Sports drinks, energy drinks, vitamin waters: what's really in the can

The drinks aisle is full of promises. Energy, focus, hydration, vitamins. The front of the can tells a story. The back of the can tells the facts.

So we did the boring part. We read the labels of the drinks on the shelf of a major Swiss supermarket, sorted them into three categories, and averaged the numbers per 330 ml can. No brand names, just categories.

What we looked at

We focused on three things you can find on any label:

• Electrolytes: sodium, potassium and magnesium added together.
• Sugar.
• Caffeine, where there is any.

Everything is shown per 330 ml, so the categories are easy to compare, even when bottles come in different sizes.

We kept the electrolytes as one total: sodium, potassium and magnesium added together. Looking at a single mineral on its own tells only part of the story. And since every brand in a category is a little different, these are averages, not a ranking of products.

Sports drinks

• Electrolytes: 191 mg per 330 ml
• Sugar: 9.8 g per 330 ml

Sports drinks are the classic choice for hydration. They do contain electrolytes. They also contain sugar, which is intentional: many were designed to bring carbohydrate during long, hard efforts.

That makes sense in the middle of a long race. It makes less sense as an everyday drink at your desk or after a short session.

Energy drinks

• Electrolytes: 125 mg per 330 ml
• Sugar: 32 g per 330 ml
• Caffeine: 104 mg per 330 ml

Energy drinks are built around caffeine and sugar, not hydration. The electrolyte content is lower than in sports drinks, and the sugar is more than three times higher.

If you drink them, it is worth knowing what you are getting: a caffeine product with a lot of sugar, not a hydration drink. Sugar-free versions exist, but the caffeine stays.

Vitamin waters

• Electrolytes: 47 mg per 330 ml
• Sugar: 9 g per 330 ml

Vitamin waters look like the healthy option on the shelf. Their name suggests water with something extra. In practice, the average can we looked at has very few electrolytes and almost as much sugar as a sports drink.

How to read any label in thirty seconds

You do not need to memorise numbers. A few habits are enough:

• Check the serving size. Some labels show values per 100 ml, others per bottle. Convert to the amount you will actually drink.
• Look at the sugar line, then at the ingredient list. Glucose syrup, dextrose, fructose and sucrose are all sugar.
• Look for sodium, potassium and magnesium in the nutrition table. If they are not listed, there is probably very little.
• Check for caffeine, especially later in the day.
• Ignore the front of the can until you have read the back.

Different drinks, different jobs

None of these categories is good or bad in itself. Each was made for a job. Sports drinks for fuelling long efforts. Energy drinks for caffeine. Vitamin waters for flavour with a little extra.

The problem starts when a drink is used for a job it was not built for. Most of us do not need race fuel at our desk, or 32 g of sugar on the way home from the gym.

Where REVIVR sits

Here is the same check for one 330 ml can of REVIVR:

• Electrolytes: 608 mg (248 mg sodium, 300 mg potassium, 60 mg magnesium)
• Sugar: 0 g
• Caffeine: 0 mg

In short: 3x the electrolytes of a typical sports drink, without the sugar.

Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue, to electrolyte balance and to normal muscle function, as part of a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.

REVIVR is lightly sparkling, tastes of yuzu, and is sweetened with steviol glycosides. Developed in Switzerland and tested by an accredited European laboratory. Read our label too. That is what it is there for.