Mashed Survey: The Absolute Best Sports Drink According To Fans

Great for replenishing your body during workouts and athletic events, the sports drink industry was worth $23.54 billion in 2018, and is expected to grow at a rate of 4.2% through 2026, eventually reaching $32.61 billion (per Green Seed Growth). The very first sports drink Lucozade was invented by chemist William Owen in the U.K., though due to improper marketing, many believe Gatorade, invented by Robert Cade, was the first of its kind. According to The 18, BodyArmor costs more than Gatorade and Powerade due to its use of potassium rather than sodium; it also uses cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.

BodyArmor, which is considered the current up-and-comer, is quite similar to Prime Hydration, however; Prime contains more potassium, less sodium, and fewer calories (via Dejittr). Still, Gatorade is the industry leader when it comes to sports drinks, per Beverage Daily. The electrolyte-pumped beverage makes up 67.7% of the United States' market. To find out if statistics line up with reality, Mashed conducted a survey of our readers regarding their favorite sports drink.

Recently, Mashed took a survey of 526 readers to learn what sports drink rises above the others. As it turns out, the numbers don't lie; Gatorade, which dominates 67.7% of the sports drink market (via Beverage Daily) came in first place with 61.79% of votes. Powerade came in second place with 22.62% of votes, while last place was Prime Hydration at 4.56%. BodyArmor received 11.03% of all votes, respectively.

Per Medical News Today, Gatorade is a great way to replenish electrolytes lost during exercise or illness. Made up of potassium, sodium, and other minerals, electrolytes are known to positively affect the brain, nerves, and muscles. Though Gatorade has been proven an effective rehydration product during extremely strenuous exercise (via research from the University of California), it does have its downfall: namely the high sugar content. Luckily, Gatorade Zero is now an option, containing two grams of carbs and zero sugar per 12-ounce bottle, according to Pepsico.