Gatorlyte Rapid Rehydration Drink - Your Questions Answered

PepsiCo’s Gatorade division recently rolled out a new sports hydration product called Gatorlyte, marketed as a ‘rapid rehydration’ drink, with electrolytes and carbohydrate. Since then, the internet has responded with tons of questions. In this article, I will answer some of these, for my ongoing nutrition series. Let’s go…

What is Gatorlyte?

Gatorlyte is a sports carbohydrate and electrolyte beverage designed to hydrate a person after exercise or excessive sweating, and replace some of the electrolytes that are naturally lost in the sweat. Gatorlyte’s carbohydrate concentration is lower than that of Gatorade, but is still enough to influence the migration of ingested fluids and sodium, from the upper sections of the small intestine, into the blood stream, to deliver these throughout the body.

What is in Gatorlyte?

The following ingredients are in Gatorlyte: water, sugar, citric acid, sodium chloride, calcium lactate, natural flavor, potassium chloride, magnesium oxide, modified food starch, purified stevia leaf extract, glycerol ester of rosin, red 40.

Electrolyte Concentrations in Gatorlyte and in Human Sweat

Ingredient	mg/L	Concentration %	Typical Sweat mg/L
fluid	1,000,000	100%	1,000,000
carbohydrate	23,700	2.37%	n/a
sodium	829	0.083%	920-1,380 typical 200-2,300 extremes
potassium	592	0.059%	78-390
chloride	1,759	0.176%	1,064
calcium	203	0.02%	20
magnesium	178	0.018%	9.7

Electrolyte concentrations in Gatorlyte and in Human Sweat (mobile users scroll left and right)

Note that some of the electrolyte concentrations go beyond what is lost per liter of sweat. However a bottle of Gatorlyte is only 591 milliliters, and thus total electrolyte repletion will be lower.

Gatorlyte nutritional information per 591mL bottle

What is Gatorlyte Used For?

Gatorlyte is used to rehydrate the body after exercise, or heat related heavy sweating. It also replenishes electrolytes found in significant concentrations in sweat. These electrolytes include sodium, potassium and chloride. Though calcium and magnesium are also found to a lesser degree in sweat, with respect to percentages of recommended daily intake, these too have been included in the sports beverage’s ingredient line up.

Limitations With Intense Exercise

Though this product does have some carbohydrates in it, there is not enough for repletion of this macronutrient after intense exercise lasting greater than one hour’s time, where glycogen levels in the muscle and body have been significantly diminished. So if you do use this product to replace some sweat related electrolytes after such long, intense exertion, you will still need to consume carbohydrates and protein from other food sources afterwards, during this critical repletion period.

Further, Gatorlyte only has about 1/3rd the carbohydrates needed to sustain intense exercise lasting more than one hour. The International Society of Sports Nutrition states that 7.5-15mg of carbohydrate, in the form of a sports solution, like Gatorade, should be ingested every 15 minutes during such exercise, to sustain performance and minimize glycogen deficits. They state the fluid ingestion with these carbs should be in the range of 6-12oz. Gatorlyte falls outside of these parameters, and Gatorade would be the better choice in these situations.

Use During Mild to Moderate Exercise

During mild to moderate exercise, where glycogen stores are not at risk of being significantly diminished, but where significant sweating is still occurring, Gatorlyte could be used to replenish fluids and electrolytes. An example of this would be flat, or moderately sloped day hiking, where there are no sustained climbs lasting a significant amount of time. Or a morning workout in a hot environment, where there is a 15 minute ab routine, followed by a 15 minute push-up routine, with a 5-10 minute break in between these, to hydrate.

This especially holds true for salty sweaters, and those not acclimated to the heat.

Use Before Exercise

There are no restrictions on the use of Gatorlyte as part of a pre-exercise hydration ritual. Indeed, because it does contain sodium, it may ultimately keep you better hydrated than just using plain water in this routine.

The National Athletic Trainers Association states the following, regarding pre-exercise hydration:

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

How Does Gatorlyte Work?

Gatorlyte works by having enough sodium and simple sugar in it, that these molecules cross the lining of the upper part of the small intestine, which in turn causes the more rapid migration of water through it as well. The osmotic absorption of water is significantly dependent on sodium absorption.

Sodium absorption can happen either by passive diffusion across the small intestine’s lining, or through transporters on its cell walls, like the sodium/potassium pump, and the SGLT1 transporter that pulls two sugar molecules across, alongside one sodium molecule. Further, sodium absorption is stimulated by glucose (sugar) absorption, either through passive solute dragging, like which happens in the second part of the small intestine called the jejunum, or through active transport, as mentioned above. In other words, the sugar and sodium in the sports drink both work together to more rapidly cause sodium and water uptake in the small intestine.

Also because of the sodium and carbohydrates in the sports drink, the increase in total body water from its ingestion is retained longer, before the body responds by way of secretion of urine. So you stay rehydrated for longer than you would by simply drinking water. This is known as the beverage hydration index.

How Fast Does it work?

If you were to drink a glass of water, that water starts to show up in the blood stream within 5 minutes and half of it is absorbed within 11-13 minutes. This 11-13 minute half life of that water implies that the entire glass of water is absorbed within 75-120 minutes. This water fully makes its way around the entire body within 90 minutes of being absorbed, with half of it getting there within 12-13 minutes.

Because the sugar and sodium in Gatorlyte can increase the rate at which water is absorbed into the body, this hydration process should take less time than the numbers stated above for water. The exact time is however not known.

Ratio of heavy water to regular water in the plasma and blood cells, after a subject drinks a glass of water with heavy water in it.

It should also be noted that because of the relatively low concentration of sugar in Gatorlyte, there should be no problem with regard to delayed stomach emptying after its ingestion. Delayed stomach emptying is a major factor in how fast the water in a drink is absorbed into the body, because most of the water is absorbed after leaving the stomach, and entering the first part of the small intestine.

Generally once a drink contains more than 8% sugar (or fat or protein) this increases the chance of delayed stomach emptying. Gatorlyte contains 2.37% sugar and thus would not cause a delay in the absorption of its water content.

How To Use Gatorlyte (How and When To Drink Gatorlyte)

Before Exercise or Sport

Slowly drink one 591mL bottle of Gatorlyte 2 or 3 hours before your sport or exercise begins to ensure proper hydration of your body. Then drink 200 to 300mL of water, or a sports drink with a higher concentration of sugar like Gatorade, if it is necessary to load carbs, 10 or 20 minutes before your exercise. Loading carbs right before your planned exercise, or sport becomes more important, depending on how intense your event will be.

During or After Lower Intensity Exercise or Sport Accompanied By Heavy Sweating

During or after lower intensity exercise accompanied by heavy sweating, from either a higher sweat rate, or a high ambient temperature, Gatorlyte can be used as an adjunct to hydration. This is especially true if you are not acclimated to a hot environment, which puts you at higher risk of losing sodium through sweat than an acclimated person would be. It can take a week or more to become acclimated to a hot environment, such that you lose less sodium in your sweat.

With every pound of body weight lost from sweating (loss of 455mL of body water), drink 500 to 700mL of fluid to recoup your loss (drink more than lost from sweat to overcome urinary losses). For the first pound lost, drink one 591mL bottle of Gatorlyte, but for the second pound lost, supplement that bottle with additional water.

For additional pounds lost after these initial ones, continue to use both Gatorlyte and water in a similar fashion, but be careful not to drink too much Gatorlyte as its high Magnesium content could produce diarrhea. Diarrhea can itself cause dehydration and loss of electrolytes. (See below: How Much is Too Much?)

To be safe, try not to drink more than two 591mL bottles of Gatorlyte for any heavy sweating event. After that switch to water with a salty snack if more electrolytes are needed, or a more traditional sports drink, like Gatorade, or oral rehydration solution.

High Intensity Exercise or Sport

Gatorlyte doesn’t have enough carbohydrates to sustain high intensity exercise and should not be used during such, but instead a sports drink with a higher carb concentration (6-8%).

One bottle could be drank after the conclusion of such exercise, but additional carbohydrates must be replenished from other food sources to regain glycogen lost.

How Much is Too Much?

One of the limiting factors of this product is the relatively high Magnesium content. Drinking excessive amounts of Gatorlyte may cause Magnesium induced diarrhea, similar to how a Magnesium supplement tablet, like Magnesium Oxide, or further a Magnesium based bowl stimulant, like Milk of Magnesia, can do. I would say try to limit your consumption to two 591mL bottles per day.

Further it would not be recommended to use this solution outside of sweat related exercise or environments, due to the sodium content of the solution. Using this beverage throughout the day, as a casual drink, could push the consumer over their recommended daily salt intake.

Gatorlyte Rapid Rehydration Drink – Your Questions Answered