Difference Between Gatorade and Powerade
A sportsman or a sports woman is bound to have come across the term Powerade or Gatorade and they must have tasted these too. These are two of the most popular sports drinks available in the country. These are special types of drinks that are meant to restore the electrolytes and fluids that are lost by the act of sweating during the practice sessions or match. Both drinks contain ingredients similar and even look alike. Yet there are differences in the electrolyte and carbohydrate content of which we speak in this article.
Gatorade was introduced in 1965 as a solution to provide some relief to the players from loss of electrolytes in their bodies during practice and games in Florida, that has very hot conditions in summer. The simple drinking water can keep you hydrated, but electrolytes are lost. The doctors who have made this drink called it after the mascot of University of Florida, the Gator. Owned by the Quaker Oats Co. Gatorade is manufactured by PepsiCo in some areas. Powerade has risen as a competitor to Gatorade soon after, in 1988 and ever since been taken over by the Coca-Cola, Powerade sports drink has become very popular.
Gatorade and Powerade differ in the amount of sodium, sugar and also the type of sugar that was used. While meetings the need of hard and quickly surveyed the matches, a player loses 900-1400mg of sodium per liter of body sweat. The loss of sodium is vital as it makes the water level in the blood down. While Gatorade contains 450 mgs of sodium per liter, the sodium content in Powerade is just 225mg / L. This means that Gatorade is more effective in fast replacement of the sodium lost in sweat as a fact.
More sugar in a drink means more sugar in the blood but eventually it slows down the rate at which water enters the blood. Gatorade is 6% sugar, while sugar content in Powerade is 8%. Both drinks fall in the levels of 4-8% that are considered best for the addition of sugar and water to the blood inside the body. There is not much to choose between Gatorade and Powerade.
As far as ingredients are concerned, here is the solution for both beverages.
For the same size serving of 8 fl ounce, Powerade has 70 calories while Gatorade has 50 calories. Powerade contains about 55 mgs of sodium which is around 110 mg in case of Gatorade. Powerade has a total of 19 mgs of carb while Gatorade has 14g of carbs. Sugars and Potassium are the ingredients that are equal in quantity in both of them. 10% of vitamin B6 is present in Powerade along with 10% vitamin B12 and 10%.
Powerade and has only half the amount of sodium and more calories than Gatorade. For athletes on low sodium diet, Powerade is obviously a better choice. In warm climates such as Florida, Gatorade has an advantage of over Powerade.. However, Powerade is the realization of and sweeter taste better to some.