Powerade - Isotonic Sports Drink (2024)

FAQs

Is Powerade an isotonic sports drink? ›

Developed with sports scientists, Powerade Berry & Tropical is a still, isotonic sports drink that helps support effective hydration and carbohydrates for replenishing the energy and fluids that your body loses during exercise.

Lab studies tend to show that fluids from truly isotonic drinks do a reasonably good job of being absorbed into the bloodstream. They're slower than hypotonic drinks, but not necessarily by a huge amount.

If sports drinks are unnecessary for the type of exercise you do, consuming them provides you with unnecessary calories that could hinder your weight loss goals. However, some research has shown that consuming sports drinks during exercises like running do not “undo” the calories used during exercise ( 16 ).

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, it is advisable to choose a drink with 0.5 – 0.7 g of sodium per 1 litre of fluid for sports activities up to 3 hours. This should then be drunk in quantities of 125 – 250 ml every 10 – 20 minutes.

Is Powerade good for you? Regular Powerade is not good to consume every day because of its high sugar content and artificial ingredients. According to Healthline, the amount of added sugar and sodium in each drink will likely only benefit those who are engaging in high levels of exercise.

For athletes and intense exercisers: Gatorade

With far less sugar than traditional Gatorade (12 grams versus 34) and more sodium (490 milligrams versus 270), it's a great pick for those looking for a widely-available ready-to-drink hydration solution.

Final thoughts. Sports drinks can be an effective way to replenish lost electrolytes after a tough workout or sweating during a blistering hot day. But these electrolyte-heavy concoctions aren't meant to be an all-day drink.

While you probably don't need to sip on an electrolyte drink throughout the day, Dr. Galvez said it's unlikely to harm you. “If you drink electrolytes and you have good kidneys, the excessive electrolytes will be eliminated by the kidneys,” explained Dr. Galvez.

The cumulative urine output was 240 mL less with isotonic beverage than with distilled water, and the free water clearance was lower after isotonic beverage consumption. In addition, there was a smaller drop in plasma volume and blood volume after isotonic beverage ingestion.

Overuse of electrolyte drinks can be a problem, she said. Excess electrolytes can lead to heart rhythm issues, fatigue, nausea and more. "Interestingly, a lot of the same symptoms of getting too much can look like getting not enough." She emphasized the value of getting electrolytes from a healthy diet.

Does Powerade actually hydrate you? ›

The short answer is yes; sports drinks are good for dehydration. As its name suggests, sports drinks were created explicitly for athletes to prevent dehydration. While they're not the end-all, be-all option to secure a hydrated future, their electrolyte fluids pack a punch before, during, and after a good workout.

The best drink for weight loss is water since it has zero calories and can keep you hydrated. Other weight loss drinks include coffee, green tea, vegetable juice, and smoothies. If you're trying to lose weight, avoid high-calorie, sugary drinks like soda and fruit juice.

Sports Drinks and Health

Drinking too many of these, especially when not performing vigorous exercise, can increase the risk of overweight/obesity and other health problems such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and gout. There is also a risk of dental caries.

Effectively, an isotonic sports drink helps to quickly replace key electrolytes and fluid lost through sweat when we exercise. In addition, the added carbohydrate can help athletes achieve an added energy 'boost' - important during endurance events, matches or long training sessions.

“That's why it's essential to pay attention to the signs and symptoms of overconsuming electrolytes such as increased thirst, dehydration, muscle weakness, cramps, nausea, vomiting, swelling in extremities, changes in heart rhythm, confusion and increased blood pressure.”

Most traditional sports drinks (like Gatorade, Powerade and so on) technically fall into the 'isotonic' category, that is, they're similar in concentration to human blood. Isotonic drinks deliver a reasonable amount of energy and clear the gut promptly too—though not quite as fast hypotonic solutions.

Examples of Isotonic drinks are Lucozade Sport, Poweraid and Gatorade. These contain 6-8% carbohydrate (around 60cal/250ml) as well as sodium. Isotonic drinks are commonly used in team sports and also in medium and long distance running.

Based on these numbers alone, 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, it really comes down to preference in the end.