Abbot Labs has recently introduced a new sports hydration drink called Pedialyte Sport. It’s formulated with electrolytes lost in sweat, carbohydrates to help the absorption of these, and of course fluids to help replete your losses from sweat during exercise.
Naturally, folks have lots of questions about this product, so I’ll answer some here, as part of my hiking nutrition series of articles.
What is Pedialyte Sport?
Pedialyte Sport is a rehydration drink, with carbohydrates and electrolytes found in sweat, that is formulated to hydrate you, after you’ve produced a significant amount of sweat from exercise, or being in a hot environment. The concentration of electrolytes in it also matches what you would lose through vomit or diarrhea so you can also use it to rehydrate after those type events.
Pedialyte Sport has less carbohydrates than a traditional sports drink, like Gatorade, so it can’t be used for high intensity exercise lasting an hour or more, where your glycogen levels would be diminished. But it can be used for low to moderately intense exercise. There is still enough carbohydrate in it to help the migration of its fluid and electrolytes, from the upper sections of the small intestine, into the blood stream, to deliver these throughout your body.
What is in Pedialyte Sport?
The following ingredients are in Pedialyte Sport: Water, dextrose, galactooligosaccharides (plant based, chain linked sugars that act a pre-biotics, i.e. food for your gut bacteria), sodium chloride, potassium citrate, citric acid, natural and artificial flavors, potassium phosphate, magnesium chloride, sodium citrate, sucralose, acesulfame potassium (artificial sweetener marketed under the trade names Sunett and Sweet One), artificial coloring (depending on the flavor).
| Component | Pedialyte Sport mg/L | Gatorlyte mg/L | Human Sweat mg/L |
|---|---|---|---|
| fluid | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 |
| carbohydrate | 14,000 (12,000 sugar + 2,000 fiber) | 23,700 | —- |
| sodium | 1,380 | 829 | 920-1,380 typical 200-2,300 extremes |
| potassium | 1,320 | 592 | 78-390 |
| chloride | 1,940 | 1,759 | 1,064 |
| phosphorous | 400 | —- | 3-6 |
| calcium | —- | 203 | 20 |
| magnesium | 120 | 178 | 9.7 |
Typical electrolyte concentrations in GI Secretions
| GI component | Sodium | Potassium | Chloride |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stomach | 1,380mg/L | 390mg/L | 4,600mg/L |
| Small Intestine, Pancreas, Bile | 3,220mg/L | 195mg/L | 2,800-3,500mg/L |
| Colon | 1,380mg/L | 1,170mg/L | 1,400mg/L |
How much sugar is in Pedialyte Sport?
The amount of sugar in Pedialyte Sport is 14 grams per liter. But 2 grams of this is soluble fiber that works as a prebiotic for the gut flora. This leaves 12 grams of simple sugar to facilitate fluid and electrolyte absorption in the small intestine. This simple sugar is D-Glucose, otherwise known a dextrose, which is basically glucose.
The concentration of simple sugar in Pedialyte Sport is 1.2%, and the concentration of all sugar in the rehydration solution is 1.4%.
It should be noted that the recommended concentration of carbohydrates in sports drinks is 6 to 8%. This is because when performing high intensity exercise for one hour or more, your body will use 30 to 60 grams of carbs, and if such is not replaced through ingestion of more carbs, then the risk of glycogen depletion fatigue onset is higher during your lengthy bout of exercise. A 6% solution of carbs, like that found in Gatorade, allows you to drink 500mL to 1L over an hour and match that 30-60g carb deficit.
Thus Pedialyte Sport should not be a substitute for Gatorade during high intensity exercise lasting more than 1 hour. The only exception I can think of to this if you’re purposely creating a carbohydrate deficit in an attempt to burn more fat. Even so, your exercise performance can be diminished after you’ve reached glycogen depletion fatigue, and therefore your ability to continue to burn fat will be as well. Plus you likely burn more fat doing short duration, high intensity exercise, like running as fast as you can, then catching your breath, then running as fast as you can again, etc.
How much sodium is in Pedialyte Sport?
The amount of sodium in Pedialyte Sport is 1.38 grams per liter. This matches the amount of sodium you lose in sweat, if you’re a more salty sweater, or you’re not yet acclimated to a hot environment, and tend to lose more salt through sweat before getting adjusted to the heat. This also matches the sodium you lose via vomiting, or through minor diarrhea, involving only the contents of your colon.
How much potassium is in Pedialyte Sport?
The amount of potassium in Pedialyte Sport is 1.32 grams per liter. This is many more times that found in sweat or vomit. Though it does match what could be lost from diarrhea.
Is Pedialyte Sport better than Gatorade?
Pedialyte Sport is not better than Gatorade regarding high intensity exercise that lasts one hour or more. This is because it doesn’t have enough carbohydrate per liter to match the typical 30 to 60 gram loss you will experience during this type of exercise. Without the ability to replete this deficit, you’re likely to experience the onset of glycogen depletion fatigue.
But let’s do a head to head comparison of the ingredients to find where this solution might be a better choice than Gatorade:
| Component | Pedialyte Sport mg/L | Gatorade mg/L | Human Sweat mg/L |
|---|---|---|---|
| fluid | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 |
| carbohydrate | 14,000 (12,000 sugar + 2,000 fiber) | 60,913 | —- |
| sodium | 1,380 | 456 | 920-1,380 typical 200-2,300 extremes |
| potassium | 1,320 | 135 | 78-390 |
| chloride | 1,940 | —- | 1,064 |
| phosphorous | 400 | 328 | 3-6 |
| calcium | —- | —- | 20 |
| magnesium | 120 | —- | 9.7 |
Pedialyte Sport may be better than Gatorade for salty sweaters, in some cases
Pedialyte Sport may be better than Gatorade for moderate intensity, higher volume exercise, where muscular glycogen stores are not at risk of depletion, if you are naturally a salty sweater. This is due to its higher sodium content. Replenishing all or part of your sweat loss with this beverage can help you avoid an acute sodium deficit, and hypervolemic hyponatremia from drinking too much water without electrolytes, during moderate intensity exercise that lasts several hours; an 8 hour day hike, without much steep uphill, for instance.
This also holds true for heat related sweating, if you are naive to a hot environment, making you more susceptible to sodium loss. Heat naive sweaters who’ve entered a hot environment and will be there for hours may benefit from the extra sodium in this beverage.
However keep in mind that some extreme salty sweaters have extra sodium in their sweat because they have a high sodium diet. In those cases then a lower sodium electrolyte drink would be a better choice, such as Gatorade, Gatorlyte, or plain water.
Also, there is some evidence that ‘burning off’ sodium through exercise and sweating may be beneficial to your health, if you have the average diet that has too much sodium to begin with:
A similar range of health benefits is attributable to exercise and to reduction in sodium intake, including reductions in blood pressure (BP) and the increase of BP with age, reduced risk of stroke and other cardiovascular diseases, and reduced risk of osteoporosis and dementia. Sweat typically contains 40-60 mmol/L of sodium, leading to approximately 20-90 mmol of sodium lost in one exercise session with sweat rates of 0.5-1.5 L/h. Reductions in sodium intake of 20-90 mmol/day have been associated with substantial health benefits.
Does Replacing Sodium Excreted in Sweat Attenuate the Health Benefits of Physical Activity? International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism 2016 Aug;26(4):377-89.
Pedialyte Sport may be better than Gatorade for heat related sweating for those on diuretics who do not take potassium supplements
If you are on a diuretic, you’re already susceptible to exercise and heat related dehydration. Further diuretics can increase your risk of skin related sun sensitivity and sunburns put you at further risk of heat exhaustion. Thus its imperative to stay hydrated when sweating.
But if you aren’t currently on a prescription potassium supplement, and also do not have high potassium levels, then Pedialyte Sport may be the better choice than Gatorade for fluid replacement from sweating. One liter of the beverage has roughly has an amount of potassium similar to that found in a 20mEq tablet of prescription potassium supplementation.
Pedialyte Sport is better than Gatorade for replenishing electrolytes from vomiting and/or diarrhea
Pedialyte Sport is better than Gatorade in the cases of vomiting and/or diarrhea. This is because the sodium, potassium, and chloride levels in the beverage are more congruent with that found in natural stomach, small intestine and colon fluid secretions. Gatorade doesn’t come close to these GI electrolyte levels, and does not contain chloride.
Indeed because Gatorade has more sugar than does Pedialyte Sport, it may increase the risk of delayed stomach emptying and thus delayed rehydration, if you are sick.
What does Pedialyte Sport do?
Pedialyte Sport rapidly rehydrates you, and replenishes your electrolytes, after heat/exercise related sweating, or from vomiting and/or diarrhea. The key to its ability to do this quickly is by the inclusion of the simple sugar dextrose in its formulation, alongside its electrolytes.
The dextrose in the solution is absorbed into you body, through the small intestine, by way of both osmotically passive, and active transports. When this happens, it drags both fluid and electrolytes through the intestinal membrane as well, via similar osmotic pressures.
Further, the active transport mechanism, by which dextrose (i.e. D-glucose) is absorbed alongside sodium also helps this particular electrolyte cross into the blood stream.
Lastly, glucose can stimulate blood flow in the intestine, allowing for more rapid absorption of water and electrolytes.
Is Pedialyte Sport good for you?
Pedialyte Sport is good for you if you are performing low to moderate intensity exercise, where you are not at danger of glycogen depletion fatigue. It is also good for you if you are simply in a hot environment that is causing you to lose significant sweat. Or if you need to replenish fluids lost due to vomiting or diarrhea.
Pedialyte Sport will replenish your sodium, potassium, chloride, and fluid lost, in a rapid fashion, due to the presence of a small amount of simple sugar in the drink, that assists in their absorption, as explained in the previous section.
However there is significantly less carbs in it, than that found in a traditional sports drink, formulated for high intensity exercise lasting one hour or more, where those extra carbs are needed. Thus you can replete your electrolytes without taking in large amounts of simple carbohydrates in the process.
When to drink Pedialyte Sport? And how much?
Before exercise
The National Athletic Trainers Association recommends the following pre-exercise hydration ritual:
To ensure proper pre-exercise hydration, the athlete should consume approximately 500 to 600 mL (17 to 20 fl oz) of water or a sports drink 2 to 3 hours before exercise, and 200 to 300 mL (7 to 10 fl oz) of water or a sports drink 10 to 20 minutes before exercise.
National Athletic Trainers’ Association Position Statement: Fluid Replacement for Athletes
Thus 2 or 3 hours before you plan to exercise, slowly drink 500mL, which will contain 690mg of sodium, 660mg of potassium, and 970mg of chloride. This is likely enough for you if you plan on just exercising for an hour.
The median sweat rate for athletes is 16mL/kg/hour. That’s around 800mL for a 54kg female, and 1,100mL for a 70kg male. This correlates with an average sodium loss of 920mg and 1,200mg for these two examples.
You might then consider using 200-300mL of a higher carbohydrate, lower electrolyte sports drink, like Gatorade, 10 to 20 minutes before exercise, if you are attempting to preload with carbs for a higher intensity, higher volume exercise.
Otherwise, for low to moderate intensity exercise, that’s less than an hour in length, you could just drink 200-300mL of water. You’ve got plenty of sodium after drinking your initial 500mL of Pedialyte Sport, and it won’t leave your system for a few days, unless you then sweat it out.
During moderate intensity exercise accompanied by heavy sweating
Moderate intensity exercise: Casual hiking around 2mph (not too much Zone 3 work), casual bike riding in the park (not too much Zone 3 work), light 20-30 minute cardio, 20 minute abs followed by 20 minute lower body resistance, etc. High ambient air temperature.
If you didn’t load your electrolytes before your moderate intensity, heavy sweating exercise, you can simply ‘drink to thirst’ with Pedialyte Sport, during such.
You need not try, during your exercise, to replace all body water lost to sweat. You only have to drink enough, not to become dehydrated to the point of performance loss. That’s likely a loss, due to sweat, of somewhere in the 2 to 4% of your starting, fully hydrated body weight.
Hence if you’re that 54kg female that tends to have a high sweat rate, or your in a high enough ambient temperature to temporarily create one, and you’re exercising for enough time that you could lose 2-4% of your body weight via sweat, you might drink at least 750mL, and if your a 70kg male, under the same conditions, you might drink at least 1000mL of the solution. Then just further hydrate after you’re finished with your exercise.
After moderate intensity exercise accompanied by heavy sweating
The general rehydration recommendation from the NSCA is that you consume 150% of your weight lost during exercise in fluids. Thus for every pound of body weight lost from sweating (454 mL of sweat), you should drink 680 mL of fluid, to account for losses through urination.
However considering that Pedialyte Sport has an amount of sodium per liter that adequately accommodates salty sweaters – those that sweat higher than average sodium quantities in their sweat – and considering urinary losses of sodium are less than sweat losses (roughly 460mg per liter), you should therefore not drink 150% of your body weight losses in this particular beverage.
To account for this overabundance of sodium in Pedialyte Sport, for every pound of body weight lost to sweat (454 mL) you should drink only 454 mL of this drink, then another 226 mL of non-sodium based fluid, like water, to achieve full hydration. You should take in this amount of fluid over the next 6 hours after exercise.
However if you plan on eating sodium rich food at some point in the rest of the day, after exercising, then you should drink even less Pedialyte Sport, and more water, to rehydrate. Same goes if you happen to know you have less sodium than average in your sweat, like you would if you constantly work in a hot environment, and your body has acclimated to such by increasing its sweat volume, and decreasing its sweat sodium content.
Because this is a hiking and camping website, keep in mind that those dehydrated backpacking food bags have loads of sodium in them already, making it less likely that you’d need something as sodium rich as Pedialyte Sport.
How much Pedialyte Sport to drink after exercise per pound of water weight lost
| Type of sweater | Amount of Pedialyte Sport to drink for every pound of weight lost after exercise | Amount of supplemental water to drink for every pound of weight lost |
|---|---|---|
| Below average sodium sweaters (someone acclimated to working in a hot environment) | 380mL | 300mL |
| Average sodium sweaters | 454mL | 226mL |
| Salty sweaters (above average) | 530mL | 150mL |
| Athlete median based on Sweating Rate and Sweat Sodium Concentration in Athletes: A Review of Methodology and Intra/Interindividual Variability | 350mL | 330mL |
After vomiting or diarrhea
The amount of Pedialyte Sport to drink after you have vomited, or have had diarrhea, is equivalent to the amount of fluid lost from doing so.
However, if all you have done is vomited 500mL of beer/wine from alcohol toxicity, then you need not drink that much of this sports drink. It is not considered a legit part of your total body weight.
Can Pedialyte Sport be used for a hangover?
Generally hangovers are from dehydration secondary to alcohol’s interference with your antidiuretic hormone. Your ADH can’t work as efficiently as it normally does and lets too much water out of your body, through your kidneys and urine. Your brain cells get dehydrated and you get a pounding headache.
But when that happens, usually the sodium and potassium in your bloodstream are left behind, and don’t wash out with the water. Hence it’s best just to rehydrate with water for a hangover to resume normal electrolyte levels in your body. Or use a lower sodium, lower potassium concentration sports drink for more rapid rehydration, like plain old Gatorade.
But if you really want to drink some of this solution, maybe just drink 1/2 a cupful and then chase it with lots of water.
Can Pedialyte Sport be used for diarrhea?
Pedialyte Sport can be used for simple diarrhea. This is because it contains very similar sodium, potassium, and chloride concentrations as those found in the secretions of the the colon. Pedialyte Sport has 1.38mg, 1.32mg, and 1.94mg of sodium, potassium, and chloride, while colon secretions typically have 1.38mg, 1.17mg, and 1.4mg of these electrolytes, respectively.
Just drink enough Pedialyte Sport to replenish the volume of fluid lost, due to diarrhea.
Who sells Pedialyte Sport?
I’ve notice my local CVS and Target have Pedialyte Sport for sale, in store. Otherwise just Amazon it:
Pedialyte Sport Electrolyte Solution
- Enough sodium for salty sweaters
- Contains chloride which is lost in abundance in sweat
- Contains magnesium which may reduce risk of muscle inflammation and soreness after working out
- Can be used to replenish fluids during illness
Further Reading & References
Thanks for checking out my Pedialyte Sport article. Next check out my general hiking nutrition page where I go over everything from my personally built hiking calorie calculators, to macro nutrition, to fluid replacement on the trail, and to sweat rate calculation when it comes to hiking.
References
ASPEN Nutrition Support Core Curriculum, 2nd Ed. (no link, just a book I own from my days as a certified nutrition support clinician)
Carbohydrate-Dependent, Exercise-Induced Gastrointestinal Distress, Nutrients. 2014 Oct; 6(10): 4191–4199. (click here to read study)
National Athletic Trainers’ Association Position Statement: Fluid Replacement for Athletes (link to pdf)
Use of Electrolytes in Fluid Replacement Solutions: What Have We Learned From Intestinal Absorption Studies? (read study here)
Hydration and Performance, NSCA’s Sport and Exercise Nutrition, pg. 77-79 (link to online article)
Alcohol’s Impact on Kidney Function, Alcohol Health and Research World, 1997; 21(1): 84–92. (journal article)