Gatorade vs Powerade: What’s the difference? Gatorade and Powerade are some of the most popular sports drinks on the market. Many professional athletes endorse these drinks in national TV marketing ads.
And so, when you have an athlete swear up and down in marketing ads that this sports drink helps them with replenishing electrolytes and recovery many people all over the world will believe that. But the question does the science say that it is a great recovery drink? And does the science say that these sports drinks are healthy for your body?
Gatorade vs Powerade: What’s the difference? Photo credit: iStock-lovleah
The common ingredients for Powerade and Gatorade is that it has sugar, citric acid, and salt. Powerade contains high fructose corn syrup. And Gatorade contains dextrose which is similar to a type of sugar.
According to various different studies high fructose corn syrup and sugar have similar negative effects on insulin levels and high obesity risk.
This is the Nutrition Facts of Powerade vs Gatorade.
Gatorade vs Powerade: What’s the difference? Photo credit: istock- bmcent1
Powerade
Calories- 130
Carbs- 35
Protein- 0 grams
Fat- 0 grams
Sugar- 34 grams
Sodium- 10% of the Daily Value
Potassium- 2% of the Daily Value
Magnesium- 1% of the Daily Value
Niacin 25% of the Daily Value
Vitamin B6- 25% of the Daily Value
Vitamin B12- 25% of the Daily Value
Gatorade
Calories- 140
Carbs- 36 grams
Protein- 0 grams
Fat- 0 grams
Sugar- 34 grams
Sodium- 11% of the Daily Value
Potassium- 2% of the Daily Value
Some of the similarities and difference are the following. They both have no fat or protein. Gatorade has about 10 more calories and more sodium than Powerade. Powerade has more micronutrients than Gatorade such as magnesium, niacin, vitamin b-6 and vitamin b-12.
In terms of tastes differences some people claim that Powerade is a much a sweeter tasting drink. And that may be because Powerade has high fructose corn syrup. And studies have shown that high fructose corn syrup is sweeter than dextrose which is used in Gatorade.
Also, another factor Powerade is sweeter than Gatorade it is has more added vitamins.
The reason why sports drinks are so popular is because of its ability to rehydrate your body, restore carbs and electrolytes after a high amount of physical activity. There are some studies that have shown that Powerade and Gatorade can help athletic performance in prolonged athletic exercises such as cycling, running and triathlons compared to a placebo group. It needs to be stated that these studies were done on athletes’ not every day average people. There really isn’t any evidence that shows that one drink is better than the other when it comes to performance.
“The reason why sports drinks are so popular is because of its ability to rehydrate your body, restore carbs and electrolytes after a high amount of physical activity.” Celebrity Fitness & Nutrition Expert Obi Obadike
The Bottom Line is Powerade, and Gatorade are some of the most popular sports drinks on the market. Powerade has more vitamins and micronutrients, but the health aspects of both are limited because of the added high sugar content.
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References
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- Yu Z, Lowndes J, Rippe J. High-fructose corn syrup and sucrose have equivalent effects on energy-regulating hormones at normal human consumption levels. Nutr Res. 2013 Dec;33(12):1043-52. doi: 10.1016/j.nutres.2013.07.020. Epub 2013 Aug 30. PMID: 24267044.
- Soenen S, Westerterp-Plantenga MS. No differences in satiety or energy intake after high-fructose corn syrup, sucrose, or milk preloads. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Dec;86(6):1586-94. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/86.5.1586. Erratum in: Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Apr;87(4):1071. PMID: 18065574.
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