In the 1960s a University of Florida research team sought to invent a formula in a solution of water that would enhance athletic ability because the local humidity caused high fatigue among its college athletes. As a result, the team formulated a sports drink that could replace fluids and prevent dehydration better than any beverage known to man. This beverage would come to be known as Gatorade, a sports drink that revolutionized the athlete’s diet. After the sports world noticed increased endurance in the 1967 Orange Bowl contender Florida Gators, the name “Gatorade” was coined. The drink would become the most researched sports drink in the world.
Football teams that played their home games in high humidity were the first to embrace Gatorade. Florida is well known for its humidity, but it was a professional football team- the Kansas City Chiefs- that propelled Gatorade into the mainstream sports world. After the Chiefs won the Super Bowl in 1970 the drink was marketed nation-wide. Gatorade has grown to command an astounding 80 to 90 percent of North America’s sports drink market, dominating America’s sports culture as the drink has become favored by most professional athletes.
Gatorade provides more benefits than water in endurance training for athletes. Providing more rehydration than water, it allows the body to sweat more during high activity. The electrolytes sodium, potassium, and chloride found in Gatorade also help recover what's lost when sweating. There is a 6% carbohydrate solution to provide energy for active muscles, something water doesn't have. Flavor is also added to quench the athlete’s thirst, so they’ll want to consume more of the drink.
There aren’t many known food hazards associated with Gatorade. This is because it's manufactured and uncontaminated by natural settings. However, if left out at room temperature for a prolonged period, it may provide a setting to support bacterial growth. Since a large amount of water is concentrated in the drink, there are certain waterborne pathogens that can adapt in Gatorade. Some of these include Hepatitis A, salmonella, polioviruses, and cholerae. It’s usually ok to drink Gatorade if it’s only been left out for a few hours, i.e., at a party or other social event.
Another potential health hazard is in long-term use of Gatorade when you don’t really need it. The sugars and electrolytes in Gatorade are meant to regulate athletic endurance. If you’re inactive and you drink a lot of Gatorade, you might get hypoglycemic. The sugars also produce insulin secretion, causing hunger and overeating. This can lead type 2 diabetes. The ability to secrete adequate levels of insulin is hindered, causing blood sugar levels to soar. Since insulin takes the sugar from the blood to the cells, all the excess carbohydrates in the blood causes the cells to become starved for energy, causing further inactivity.
Toxicities of potassium, sodium, and phosphorus are not known to have been influenced by Gatorade. One serving of it has only 2-5% of the daily value for each. As mentioned, I would only recommend this drink to active people. I’m always drinking Gatorade or Powerade, its lesser-known cousin, because I feel a lot of energy is restored after the exhausting exercises I do. Research is still being done on the effects of Gatorade. It would be a big blow to the athletic world if there were a long-term side effect from excessive use of the drink. But if there was, I’m sure they would have found it by now.
