Gatorade Nutritional Information

Gatorade is an electrolyte-replacement beverage, or sports drink. Sports drinks can be beneficial for increasing stamina, ensuring proper hydration and replenishing electrolytes lost through heavy perspiration. Gatorade may be appropriate to drink during endurance events in athletics, or for those engaging in moderate to vigorous workouts lasting longer than 60 minutes.

Basic Nutrition Facts

The serving size for Gatorade is 8 ounces. Gatorade generally comes in a 32 oz. bottle (four 8 oz. servings). One serving provides 50 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 110 milligrams (mg.) of sodium, or 5 percent of the Recommended Daily Value (DV) for this nutrient for those on a 2,000 calorie diet. One serving also provides 30 mg. of potassium, or 1 percent of the DV, as well as 14 grams of carbohydrate (of that, 14 grams are from sugar). This beverage offers no protein.

The Right Amount of Carbohydrate

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that for intense exercise lasting longer than 60 minutes, an exerciser should consume carbohydrates at a rate of 30-60 grams per hour to maintain the body's carbohydrate stores and delay fatigue, particularly in hot temperatures. In percentages, the recommendation is a 6 to 8 percent carbohydrate solution, such as that offered by Gatorade, or 6 grams of carbohydrate per 100 mL of fluid. In non-metric units, it is 14 grams of carbohydrate per 8 fluid ounce serving.

The 6 Percent Solution

A 6 percent carbohydrate solution offers an appealing taste to the exerciser, is emptied quickly from the stomach, absorbed quickly by the intestine, and delivers energy to active muscles. These attributes have shown that Gatorade enhances performance when compared to water alone. Sports drinks with lower concentrations (of glucose) cannot deliver the above benefits, while those that offer higher concentrations, compromise the rate of fluid delivery to the body (to much carbohydrate and not enough fluid for optimum delivery).

Electrolyte Replenishment

When you perspire or sweat heavily, you lose more than just water. Perspiration contains certain minerals, also known as electrolytes, including sodium, potassium and chloride. These electrolytes help to maintain fluid balance in the body, normal heartbeat as well as muscle contraction. Depending on the duration and/or intensity of exercise, these electrolytes may need to be replaced quickly. Gatorade contains these electrolytes. Additionally, the sodium in Gatorade acts as a thirst stimulant to encourage you to keep ingesting fluids for proper hydration. Though water is the best go-to option for hydration day to day, Gatorade offers more of what your body may demand during vigorous exercise.

An Osmolar Beverage

Osmolality is, by definition, a measure of the number of particles in a solution. Fluids with a low osmolality, such as water (near 0), are better and more quickly absorbed by your body for optimum hydration. In addition, beverages with low osmolality match that of our bloodstream (also low). Beverages such as fruit juices and soda have a high osmolality, due to their high sugar content. These beverages are not absorbed as rapidly and may cause stomach upset during exercise. Like water, Gatorade has a low osmolality so it is quickly and well absorbed making it a better choice than sugary drinks.