorlyte and brought it to the gym.
The taste is great even though I don't like "artificial" drinks too much, and this is the best-tasting of this category of drink that I've tried recently (better than BodyArmor, Propel and Powerade in my opinion).
The feeling of this drink is "lighter" than regular Gatorade (probably due to the decreased sugar), which I like a lot. I didn't feel like it was weighing me down.
I noticed improved endurance when using this drink compared to if I was just drinking water. After 90 minutes of play with minimal breaks, I didn't feel particularly tired.
Overall, I would rate Gatorlyte 7/10.
I don't plan to buy it again because I don't think that it's healthy, but it does what it's intended to do well.
Gatorlyte vs. Gatorade
The ingredients in original Gatorade are shown below:
image source: https://www.gatorade.com/
A 12 ounce (oz) Gatorade contains 48 g added sugar.
This may be useful to slightly enhance performance if you're LeBron James, but in our opinion, the cons of consuming this much added sugar strongly outweigh the pros for the average American, who is already overweight.
We consider Gatorlyte to be healthier than Gatorade because it contains 75% less added, refined sugar.
The majority of the other ingredients are the same, so this is the main differentiator.
Are Gatorlytes Packets Healthier?
Gatorlyte is not only sold in liquid form but also in powder form, called "Gatorlytes," with ingredients shown below:
image source: https://www.gatorade.com/gatorlyte
These packets contain similar electrolyte levels to the Gatorlyte drink, but significantly more sodium.
The electrolyte breakdown is 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 perspective is that it contains zero unhealthy flavoring or coloring ingredients.
The formulation is just electrolytes, with no added sugar or artificial food dye. We definitely recommend Gatorlytes powder over the Gatorlyte drink.
Are Hydration Drinks Even Necessary?
Sports hydration drinks typically consist of water, sugar and electrolytes, along with some filler ingredients.
The theory behind this type of formulation is that glucose from sugar provides energy and electrolytes replace those lost by sweating.
Clinical research suggests that sports hydration beverages containing electrolytes and carbohydrates optimize performance for professional athletes competing in endurance events (like marathons).
However, we can’t find any research studies suggesting that this type of product is necessary or beneficial for the average person (even for a non-professional athlete who exercises regularly).
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 consume a drink like Gatorlyte instead of water, because the additional calories are detrimental to weight loss.
Put simply, in most cases, we believe that filtered water would be a healthier and more logical option.
Gatorlyte vs. Pedialyte
Pedialyte is one of the most popular hydration products, so consumers are often curious about whether Gatorlyte or Pedialyte has a healthier and more effective formulation.
In our opinion, Gatorlyte is a healthier option than Pedialyte.
As we documented in our review of Pedialyte ingredients, that brand contains two artificial sweeteners and two food dyes, while Gatorlyte contains zero artificial sweeteners and one food dye.
Both drinks contain an effective doses of electrolytes, so both should be similarly effective for rehydration and for potential performance benefits for athletes.
We don't recommend either product generally, but for consumers choosing between the two we'd recommend Gatorlyte.
