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Back to Gatorade11. Gatorade
Ahead to Gatorade 14. Can We Do a Medical
Experiment?
Chemical
Concepts
The formulation of Gatorade®
depended on detailed consideration of the properties of
near-isotonic solutions.
| 8. Isotonic
Solutions |
are |
Solutions Containing the
Same Concentration of Particles |
| Essential in Human Systems
to Prevent Cell Crenation (Shriveling) or
Hemolysis (Swelling) |
| Difficult to Maintain in the
Exercising Athlete |
Try to
relate these concepts to the relationship of exercise,
dehydrationand fatigue that we discuss in the
accompanying unit.
|
|
Gatorade
12. Testing of Subjects
Dr.
Shires brought the new beverage to the Florida freshman
on their practice field in the late summer of 1965 and
the athletes drank it. But the introduction of the new
beverage in this manner failed to meet many of the
criteria we might look for in the testing of a new
product today.
- Was
the product toxic? Had it been properly tested in
the laboratory on animals before it was
introduced for human consumption?
This question is perhaps trivial in the
development of a food-type beverage from well
characterized ingredients, but in fact one of the
initial ingredients of the formulation proved to
be controversial and was removed before
commercial introduction of Gatorade.
- Did
the product work? The athletes
reported they felt stronger. But the
weather was cooling off somewhat as summer waned
into fall and perhaps the players were reacting
to cooler weather. Further there was no
control groups of athletes taking water or
another beverage that would allow a direct
comparison of the results of the new
beverage. And Gatorade's inventors had not
developed quantitative tests which would allow
objective measurement of the effect of the new
sports beverage.
|
Remember
Dr. Cade's requirements. Did the new drink
actually meet its goals by:
- Providing water to
replace lost fluid;
- Mimicking the salt
concentration of the body to replace lost
salt; and
- Providing
readily-available fuel for continued
work?
|
It
is easy to look back to 1965 and criticize the inventors
for a hasty introduction of their beverage. But the
regulations governing products in mid century were far
more lenient than those now developed. Suffice it
to say that the questions of sports beverage
effectiveness still linger, decades after Gatorade
development.
After a
formulation quiz, we will look at a case discussion on
the appropriateness of testing.
|
