Before we get into the actual battle between nature and science, let’s first define the purpose of a sports drink. Wikipedia gives a great explanation: “A sports drink is a beverage designed to help athletes rehydrate, as well as restore electrolytes, carbohydrates, and other nutrients, which can be depleted after training or competition. Electrolyte replacement promotes proper rehydration, which is important in delaying the onset of fatigue during exercise.” Couldn’t have said it better myself. Electrolytes include sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium and other minerals vital to proper body function. When you sweat you lose these minerals along with water, which is why it is so important to replace them when rehydrating from prolonged intense exercise. Drinking water alone will not replace these electrolytes and can lead to muscle cramps, increased fatigue and in extreme cases death.
Amazingly, coconut water is so close to natural blood plasma that soldiers in WWII were given direct infusions of coconut water when supplies of blood were low. In recent years it has been touted as nature’s sports drink for its balance of electrolytes and natural carbohydrates, but how does it stack up against the drink that coined the term? In many ways coconut water is superior to the scientifically engineered beverage. Here’s a side by side comparison of the nutritional facts:
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As you can see, the first check in the win column for the coconut water is Potassium, a vitamin that is vital to proper nerve and cell function. People traditionally look to bananas as the go-to potassium food. However, one serving of coconut water has about the same amount of potassium and much less sugar than a banana. When compared to Gatorade, coconut water packs a staggering 13x the potassium. The next important electrolyte to compare is sodium. This mineral has an infamous reputation because of its ties to high blood pressure, but when it comes to exercise, you lose quite a bit of sodium through sweat. It is important to replace that sodium because of its importance in proper nerve conduction. In extreme cases of sodium deficiency a person can develop
Hyponatremia, a serious acute condition in which nerve impulses are interrupted all around the body which can result in death. Coconut water has a little over twice the sodium as Gatorade which can be a benefit if you sweat heavily during exercise.
The last major measuring stick for comparing coconut water and Gatorade is carbohydrates. As a general rule of thumb, carbohydrate supplementation is most important in higher intensity cardiovascular exercise lasting longer than 60 minutes. For less intense or shorter duration exercise, there is not much benefit to glucose supplementation. When it comes to fat loss goals, limiting the amount of sugar that you ingest is an important step in decreasing body fat. For these reasons, Gatorade has recently released a sugar free version of their sports drinks using artificial sweeteners. As you can see by the nutrient comparisons, coconut water has much less sugar than regular Gatorade, and more importantly it is all natural sugar with no artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners which both the regular and sugar free contain.
By my count, all these factors add up to coconut water being the clear winner and healthier choice for rehydrating your body. The only down side that I have found is the cost. Ounce for ounce coconut water is more expensive however, since you need less of it to get the same benefits of Gatorade, it all equals out in the end.
Comments
Hey Brian,
I think your nutritional facts are incorrect. Coconut water has a lot of Potassium but not a lot of Sodium. I have never seen a coconut water with more Sodium than a Gatorade. Coconut water does not have a lot of sodium unless it has been added by a person.
Check out new product Greater>Than going to hit shelves in Chicago in May. It combines coconut water into a sports formula. Become a fan on facebook www.facebook.com/drinkgt or www.drinkgt.com
This will be the first hydration drink to combine the all natural element with coconut water and be an effective sports drink with the necessary amount of sodium.
Be Greater Than.
So what you are saying is that mroe electrolytes = better? I'm going to have to see references for that. I always thought that in order to have the best hydration you needed a balance with the amount of electrolytes you get per fluid volume.
The thing i like the least about Gatorade is the high amount of citric acid. Tastes great but it's so bad for your teeth
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