What Does Gatorade Actually Do? | Fine Print | Epicurious

Gatorade claims to rehydrate your body and replenish an athlete's energy in a way only they can - but what does it actually do? Food scientist Topher McNeil breaks down the science behind the granddaddy of sports drinks, its often referenced electrolytes, and all the other factors to consider when deciding whether it's worth drinking Gatorade.
Director: Dan Siegel
Director of Photography: Charlie Jordan
Editors: Jared Hutchinson
Talent: Topher McNeil
Producer: Christie Garcia
Line Producer: Jen McGinity
Associate Producer: Amy Haskour
Production Manager: Janine Dispensa
Production Coordinator: Elizabeth Hymes
Camera Operator: Jake Robbins
Audio: Nick Dalessio
Production Assistant: Erica Palmieri
Post Production Supervisor: Stephanie Cardone
Post Production Coordinator: Scout Alter
Supervising Editor: Eduardo Araujo
Assistant Editor: Diego Rentsch
Graphics Supervisor: Ross Rackin
Graphics & Animations: Lea Kichler
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[@kristianwilliams441]

Gatorade was a lifesaver when I was doing heavy field work in southern Illinois in the summer. I'd sip dilute Gatorade (something like 1 part Gatorade to 3 or 4 parts water) all day to stave off dehydration, and to this day, the only time I'll drink Gatorade is on hot summer days after long times spent outdoors - and then, only diluted. Drinking Gatorade just because isn't something I understand, it's basically soda when you don't genuinely need it.

[@sailorbrite]

I use Gatorade Zero when I’m sick, where a doctor might suggest pedialyte for a kid.

[@Slurpified]

Nice. Yeah I was gonna mention the zero calorie/sugar ones are where its at. Also Seltzers the bomb.

[@dandy90]

pedialyte Is 20x better for you than Getorade. It contains way less sugar and way more electrolytes.

[@nygreenguy]

Hell yeah to field work!

[@thihal123]

Water is just as good for rehydration. You can also just add a bit of salt and sugar to the water.

[@dantethunderstone2118]

Keep bringing this dude back, he portrays so much passion and is great at breaking this stuff down for regular peopel

[@corpsie-diytools38]

Too bad the script he's given ends up being oversimplified to the point where it's wrong.

[@dantethunderstone2118]

@@corpsie-diytools38 mans has a PhD in food science, hes the one writing the script or at least telling the writers what to say and then Fact checking the script

[@joes.4149]

@@dantethunderstone2118 and now you’re scared of Gatorade 😂😂

[@dantethunderstone2118]

@@joes.4149 I already didn’t really drink Gatorade, I’m still going to occasionally drink gzero because some flavours taste good and it’s only like 5kcal per bottle

[@bigaww8]

what's his name/insta?

[@reubenklang3968]

Okay, think we can all agree, ‘Fine Print’ series needs more!

[@jenniferbates2811]

YES!!!

[@boohere2]

I just want to point out too that actually those dyes that they use in the drink are harmful. That does for other food products that have yellow 5/red 5/blue dyes. Just look at what countries have banned it. Yup, actually banned certain colors because of it being so unhealthy.

[@jenniferbates2811]

@@boohere2 True. One of the worst countries for dyes and additives is Japan.

[@ameliaanguiano8087]

@@jenniferbates2811 ⁸8(*^^*)8分は8

[@ZaDussault]

I don't drink gatorade when I exercise, I drink it when I'm sick and losing a lot of fluids. WIth high fever, intense sweating and secretions, you loose a lot of fluids and it really helps

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

... lose* (loose ≠ tight) ...

[@RonyTomo420]

@@einundsiebenziger5488 good job

[@alicecosette2906]

I work in a kitchen where it normally becomes 30-40C. I sweat a lot, and drink a lot of water, but I feel at a point I start to get bad brain fog. I randomly was given a Gatorade one day, and I found it really helped with my brain regaining clarity.

[@jhan944]

No, it was just the placebo effect

[@azca.]

that has nothing to do with gatorade

[@MrEazyE357]

Also just adding a little salt to your water will help. You don't need much at all and if you taste it it's probably too much.

[@i_am_a_toast_of_french]

@@jhan944 that's still good

[@kamcorder3585]

If you're gonna drink a sports drink, use it as a supplement to water instead of in place of water

[@waltblackadar4690]

I live in Florida. Excess sweating is par for the course when doing stuff like mowing the yard. And I can genuinely say that there is a real and discernable difference between drinking water and Gatorade in terms of getting a pick me up after being outside after an hour and a half. It's probably just the salt and sugar but when your shirt is absolutely saturated with sweat you kind of need those things.

[@SunnyD420]

Makes sense, those scientists in Florida probably knew exactly what you guys need when they came up with Gatorade

[@wgiles51]

@@SunnyD420 They did, but then the marketing people got hold of it.

[@agiantafro2]

This guy explained this so well and made it actually worth watching

[@Cora.T]

Beyond high performance endurance athletes I would think people who do heavy physical labour in hot conditions for hours are far more in need of electrolytes

[@Cristian_D63]

Yeah usually if I'm sweating for longer than 30 minutes continuously I'll reach for Gatorade Zero it's probably not necessary but I'd rather get ahead of things than trying to catch up

[@Cora.T]

@@Cristian_D63 preventing is always better than healing or fixing

[@AzraelThanatos]

Yeah, used to have it a lot when cutting the yard over the summer before allergy issues got to bad for me to find other solutions.

[@jameshaulenbeek5931]

Definitely! I work in very physically demanding industry (railroad equipment maintenance) in all types of weather, but the equipment I work on can even cause you to sweat profusely during winter time due to the heat it generates. Electrolyte beverages are a necessity.

[@Cora.T]

@@jameshaulenbeek5931 edit: sorry it got a bit long, but it's a bit of a rant and then some info that might also be of use to you, packaged in a story 😂 lemme know if its to long I'll give you just the info 😂 it sort of bothered me that labour was forgotten. I watched a video from a doctor a vew days prior to this one, who also only named athletes. And especially from a doctor I would expect better understanding. So when it happened again I was sort of irritated. I work on a farm, the work never stops there either, and indeed even in winter I sometimes work up a sweat. With the increase in heatwaves we've had here ( where I'm most definitely not genetically prepared for ) I also make sure to consume a little extra during hot days. Every year in my country we have this walking tour ( nijmeegse vierdagen ), its 4 days where people walk either 30, 40 or 50 km a day. Pre covid there was a massive heatwave during the tour and many people where dehydrated, many where hospitalised and a couple people even died, and they where "just walking". The way its said here makes it sound like only professional elite athletes could ever be dehydrated, which frankly is harmful misinformation ( and especially danming when spread by a doctor ). Someone from my village has walked the tour for several years now, and for this year ( there was another heatwave ) I recommend she put 1/3 of a teaspoon of Celtic sea salt in a litre of water, to supply her with electrolytes in a really efficient manner ( she told me she had felt much fitter both during the race and after and there was a much shorter recovery period ). As the chemical makeup of Celtic sea salt is really similar to the makeup of your blood, this is also why it's not that salty ( unless you put too much ). Other available salts like table, kosher or himalayan aren't suitable, they have to much sodium, over consumption can cause serious issues. ( over consumption of Celtic aswell but the threshold is much higher due to the wide variety of minerals ). It doesn't really change te flavour much, it just gives a soft mouth feel. The thing about dehydration is that you can drink as much water as you want, if you don't have enough electrolytes you'll just piss it out.

[@AzraelThanatos]

For the electolytes part, there are also times when they might be needed beyond workouts. With a lot of stomach issues, Gatorade is something doctors will say to get and drink because it's also something that's easy on the stomach, to the point where other things being vomited out. A few years ago, I'd ended up in that kind of situation, where it's the main reason that I didn't end up in the hospital with an IV drip because everything was coming up...even ice and water. Another thing that gatorade is good for is with hiking or longer walks, though not the bottles as such, but the powder version. It's an option for some energy and a different flavor added to a bottle. I tend to prefer other powdered drink options such as crystal lite, but I have used it.

[@fkaroundhandleit]

I would recommend drinking gatorade or juice if you're going through heat exhaustion and or a heat stroke.

[@WinterBoots15]

I had a stomach problem were water couldnt stay down so they told me to drink ginger ale cause its easier on the stomach to hydrate as its acidic

[@c0gimyun]

yes!! i have a stomach illness and gatorade/body armor are my go to's when i have an episode! keeps me out of the hospital :)

[@kamcorder3585]

Pedialyte is apparently better than Gatorade for rehydration while sick and vomiting

[@blake031299]

I had some digestive issues that involed a lot of...fluid loss but not in the upward direction. After a couple days I felt like a drained battery and just had no energy at all. I went and got some pedialyte and chugged a big bottle and within a few hours I was back to normal. Thought it was sickness, turns out my problem was just lack of electrolytes

[@anthonyo1339]

This should be a series!

[@RealRamona]

Agreed!

[@epicurious]

We have incredible news for you: kzbin.info/aero/PLz3-p2q6vFYXXRDcYgYGeFuGhb-emGWgl

[@MortimerZabi]

I almost never drink the stuff for workouts, but I have used it as a rehydration solution whenever I had really bad bouts of diarrhea that basically had me excreting everything and anything I ate.

[@BeantownMrs]

The explanation of the thickeners make sense to me so much more now! I usually only drink G Zero since I can't stand the thick texture of regular Gatorade. (I feel like it almost has a mildly gelatinous flavor.)

[@joes.4149]

Some people can hang some can’t. Happens with other stuff.

[@allenwiddows7631]

When I was in college, I worked out in the desert in the summer; when I needed the electrolyte boost after a few hours of sweating hard, Gatorade tasted wonderful; in the evenings, when it was cooler, the same Gatorade tasted nasty. This is still how we judge whether we need it or not on hot days…

[@forentertainmentpurposeson1351]

Gatorade is a lifesaver if you have the cold or the flu. This works so well for me. When I had coronavirus back in November 2019. This was all I could drink and hold down. I do not drink this all the time but my body will crave something other than water. And this will be the only thing that was satiate me. Gatorade has its uses.

[@Pippinpaddleopsicopolous]

Crazy how that happens, hey. My body will often be repulsed by water whilst sick, but Gatorade will go down without an issue. I don't even drink Gatorade.

[@TheGreatWerebear]

My parents would buy me Gatorade when I was really sick as a kid. At the time of this comment, I've been sick for a few days. I cracked open my first bottle of Gatorade in years this morning, and after a couple of sips felt so much better. I've been filling my days with chicken soup, tea, vitamin-laden produce, and they're great helps as well. But Gatorade has also fully earned its place in my arsenal for fighting sickness.

[@joebob2311productions]

My doctor literally told me to drink gatorade and rest as much as possible to get over the cold and flu as fast as possible

[@quintessences]

Great work Epicurious. Would love for this series to explore other food products like candies, soda and what not.

[@moony3592]

I'm in the process of getting diagnosed with pots and one recommendation was to increase my salt intake, I drink heavily watered down Gatorade and its helped my vitals have become more stable

[@themcchuck8400]

Gatorade is a wonderful for elite athletes, marathoners, and... construction workers, land scapers, farmers, and soldiers. Gatorade kept us alive in the summers in Iraq. When we'd get back to base at night and take off our clothes, they'd dry stiff as boards with all the salt from our sweat. You could stand up your t-shirt, which would have white salt rings.

[@kellywhite9299]

Probably one of the most important series this channel has... solid science and chemistry of food products and how they metabolize in the body. Keep this going!! Topher could also venture into fruits and vegetables, like "How good for you is spinach?", also fruit and vegetable groups like citruses, melons, orchard fruits, berries, brassicas, legumes, etc.

[@turtlet7201]

Good idea, do food groups I guess. Since similar foods have similar components

[@ameliaanguiano8087]

118102

[@tazmon122]

so, after doing some research, i found that the idea is to hydrate with electrolytes BEFORE major amounts of exercise, and hydrate with water as you exercise so you maintain healthy hydration levels. this way you're not dying of dehydration when you snap a gatorade. you can also get electrolyte tablets that desolve in water like crystal lite at many sports stores....however, gatorade is designed for taste.

[@RahulDevanarayanan]

My running coach always told me that we’re supposed to drink as we go as well past the 45 minute mark. Reason being that we need to replenish our glycogen stores

[@aliensoup2420]

Yes. I started drinking half the bottle of Gatorade before hiking to charge my system. Then I dilute the remaining half with water for the duration of the hike.

[@flips220]

I was ready to roll my eyes at this video, but this dude actually gives a pretty solid breakdown and lays things out nicely for your average viewer. Despite this, I still expect there to be lots of ignorant "chemicals are bad" comments in here.

[@fnjesusfreak]

From people, no doubt, who don't realize that air and water are chemicals...

[@crackedemerald4930]

""Chemicals are bad" comments"

[@janlim0916]

*Electrolytes. It's what plants crave*

[@Lu-db1uf]

No, they don't. Plants need water, not Gatorade. Don't waste your money.

[@Jaiken.]

@@Lu-db1uf Don't be stupid, he was talking about electrolytes itself, not some dumb drink.

[@korosensei4384]

@@Lu-db1uf He was referencing a movie called Idiocracy...

[@Sra33thousand]

Brought to you by Carls Jr

[@janlim0916]

@@Lu-db1uf for reference my dude. kzbin.info/www/bejne/kH6rl3Wll8x_ias

[@476429]

Rehydration is good but it's just one of many benefits Gatorade (or similar sports drinks) provides. Many studies have shown that ingesting carbohydrates in ~6% solution while performing intense physical activity has positive effects on performance and recovery. Among other things, it can increase the duration of high-intensity bouts of resistance training, inhibit cortisol, and limit immune system suppression that follows extreme exertion such as marathons. I am an author on one of those studies and have assisted with others. Gatorade itself does not have a magic ingredient, ingesting any drink that provides carbohydrates in a 4-8% solution will elicit the same positive response. In fact, I recommend people save themselves some money, and just make their own at home with a simple recipe of water, sugar/maltodextrin, salt, potassium, and whatever flavoring they choose to add.

[@leonhardable]

so i could basically use orange juice with water and add a pinch of salt?

[@476429]

@@leonhardable Yes, if you dilute it to the right concentration. Although, the fructose in orange juice may have a slightly different effect on the rate of gastric emptying and how it maintains your blood sugar level. Table sugar, maltodextrin, and glucose are the sugars most often used in the research.

[@TheShubLub]

Can we have a source? Especially if you going to give such a specific number as "~6% solution "

[@476429]

@@TheShubLub A source for the research or a recipe to make a 6% solution?

[@DefinitelyNotAFerret]

Cries in keto

[@shirinvidwans4639]

More episodes of fine print please!!

[@dintayler355]

“Fine Print” is my favorite Epicurious series! So incredibly helpful and informative - please please please keep making more of these videos! 💯💯💯

[@hobotify]

The best use of Gatorade is as a hangover cure. Hangovers are mostly caused by dehydration. The ´´electrolytes´´ get digested faster than solid food, and the sugar adds some needed energy.

[@aliensoup2420]

Also do not go to sleep drunk. Sober up before sleeping and you will not wake up with a headache. Instead of Gatorade, I drink lemon Coke to sober up while at a bar. It works really fast.

[@daydreamerjim6603]

"blue is a colour not a flavour" and yet, we all know what blue tastes like

[@michaelg.4562]

What does it taste like?

[@leonhardable]

@@michaelg.4562 iirc its mostly banana, cherry and pineapple that were used to make "blue raspberry" flavoring

[@Boiokgogi]

@@leonhardable depend on the product actually. a lots of blue raspberry is actualy raspberry flavor but colored blue because we already have cherry and strawberry that is red so it would be confusing for the customer, so they decided to color it blue and call it blue raspberry.

[@ralfkruse7565]

Drink gazeus mineralwater like BADOIT or PERRIER or SAN PELLEGRINO and squeeze a little bit of Citron juice into it. That's natural without chemicals and needs no 15minutes of analysis. 🤣😎.

[@bane8305]

@@michaelg.4562 blue berry

[@whatsthebigfndeal]

Trust me, if you're working construction in the summer time in the south georgia heat, you'll figure out just how important Gatorade actually is.

[@BygonesBeingBygones]

Love this type of video. Please do tons more of these scientific analysis videos.

[@josephvanas6352]

I work in a desert wearing protective clothing and respiratory protection I cannot understate the importance of electrolytes. Sometimes when getting out of coveralls all of my clothing is visibly wet with sweat. The work I do isnt intense cardio and at worst is walking around and up/down stairs or a ladder at a slow pace and bending over at the waist to move things on the ground. Still you sweat a lot due to walking around with a plastic bag over your head (PAPR hood) in a pair of tyvek coveralls. You can drink all the water you want but at some point you just still feel terrible even if you pee clear and often. It means you sweat out all your electrolytes and need some more. Dilute liquid IV is my go to when I need some electrolytes and quick. Its not cheap but it works well and even though the package says put it in one 16.9 Fl oz bottle it really is better if you split it in 2 both for taste and function. I probably drink 2 packs a day in 4 bottles of water plus probably an additional 8 bottles of plain water on average. You dont need to be some elite athlete to need electrolytes you only need to sweat enough.

[@afreolon]

I remember being 8 or something, I was dehydrated due to a long lasting diarrhea, and the doctor said I could drink *a lot* of Gatorade, so I would get better faster

[@Zenthex]

i work in labor, i spend 6-8 hours of my day sweating, sometime pretty heavily. i usually have a zero sugar or half-the-sugar gatorade or powerade with lunch, whatever was on sale that week. when works picks up i treat food like it's medicine, since that's really important to the longevity of my body. this video didn't really tell me anything i didn't already know, but still really informative, definitely need more content like this.

[@onebackzach]

I do a lot of field work in Louisiana during the summer, and I personally find other products do a better job of keeping me hydrated. Sometimes I like gatorade for the sugar if I'm losing steam towards the end of a day, but it is almost totally lacking in electrolytes beyond sodium. I have also talked to other people who feel similarly, and most of my coworkers prefer something like Nuun, liquid IV, Trioral, etc.

[@marenjones6665]

I got heat stroke during a soccer tournament. I'd drunk plenty of water, but still stroked because I lost too many electrolytes. The EMTs rolled their eyes and told me I needed to drink a Gatorade or something like to keep it from happening again. I used to think sports drinks were BS, but hey, you learn something every day. Anyway, Gatorade is now a permanent part of my referees bag.

[@YdenMk-II]

That's basically the story behind the invention of the drink. A coach wanted to figure out a way to keep his team from getting dehydrated by the end of a game and asked a friend/coworker on if they could find a way to do so and that person figured out putting a bit of salt into the drinking water would help out in that case. The players hated the taste of the stuff though which is why flavoring was added and eventually it spun up a business after the team attributed a victory to the drink.

[@Saturday_ProFuel]

Awesome video. Thank you for making it! We're 100% with you on the health messaging here. Eating healthy, avoiding processed sugars, and excess sodium are all great things. Just wanted to clarify what constitutes an appropriate level of sport or exercise where Gatorade might be useful, healthy, and help you perform better... because who doesn't like nerding out in youtube comments. 2:23 You're totally right, too much sodium CAN dehydrate you. But, the concentration of sodium needed to dehydrate you is at least 500% (5 times) what's in that Gatorade bottle. So, even if you were to drink dozens of those, you couldn't get dehydrated. Pro tip: just add salt to regular Gatorade. It's cheaper and works great. Bonus points for buying the powder and just adding your own sugar and salt to a tiny amount of the powder for flavor. Works even better than Gatorade's own formulations. If drinking ocean water (high sodium), why would a high sodium concentration beverage be recommended for increased hydration? Answer: Crazy-high sodium concentrations, like in ocean water (ballpark ~30,000mg/L), causes the kidneys to panic to get rid of some of the sodium in your blood, lest you become hypernatremic, ie. have dangerously high blood sodium concentration. The kidneys can only flush out sodium with at least some water along with it, to produce urine...eventually causing severe dehydration. 2:25 You're also correct that some people's blood pressure is sensitive to too much sodium, and no one likes high blood pressure. But if excessive sodium were going to dehydrate you it won't simultaneously raise your blood pressure. When you get dehydrated, blood pressure often goes down. That's why folks on blood pressure medication so commonly report faintness with dehydration. 2:30 You're mostly right that you don't NEED to replace electrolytes for survival. But in warm settings there is performance enhancement by way of maintaining blood volume and driving thirst mechanisms, which you touched on later. Props for that! It's super important in long endurance stuff, even for novice exercisers. In fact, the less well-trained a person is, the more they'll probably benefit because folks with lower-training status tend to sweat saltier, and sweat more, in warmer environments. 3:48 You say "if you're not utilizing these sugars through your workout" but unless the workout is just walking, for less than 60 minutes, most folks are going to burn 40 grams worth of blood glucose during even very light exercise. It's common for regular exercisers to burn >60-150g of carbs per hour, through exercise, and athletes commonly hit 100-250g/hr with elites sometimes using 350g/hr. For more info here, check out our video on how much carbohydrate to consume during exercise. Hint: it doesn't have to be extreme, or elite, to merit drinking something like a Gatorade, without risk of the liver converting it into fat. You'll burn right through it even in short and relatively easy exercise.

[@sketchur]

What are your credentials? (:

[@sketchur]

Also, can you speak to the health consequences of artificial colors and natural flavors?

[@Saturday_ProFuel]

​@@sketchur You'll have to find a youtube comment expert in food coloring & flavoring for that inqury. We're just your friendly youtube comment fuel & hydration experts.

[@sketchur]

@@Saturday_ProFuel Fun! Cheers. :)

[@EdgeRatedR007]

More fine print videos please.

[@HayTatsuko]

Fun fact: Natural flavors can be made artificially. As long as their chemical structure is identical to naturally-sourced chemicals, they can be called natural. The most enormous elephant in this particular room is citric acid, most of which is made using certain strains of _Aspergillus niger_ -- a black mold that rots some fruits and vegetables -- but we have cleverly found a way to turn this troublesome creature into an engine that makes all sorts of food taste better.

[@OmgImAlexis]

It really annoys me that don’t mention using this when you’re sick. This is a life saver when vomiting where you can’t keep water down.

[@matthewcombs9059]

This fine print series is FANTASTIC! More please:)

[@adriennefloreen]

The glacier cherry one has no dye and it's a whitish color. I drink it because I sweat so heavy that I've gotten low electrolytes and dehydrated from taking a short nap where I apparently sweated in my sleep several times. I had "low blood sodium" on a blood test which is weird for my age and nothing else they could find wrong, so I started to drink the gatorade. Seems to help. I'm not doing any kind of heavy workouts, the heaviest workout I get is going on hikes for about an hour or two or working in my garden. That gatorade flavor is almost always sold out because I think it's their only one without dye, and it also doesn't have an awful cherry flavor despite the name. It tastes like the one you showed called cool blue. I hope everyone appreciates my gatorade review, it is probably the most un-natural thing I consume.

[@maryj4876]

It's full of sugar but it really helps. When i was hiking I'm about to pass out due to hot weather and this drink helps me to recharge well.

[@Icemansam44]

Since I started goalkeeping for soccer back in highschool, Gatorade was a mainstay in my diet especially during the upper highschool to collage years. The start of our seasons consisted of 3-a-days till the second week. I’d drink it only after practice to help replenish the body. If you want something that does the same job but is less sugar try Life Water or Schweppes Club Soda.

[@MTNorville]

I remember drinking red Koolaid as a kid. My mom said that stuff had me bouncing off the walls, but grape or lemonaid didn't.

[@BabyMakR]

I was watching another video a couple of weeks ago where they did experiments where they told parents that their kids had been given the red dies that supposedly caused hyperactivity and the parent's reported higher levels of hyperactivity, even when they had not been given the red food die. And the same happened in reverse. They would give the kids the red die and then tell the parents that they had not and the parents reported less hyperactivity. I can't remember the term they used to explain it but it was basically psychological. The media conditioned the parents to expect hyperactivity so they found it.

[@sketchur]

@@BabyMakR Hey there, can you find the video please? I'm going to be a parent in a few months and would really love to see this! :)

[@robertzehm]

My plants love this stuff! ⚡️ 🌱

[@tcgtpl]

It's got what plants crave.

[@HeHateMe1]

It's got electrolytes

[@natalieeuley1734]

I would drink diluted sports drinks for my martial arts tests that were multiple hours long, but that's pretty much it. They are otherwise too heavy for normal exercise. They can make you feel really gross.

[@BoyProdigyX]

There was an intensely humid heat wave here in Philly last month, that lasted for weeks. I had a day where I was outside in 100+ degree heat for hours in a dark colored shirt. When the sweat dried in the AC, my shirt was TIE-DYED with salt I'd lost and I had severe dehydration. Whenever I get to the point of replacing electrolytes, I use Pedialyte. You're back to life in ten minutes!

[@AdarshKumar-nj7rp]

I used a concoction of 500ml water, a teaspoon of honey, a teaspoon of lemon juice and half a teaspoon of black salt during workout, which lasted for 2 hours everyday. I found it to be much more effective than regular water and I didn't felt tired as much towards the end. Though the downside was that it gave me toothache due to prolonged exposure to citric acid. So I reduced it's usage to only back and leg day.

[@TheEmorej1]

Do Redbull next

[@danrivera381]

He made this very comprehensible. Thank you.

[@bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb-]

Starches also break down into sugars when they're digested, so you're adding sugar into your diet that way on top of the dextrose, sucralose, or other named sugars. Natural flavors don't necessarily mean that the flavors are coming from fruit, it means that it comes from food components, they could come from meat, veggies, steam, or soil for all we know. Natural and Artificial flavors are bought from a company, that ancestrally were French perfume companies, which use their techniques to translate into the food industry. The ways these companies use to create these flavorings are a secret so classified that even twenty five years after learning about these facts, I still have not heard a peep about their methods. This is why each individual Orange Juice company has their own taste to their OJ, which all say they use natural flavors to enhance the taste of their juice no matter how Natural or Organic, it is because no one really wants to drink old orange juice due to all the nutrients and taste compounds dying out over time.

[@joes.4149]

All your favorite foods have natural flavors.

[@kiaouattara9077]

This video is crystal clear. Explaining the difference between regular Gatorade and zero sugar. I did google the difference b4 watching

[@ls1959]

I have heard lots of advice that the average person doing average workouts, you don't need Gatorade or other sports drinks. I don't know how many times I've gotten light headed doing my routine workouts. I do HIIT workouts for about 40 minutes 3 times a week. On warmer days there is no way I could get through a workout without Gatorade. I don't have problems with dehydration or heat exhaustion. Gatorade is an absolute must for my workouts.

[@YPDDYB7062]

I drink them for hangovers. I feel like it helps.

[@BigBadJerryRogers]

I'm surprised to learn here that they make this stuff for people other than boozers

[@aliensoup2420]

The idea is to prevent the hangover. Drink Gatorade or soda to sober up faster. Wait until you are sober before going to sleep, and you will not wake up with a headache.

[@danieltuckercatholic]

Please make more "Fine Print" videos - I love this series!

[@adriansumner1412]

Ahh I would say beneficial for pretty much alcoholics. When I was off the wagon I always made sure I had enough isotonic drinks in the fridge. If magnesium levels crash far to low your in a whole world of trouble.

[@linnylinlinlin]

Still remember when the Gatorade bottles had those twist green/orange caps I think in the early-mid 2000s. I would ask my mum to get one because I thought they were like juice or pop LOL.

[@YvngAlgi]

They still sell those.

[@asandoval48]

It saved my life. I was literally running a mile all the way to Los Angeles without a plane or a car

[@cosmicbrambleclawv2]

Watching this while drinking fruit punch Powerade has a surreal feeling to it I definitely need more of this series though, Topher has a good KZbin personality and is very attention keeping while also being informative, big props :)

[@TrooperLinks]

Love this. Nice to hear someone dispel misconceptions of some of these “dangerous” ingredients. 😂

[@alexanderlindsey7134]

Hes not dispelling anything. He just says they aren't dangerous and the fda calls them safe. Thats not really going very deep into it.

[@justonemori]

It's great for hangovers, just saying. When I get dehydrated nowadays I prefer the Propel packets, made by gatorade.

[@BigBadJerryRogers]

I was thinking about the two birds with one stone approach here, which is of course just mixing alcohol with Gatorade. So what types of mixed drinks can you make with the different colors? The blue one probably goes with rum. Maybe some pineapple juice and a dash of orange and we're in business. For health.

[@youtubeuser1052]

I think you're undervaluing the word "elite". I usually run at least 90 minutes and I enjoy a 2+ hour run on a nice day, but I am definitely not elite and have never run a marathon. I'm not going to die if I don't drink Gatorade (and honestly, I usually don't), but if it's a hot day and I've drunk all the water I'm carrying I'll duck into a convenience store along the way and some sort of sports drink is usually preferable to buying plain water for the second or third hour of a run.

[@papayacatproductions]

After the strenuous exercise of a night of heavy drinking, Gatorade is a life saver. Just gotta take lots of small sips so your stomach doesn't get mad at you.

[@BigBadJerryRogers]

Boy you got that right, it's tough being a full time alcoholic, I am definitely looking forward to retirement. But you have that last part wrong, you want to down as much of this stuff as possible either before crashing or whenever it is you wake up. If you do that, then try to sleep a little more and you reawaken much more together. And then it's time for the eye opener cocktail 🍹

[@kirkwahmmett1666]

As an avid ingredients label reader (I always have been because I find them interesting.) this is pretty much the conclusion I came to about Gatorade. Considering it was invented by scientists at University of Florida College of Medicine for the Florida Gators football team it shows that it is intended for high-intensity workouts but not as intended for the average consumer.

[@SilvaB9430]

Its sold next to the soda at the gas station.

[@Anewevisual]

It’s kinda crazy how “average people” can have intense and long workouts as well, right? Lmao

[@kirkwahmmett1666]

​@@Anewevisual By average consumer I mean those who are just consumers rather than people who intentionally use Gatorade for electrolytes for working out.

[@joenunez938]

Yeah, in 1965...

[@daniellima4391]

@@Anewevisual from the moment where they consume Gatorade for extended workouts, they're not part of the "average people" group anymore.

[@jbzhummerh2gamer]

I work at Amazon & have been drinking these more often. I also drink the Zero version because of diabetes.

[@stefanr.3495]

Hence your diabetes.

[@jbzhummerh2gamer]

@@stefanr.3495 I haven't drank the originals. So what are you trying to say?

[@limalicious]

Before watching the video, I would say that you shouldn't drink Gatorade unless you're sweating a lot or if you're sick. As a professional sick person (i.e. someone with chronic illness) who requires a lot of electrolytes, I prefer Body Armor over Gatorade, and I prefer packet electrolytes over that (Normalyte/Liquid IV) with far fewer calories and no dyes. Edit: "...and can raise your blood pressure." Me, a POTS Patient with low BP: God I hope so.

[@aspiringaspie3280]

This a bloody good video. I'm a gardener and this has been my go drink, besides plain old water.

[@e.t.theextraterristrial837]

I find Gatorade to be useful when I have nausea and or diarrhea when I feel nothing goes down the gullet.

[@larissamichelledupree8621]

I really enjoyed this video, very informative. I’d love to see more like. I will regret this, but is there one like it for red bull

[@brothyr]

I prefer Powerade Zero since I'm not a gator and it also has magnesium which is supposed to be a little better than just sodium/potassium.

[@itzrainybtw1699]

Need to do this For Prime

[@tehpanda64]

For me it is a lower calorie + caffeine free soda (about half as much as many calories as a standard soda). Plus it uses real sugar instead of corn syrup, and the powder is cheap. I don't need the salts but hey, there is really very little other options out there for a similar product.

[@sdivine13]

I honestly didn't care about Gatorade honestly, I just clicked to listen to something, but this guy, I couldn't turn it off.

[@GI_Jimbo]

"Should you drink this?" Answer: no, because the thumbnail is a picture of Fruit Punch Gatorade, which I cannot drink due to flashbacks of college when it was liberally mixed with bottom shelf vodka at every party.

[@cesaraugustoojeda2336]

It’s the best when hangover

[@theperipateticaccrescent7685]

this series is amazing!!!

[@garrettspivey]

Forgot to mention people that work outside in the summer. That's ok, we are often forgotten

[@nomobties]

I am a diabetic type 2. Peeing through the day is common. I am prone to leg cramps and my toes curling up at night (spasms) and yeah its painful. Drinkng sugar free Gatoraid and sometimes Poweraide helps me with the cramps. Such epoisoides nowadays is for the most part non-existant. I'll keep on drinking both products without an ounce of guilt.

[@joylucio4430]

I'd just like to mention that he is talking about the practice of sports for long durations but working out, or even just some fields of actuall work can get you to spend enough energy and eletrolites maybe even more then prolonged sport practices so it doesnt mean that this drink is only for those who practice sports or prolong sports activities

[@fakehappy6566]

I only drink Gatorade when only I am sick 😷 to be honest it's pretty common here in the Philippines IDK if other countries do this too

[@dagothur6238]

Americans do

[@KillaBean416]

Gatorade is missing a few more electrolytes like calcium. Magnesium and phosphorus. The new gatorades include them because other companies are catching up. I personally supplement magnesium, and get calcium and phosphorus from diet. I work construction in the sun

[@frequentlycynical642]

The history of Gatorade.....'scuse me!....G is interesting. Back in the mid-1960's the Army contracted with the University of Florida to figure out how to stop heat related problems with the infantry. I was going to school there and then. Salt tablets have been known to help for decades. The folks at UF analyzed sweat and urine, which was not mentioned here. Then they put together a drink that also included potassium. The original "Army Ade" may have had other ingredients. The football team, the Gators....there's the name source....was given this for testing. Playing football in the South, especially preseason in August just begs for heat problems. It was their secret weapon for several years. UF players didn't succumb at near the rate of the other schools. There's a long sordid history of the commercialization of Gatorade. Did the Army own it, or did the University? And if the latter, what about the creators? When I was doing a lot of cycling, I made my own Gatorade. Salt, potassium chloride (salt substitute), no sugar Kool Ade. Honey for sweeterner and carbs. Although the fructose that is honey doesn't hit the blood as fast as sugar.

[@PhunkieZero]

Electrolyte drinks like Gatorade are really good when you have heavy Diarrhea. You lose a lot of fluid and salts when you have bad diarrhea, that doctors recommend drinks like Gatorade, Pedialyte, and other such drinks as a boost of fluid and electrolyte intake so you don't get dehydration.

[@NarrowPath_7]

If they'd remove the dyes, they'd be a little better. Also, people with autoimmune issues and thyroid issues lose a lot of electrolytes as well . Even with very little movement.

[@clarityashtons4273]

I only drink this at work while I'm sweating a bunch and running around the store 😂 it's so hot this summer that I'm sweating buckets at work

[@todoboyle8479]

The body doesn't need all that sugar. The liver can make all the glucose it needs by gluconeogenesis. Dextrose is a synthetic sugar and modified food starch is msg in everything but name. Sodium intake should be balanced with potassium at a ratio of 1-4. Any product derived from petroleum through highly industrialised processes in anything but beneficial to the body. Better to get your electrolytes from foods like leafy greens, avacado etc or diluted into water as a supplement when doing prolonged fasting...

[@_Toxicity]

Bring back this series?

[@blueblousedesigns]

Cool Blue tastes like a raspberry lemonade and Glacier Freeze tastes like mixed berry. My favorite Gatorade is Arctic Blitz (it's a aquamarine color) it tastes like a raspberry lemonade with a strawberry kiwi finish

[@TantalusStudios]

"Blue is a color, not a flavor" I will still argue that Blue is, in fact, a flavor

[@gwvaio]

More of this style video please. Is this already in a playlist?

[@1sonjohn44]

It's just sugar and water.

[@yuotueb]

And salt.

[@crackedemerald4930]

It's just chemicals

[@BachelorCigarTalks]

Sugar water ! That's a new patent I'm developing! I'm gonna be RICH ! 😎

[@devallanxd]

he capping about that red 40 being safe

[@jenjoy4353]

Why is red 40 and yellow 5 banned or restricted in Europe?

[@Rockmaster867]

Without doing any research at all, I just guess cancer.

[@PSIHUNTER00]

You know when your hands are so cold you can only move your fingers slow because your muscles don't seem to work properly? That's how it feels when you don't have enough electrolytes. :D

[@clivedoe9674]

We drank a lot of Gatorade in the desert.

[@driiifter]

Gatorade Frost or the mixing powder and I drink it to replace soda, not water. Some of the gatorades have way too much potass/calcium, not a fan of those really.

[@allebasix]

Please do this with Body Armor!

[@JbHomestead]

I have 10 acres land that I mow and do farm stuff in the south Texas heat. It’s either homemade ice lemonade or Gatorade. Sip here and there or when taking a break. I can stand up and continue to do my daily chores in the sun. Water or any other drink just make me feel tired and not wanting to continue.

[@silentriot808]

Gatorade isn't necessarily just for athletes, it's commonly used medically. People who have Irritable Bowel Syndrome or have issues with their gut typically will have loose bowel movements 3-5+ (releasing fluids) at that rate can dehydrate the body. Similar to vomiting all day, Gatorade is typically suggested for replenishment.

[@therealantboogie251]

I stopped drinking Gatorade years ago but I might reconsider. Thanks for this..

[@Brian-cm2jr]

Gatorade helped me alot in doing 10 hours unloading trucks in Tx. I also like Body armor and wonder what his opinion on that products would be?

[@nilawarriorprincess]

I was really hoping to find out if Gatorade really helps those of us living with SICKLE CELL ANEMIA(SCA). Or others who are easily dehydrated. Since childhood most of us with SCA have been encouraged by our doctors & our families to drink Gatorade when we're experiencing jaundice, Sickle Cell Crisis, or dehydration. While an average person was said need to drink 64oz (about 2 liters) we're supposed to drink 1 gallon(3.78liters) so we've been told Gatorade is beneficial for quick hydration. From my personal experience, Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice cocktail clears my jaundice quicker than Gatorade. I was also hoping to find out how Gatorade compared to Pedialyte are they basically the same thing but just marketed differently? What about new products like Liquid IV? Daily I drink water 98% of the time like my childhood hemotologist recommended, but I need to prevent & treat dehydration/jaundice without going to urgent care for an IV. I love to know what to keep around the house for sick days --days when I need quick hydration but have zero appetite & sleep most of the day. I'm fully aware that I can ask a better source for thr information I'm seeking, but I just felt the need to communicate that casual drinkers & HIGH PERFORMANCE ATHLETES AREN'T the ONLY ONES seeking Gatorade's alleged "health benefits".

[@kittykitties4220]

He's not a doctor.