Gatorade
Osmosis
Dr. Matt Hermes

Sports Science

Rehydration

Energy  Replacement

Quiz

Problems

 Dr. Robert Cade and three other doctors at the University of Florida used the concepts of solution properties and osmosis to develop the beverage we now know as Gatorade.

Who can argue that Gatorade and similar sports beverages have taken a central place in exercise and the science surrounding exercise?  The WALL STREET JOURNAL reported on May 5, 2000 that consumers bought more than $1.5 billion of Gatorade in 1999.  Quaker Oats, the beverage's owner reports sales of more than $2 billion in 2001

Osmosis is important in exercise.

Most of us are familiar with the dehydrating effect of exercise on our bodies. As we exercise in the summer sun, we lose water.  We can become dizzy and feel fatigued.  What is happening is that we sweat and we breathe out water vapor.  We lose water from the intercellular spaces within our bodies.  As we dehydrate we increase the concentration of particles such as salts (electrolytes) and sugars in our bodies.  The fluid outside our cells has a higher particle concentration than the fluid inside the cells..  Blood vessel walls now allow water to pass through to replenish the space outside our cells.  But this osmosis, or passage of water from blood (concentrated) to fluid (less concentrated), reduces blood volume.

The inventors of Gatorade used the principles of osmosis to develop their beverage that reduces dehydration and helps maintain electrolyte balance.  They developed a beverage that:

• Was palatable so that during exercise we would drink it and combat dehydration.
• Contained sugars that would provide additional energy.
• Contain a balanced concentration of sugars and electrolytes that would help prevent abnormal electrolyte concentrations during exercise.

Since 1965 a whole science of sports rehydration and energy balancing has developed, promoted, primarily by the owners of Gatorade, Quaker Oats.

This ChemCases case discussion shows how chemistry and decision making brought us this world-wide beverage phenomenon. The case illustrates the problems faced by the coaches, athletes and the inventors as they attempted the first sports drink formulation in 1965.  And the case asks you to evaluate what you would have done in answering ethical and legal questions of testing drink formulations on the athletes and on the ownership of the sports drink itself.

Acknowledgment: 
Dr. Dana Shires, one of the inventors of Gatorade was extremely helpful in the preparation of this unit.

Chemical Concepts
Here are some concepts of solution chemistry that the inventors of Gatorade used in developing the sports drink:

We will see how researchers used these simple chemical concepts to invent and develop Gatorade and we will use these principles ourselves to evaluate and decide on issues of testing and ownership of Gatorade