by Dana-Susan Crews
It may be hard to imagine this, but sports drinks have not been around for that long. Before the 1960s athletes drank only water to stay hydrated.
In the mid 1960s, a Florida college football coach was concerned because his players were suffering greatly from heat related illnesses because they played mostly in the heat and humidity. Looking for a way to prevent these illnesses, he sought the help of researchers at the university. These research physicians concluded that the two reasons for the heat-related performance issues were:
- Loss of electrolytes from excessive sweating
- Depletion of carbohydrate stores from long practices causing muscle fatigue
As a result, they formulated a special drink filled with carbohydrates and electrolytes and passed it out to the team. It worked! The football team began winning games and in 1966, they finished 9-2 for the season and won the Orange Bowl for the very first time in school history.
Researchers named their drink "Gatorade" after the school mascot. The University of Florida's mascot is the Florida Gators. Gatorade became one of the first sports drinks on the market. It consisted of a mixture of water, sugar, sodium, potassium, phosphate and lemon juice. Soon, other coaches began purchasing it and in 1968 Gatorade became the official sports drink of the National Football League.
Since the invention of Gatorade, other sports drinks have come into the market. The second most popular is Powerade. Each athlete has their own personal favorite brand. What about you? What is your favorite sports drink? Or do you prefer other forms of electrolyte replacement such as coconut water or gels?
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