PREPD Hydration vs Sports Drinks: What’s the Difference?

Reviewed by our Expert Panel
19 December 2022

Sports drinks are scientifically-formulated for people who undertake high-intensive activities (i.e., exercise or hard labour) for one or more continuous hours (Sports Dieticians Australia 2022). Compared to water, sports drinks help absorb and replenish glucose, water/fluid, and electrolytes lost through sweat to:

• Boost your hydration
• Improve/strengthen your performance for a longer period.

While sports or rehydration drinks share similar benefits (hydration and electrolyte boosters), there are three types, each with individual purposes and overall health impacts. These types are differentiated by their tonicity, the concentration of sugars and salts compared to the concentration in your blood.

Imagine your cells are little party balloons, and you're the party planner. Would you like them to be too full and burst (hypertonic), too empty and saggy (hypotonic), or just right (isotonic)? With PREPD, we go for 'just right' but with a healthy twist. Picture hypotonic as the Goldilocks of hydration — not too much, not too little, just the perfect amount of sugars and salts for quick absorption and long-lasting hydration.
 

Isotonic: Similar concentration to blood

Hypotonic: Low tonicity

Hypertonic: High tonicity (high salt & sugar contents)

Most sports or rehydration drinks on the market are isotonic, which share similar salt and sugar concentrations to your blood. These drinks are generally one-bottle formulas, available in different sizes and fruity flavours
 

However, while isotonic drinks are popular for increasing energy during high-intensive activities and helping replace fluids and electrolytes lost, their sugar and salt contents are significantly high (approximately 26%). This can increase the risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease (Field et al. 2014; Harvard Health 2022).

According to a study by Harvard Health (2022), it was identified from 7,500 people (over a seven-year period) that participants who consumed more high-sugar sports drinks recorded an increase in body mass and blood-pressure levels over time.

PREPD offers a hypotonic formula containing a smaller sugar and salt concentration than other sports drinks (6% fewer carbohydrates).

Hypotonic sports drinks are scientifically proven to drive faster fluid absorption and, with less sugar/salt content, are significantly healthier for your body and weight—especially when consuming them frequently!

This hypotonic formula constructs PREPDs’ two-step PRIME and RECOVER strategy:  

• PRIME (consume 10-18 hours before exercise or at the start of your day): Using a unique resistant starch formula, PRIME helps prevent dehydration and improve performance by increasing your body’s ability to absorb fluid and remain hydrated during exercise or even throughout your day.
• RECOVER (consume immediately after exercise or at the end of your day): RECOVER provides both resistant starch and electrolytes to replace fluid and body salts lost and boost your rehydration for 24 hours following exercise.

Sports Drinks:

Sports drink formulas commonly contain the following ingredients:

• Water
• Electrolytes (potassium, phosphate, calcium, magnesium, and chloride)
• Sugar (between 56-76g per bottle)
• B vitamins
• Carbohydrates (glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, sucrose)
• Flavoured sweeteners
• Antioxidants.

PREPD:

Comparingly, PREPD’s main ingredient is our unique resistant starch, scientifically proven by our Flinders and Yale University researchers to enhance hydration. Unlike other sports drinks on the market, resistant starch is prebiotic, which resists digestion in the small intestine, and pushes through to the large intestine (largely unused for fluid absorption).

This allows for an additional 5L of fluid absorption in the large intestine daily, helping you stay hydrated and perform for longer.  PREPD also offers vegan-friendly drinks, low in sugar, and lactose & gluten-free, ensuring our products are healthy and available for everyone.

While both PREPD and sports drinks similarly help boost hydration and performance by replacing the fluid, electrolytes, and vital nutrients lost during exertion, PREPD’s two-step strategy differentiates itself by offering the following additional benefits:

• Improved mental cognition (i.e., memory, mental health, focus)
• Improved gut health
• Improved sleep
• Reduced muscle fatigue & cramping during/following activity/exercise (water & nutrients strengthen muscle tissue)

Helping provide more for your body—and your money’s worth.

As mentioned above, PREPD’s two-step hydration strategy also provides several gut health benefits, which other sports drinks on the market do not currently offer. While good hydration is essential for your body, particularly when exercising, good gut health is also imperative for ensuring our internal systems function, and our bodies remain healthy.
 

PREPD’s unique, resistant starch formula contains prebiotics that help your body:

• Absorb micro-nutrients
• Feed the good bacteria in your gut
• Strengthen these good bacteria to banish the bad. 

By feeding the probiotics to your gut, PREPD helps prevent gut-health-related issues and provides the following benefits not available with other sports or rehydration drinks:

• Higher immunity & metabolism
• Assistance with weight management
• Improved sports performance & recovery
• Increased vital nutrients

Healthier intestines & internal-system functioning.

On average, most sports or rehydration drinks sell for a retail price of between $2.50 - $5 per bottle.

At PREPD, we offer a subscription and several deals across multiple retailers to meet your needs, location, and price range. Our two-step PRIME and RECOVER formula are available as both a ready-made drink and a powder tub/sachet, with a range of bundles available in our store.

While PREPD and sports drinks share similarities with their ability to enhance hydration and regain fluid, electrolytes, and nutrients lost during exertion, they couldn’t be more different!

PREPD goes two steps further with the PRIME and RECOVER strategy, focusing on improving your gut health, mental cognition, sleep, and muscle stability.

For PREPD, it is about more than helping you rehydrate. We want to help you feel healthier and stronger (mentally and physically), so you can perform at your best—for longer!