Background Research

Ben Lehotay

Sports Drinks & Reaction Time

Nearly 8 million students across the United States participated in at least one form of a sport last year. Athletes across the country turn to sports drinks to keep them hydrated, and focused. But is there a clear cut favorite, Gatorade or PowerAde? Both claims to be the best in the business, but there can only be a single, best. In this research paper the two will be examined in great detail. There is also an outside component to our experiment, reaction time. The question we will be trying to solve is “Which sports drink (Gatorade or PowerAde) creates the best reaction time.” There is science behind the components of and individuals reaction time, and that will also be examined and accounted for during the course of the background research.

            Gatorade was originally introduced in 1965, designed for the University of Florida. Later, the company was purchased by the Pepsi Company. This revolutionary sports drink was the first of its time. Its unique blend of carbohydrates and other essential components such as potassium, and sugar are credited for the brads success. Gatorade takes pride in their “G-Series”. A series of 3 drinks, prime, perform, and recover. Each has a different blend of amino acids. The Gatorade brand is iconic in the industry for providing a low calorie drink that actually provides results. Over 3 billion bottles were consumed last year alone.

            PowerAde is a product of the Coca-Cola Company, established in 1988. PowerAde is by far the less popular, compared to Gatorade. They sold about 1 billion bottles according to last year’s revenue report. There can be a case made though for the product. The “Ion Series” provides a remarkable blend of 4 essential elements, Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium, and Calcium. This drink has nearly half the sugar of Gatorade. So the question arises, who is better on paper when it comes to projected performance?

On paper the clear cut favorite would have to be PowerAde. PowerAde provides 4 essential minerals compared to Gatorade’s mere 3. Also, PowerAde has almost half the sugar of a Gatorade product. This is a key component to our experiment because Gatorade may provide better initial results, PowerAde is designed for endurance. Gatorade is more susceptible to making the consumer fatigued after the sugar has been processed and the initial wave of ATP has passed. Overall it depends on your individual physical needs, but in general PowerAde is going to be the more favorable choice for the average athlete on paper.

Reaction time is a key component to nearly every sport. How well do you react when your brain may be moving faster than your body already is? Can you juke the linebacker? Can you cross-over the opposing point guard? Reaction time may seem like complicated concept. Basically the main concept is how fast your brain processes what it is seeing, and then reacting. Seems simple right? Wrong. Not everyone has the ability to make decisions quickly. Studies show that it takes an armed cop 6-10 seconds to react to a situation at best. But in our experiment we will not be using firearms. Our results will be much faster (in the .25-.5s range). We will be using various tests that are more relatable to everyday life, so our data is relevant.

Almost everyone, at some point has consumed a sports drink. Now, we have some background information provided before we commence our experiment(s). Gatorade and PowerAde both have long, storied histories. In this experiment we will reveal who produces the most effective sports drink. Reaction time will serve as the variable in our experiment due to the fact everyones athletic abilities are different (can’t be tested). Overall, hopefully this research paper has provided some valuable insight on our experiment we will be conducting.

How muscles Recover and Rebuild?

Muscles are one of the largest systems in the human body. Without them we could not carry out simple, everyday tasks. There are muscles in your eyes, mouth, and many other places you would never exspect. As we go through a day we put a lot of strain on our body and our muscles. One key component that helps rebuild and speed up the recovery process are amino acids and minerals. They can be found in dairy products such as milk and cheese commonly. They do however exist in Gatorade and PowerAde. But is it enough to matter?http://basketball.stack.com/nutrition/post-activity-nutrition/rebuild-and-recover-by-eating-post-activity/

Electrolytes and Muscles Contrast

This Article does a really nice job in going into detail on Electrolytes. I learned that there are 3 main components to electrolytes (Gatorade), Sodium, Potassium, and Chloride. The article shows that electrolyes are a key component to refueling and replenishing muscles that loose fluid through sweat and other bodily functions. I think this is really interesting because PowerAde has 4 componets (Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium, and Calcium) to their electrolytes compared to Gatorades mere 3. This poses the question, Which has a greater impact on you "Game"? This Video is a PowerAde commercial highlighting their ion series with 4 the 4 components.

Sports Drink Break-Down (U of Vandy)

This study was conducted at the U of Vanderbilt. It has some shocking and interesting findings. You can see it Here. It provides info. on the effects on the tissue, and how the carbs and electrolytes have influence on the muscles. This data will hopefull help us conduct our Study more accuratly and with more precision. I really like the topic because I'm really interested in sports and I just want to know if the world renound sports drink, Gatorade,  can really back up all the smack they talk in their add campaigns such as This One.