Temperatures can regularly reach the
In search of a solution, the research team studied the Gator freshman football
high 90s during the summer in Florida.
players and concocted a drink of salt, sugar, potassium and other minerals to
Add two-a-day football practices and
a sports drink industry is just begging
help the water included in the drink to be absorbed by the body faster and
replenish electrolytes that are lost through sweat. Electrolytes aid in muscle and
nerve performance.
to be formed.
With a winning mixture, the Gator football team was highlighted in the media
The now famous orange-capped Gatorade
as a team that consistently won games after trailing behind and chugging the
bottle got its start in 1965 when the late Dr.
mysterious Gatorade. The wins were sensationalized and ingers were pointed
Robert Cade, former University of Florida (UF)
at the magical drink for incredible performance.
nephrology professor, and his team of research
fellows consisting of Dr. Dana Shires, Dr. Jim Free
After that football season, Cade and his team had revolutionized the sports
and Dr. Alejandro de Quesada began studying
industry and didn’t know it. They also forever changed Gainesville.
why water hindered player performance on the
football ield.
As a little girl, Phoebe Cade Miles would hear sweet sounds of the violin in
Although water is key in hydration, it causes
her childhood home and know her father was playing music as he tried to
bloating and cramps when athletes drink during
igure out a problem. He was a musician, wrote poetry, grew roses, collected
intense exercise. It was common to deprive
Studebaker cars and studied k