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DripDrop vs Gatorade: How DripDrop Beats the Competition

In a perfect world, dehydration wouldn’t happen.

You wouldn’t have to worry about getting enough fluids and electrolytes during workouts or double shifts to alleviate dehydration. You could spend unlimited time under the sun, whether tending your garden or running your fifth marathon, without worrying about your hydration.

But such a perfect world doesn't exist.

The good news is we can help you research the best ways to tackle dehydration. Here, we’ll discuss DripDrop vs. Gatorade for managing dehydration.

You’ll learn why an oral rehydration solution (ORS) like doctor-developed DripDrop is better for managing dehydration than sports drink brands like Gatorade, Powerade, or Pedialyte Sport.

Oral Rehydration Solutions vs. Sports Drinks

Before we compare DripDrop vs. Gatorade, you have to understand the most important distinction between these two hydrating drinks.

DripDrop is an oral rehydration solution, while Gatorade is a sports drink. Both brands are marketed to help address dehydration, but Gatorade misses the mark on closer inspection.

Key Oral Rehydration Solution Facts

​​You know that staying hydrated is crucial for health. But drinking water or even sports drinks is not always enough to stay hydrated and alleviate dehydration. That’s because when we become dehydrated, we need to replace lost fluids and electrolytes into our bloodstream rapidly. And to do this, our bodies need a precise balance of electrolytes and glucose.

In the 1960s, medical scientists discovered that combining the right amount of sodium electrolytes and sugar can activate the body’s sodium-glucose cotransport system. These ingredients work together in the body to open the small intestine wall, effectively “pulling” needed fluids and electrolytes into the bloodstream. This solution, discovered by the World Health Organization (WHO), became known as an Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS). ORS has been used ever since to treat life-threatening dehydration where IV therapy is not practical or available.

Oral rehydration solutions like DripDrop have this precise combination of sodium electrolytes and glucose to help with dehydration. Sports drinks like Gatorade do not.

DripDrop ORS can be used as an IV alternative to manage mild to moderate dehydration. Its patented formula is powerful enough to help patients suffering from dehydration caused by Ebola and cholera but safe enough for everyday use.

Sports Drinks and Hydration

Sports drinks are typically marketed for highly active people who want to maintain their hydration status without negatively impacting physical performance.

These drinks include a large amount of sugar. In some cases, they often contain lower than desirable amounts of sodium chloride, potassium, and calcium. The concentration and quality of different sports drinks brands tend to vary.

In fact, most sports drinks contain too much sugar or have a poor ratio of electrolytes.

Why is this a big deal?

The electrolyte content of sports drinks may not be enough to effectively relieve dehydration.

So, what's up with the ads and articles you see online linking sports drinks with improved hydration status? It turns out that some of these studies are funded by sports drinks companies.

Top sports drinks brands can afford to spend a lot on advertising, marketing, and sponsorships. For instance, top beverage companies spent roughly $1.04 billion in 2018 advertising their sports beverages and energy drinks. Plus, sports drink brand Gatorade allocated a big budget for their star-studded campaign in 2020. This strategy further solidifies their claims of helping manage dehydration while engaging in sports activities.

Finally, a study of 13 different beverages (including an oral rehydration solution and sports drinks) and their impact on hydration revealed that the oral rehydration solution provided the most hydration. Interestingly, there was no significant difference in the hydrating ability of plain water and sports drinks.

For this reason, look for an oral rehydration solution with a precise ratio of sodium and glucose such as DripDrop instead of sugary sports drinks like Gatorade.

DripDrop vs. Gatorade for Fast Dehydration Relief

Now that you know the science behind general sports drinks and an oral rehydration solution like DripDrop, let's look at DripDrop vs. Gatorade in terms of dehydration relief.

Hydration Effectiveness

To compare DripDrop vs. Gatorade for dehydration, we’ll first look at their electrolyte formulations and nutritional content.

For a start, Gatorade contains too much sugar and not enough salt (sodium) or potassium to effectively manage dehydration.

A 12 oz serving of Gatorade Thirst Quencher contains:

  • Calories: 80

  • Fat: 0 g

  • Sodium: 160 mg

  • Carbohydrates: 22 g

  • Fiber: 0 g

  • Sugars: 21 g

  • Protein: 0 g

  • Potassium: 50 mg

Meanwhile, a serving of DripDrop contains:

  • Sodium: 330 mg

  • Magnesium: 39 mg

  • Potassium: 185 mg

  • Zinc: 1.5 mg

  • Vitamin C: 70 mg

  • Sugar: 7 g

By comparison, a serving of Gatorade Thirst Quencher contains more grams of sugar than a serving of DripDrop.

According to researchers at the California Center for Public Health Advocacy and UC Berkeley, added sugar in drinks like Gatorade may contribute to rising cases of obesity in children.

DripDrop, on the other hand, has the medically relevant sodium electrolyte levels and lower glucose content required to facilitate fast and effective fluid absorption and retention.

Remember: Sodium is the critical electrolyte necessary for dehydration recovery. It promotes better fluid intake, helps maintain greater fluid volume, and lowers urine output.

When you're dehydrated, you need to replenish other key minerals like magnesium, which helps address muscle cramps.

Gatorade doesn't contain other electrolytes like magnesium, calcium, or chloride. In contrast, DripDrop supplies vitamins and minerals like zinc, potassium, and magnesium.

Finally, it boils down to osmolarity. Osmolarity is the amount of pressure it takes for a substance to enter a cell membrane. To enable rapid absorption and retention of liquids and electrolytes, an oral rehydration solution needs a relatively high concentration of sodium electrolytes and a precise, relatively small amount of glucose (something sports drinks like Gatorade don’t have).

The more particles suspended in a solution (i.e., the higher the osmolarity), the slower the absorption.

DripDrop also gets top marks in terms of osmolarity. It has an extremely low osmolarity, at just 220 mosm/L. It's even lower than the WHO ORS formula (245 msom/L) and a lot lower than traditional sports drinks (300+ mosm/L).

The invention of DripDrop was such a breakthrough that the formula received a U.S. Patent, and DripDrop’s inventor, Dr. Dolhun, was awarded the 2017 Mayo Clinic Alumni Association Humanitarian Award.

Taste

What about the taste between DripDrop vs. Gatorade?

Traditional oral rehydration solutions taste bad due to a large amount of sodium. By comparison, sports drinks like Gatorade reduce the amount of sodium and add large amounts of artificial sweeteners or sugars to make the drinks taste better. Not only does that make these solutions less effective at managing dehydration, their high sugar content means they may even negatively impact overall health.

DripDrop is different. It was developed by a doctor who made it his mission to create a medically viable ORS that would also taste great. DripDrop doesn’t compromise on efficacy or taste.

You can enjoy it cold on long, hot days or fend off winter dehydration with a warm, comforting cup. Plus, it has zero artificial flavors.

Convenience

You can purchase DripDrop easily on Amazon, on DripDrop.com or use the store locator to find DripDrop at a retailer near you. There are several options available, so you can get the right number of packets and flavors.

DripDrop comes in tiny stick packets designed to go where you go to deliver dehydration relief where and when you need it. The next time you leave home for work or travel, carry a reusable water bottle and a couple DripDrop packets.

You can easily take it with you hiking in your backpack or a small gym bag for post-workout hydration. Whereas disposable Gatorade bottles can leave a larger carbon footprint and be cumbersome to carry in your purse or briefcase.

DripDrop: Dehydration Relief That Works

Ultimately, sports drinks like Gatorade aren’t as effective as an oral rehydration solution like DripDrop for managing dehydration.

Sports drinks marketed for hydration are high in sugar and have too few electrolytes. Instead, reach for an effective and great-tasting oral rehydration solution with 3x the electrolytes and less sugar like DripDrop.

Built on 50 years of ORS science, doctor-developed DripDrop is designed for unparalleled speed and amazing flavor. The patented formula also provides medically relevant electrolyte levels, improving on the World Health Organization’s Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) standards when it comes to osmolarity and taste.

DripDrop is more than just an electrolyte powder. It's a complete oral rehydration solution that works and tastes good at the same time.

Whether you're looking for a good hydrating drink or preparing for the cold weather season, get started with our most popular multi-flavor pouch for dehydration relief fast. Or, learn more about how you can save up to 25% on every purchase when you subscribe.