New Product Friday: Saps Original Plant Powered Performance
New Product Friday: Saps Original Plant Powered Performance
For years, Gatorade has been considered the staple of fueling sports performance. A combination of electrolytes (for hydration) and sugar (for quick energy) made this the go-to drink for athletes everywhere. Although exercise science supports the importance of electrolytes to maintain adequate hydration, it does not support sugar as a go-to energy source for any athlete exercising less than an hour. As such, many products have been developed that mimic the electrolyte/hydration profile of Gatorade, but with far less sugar. Saps Original developed three different flavors—Passionfruit, Lemon Lime, and Blackberry that contain electrolytes and other functional ingredients, all while having only 5 grams of sugar (or 72% less sugar than Gatorade). Let’s look at this beverage to see how effective its ingredients are:
Shiitake Mushroom—Containing good amounts of B- Vitamins (i.e. energy vitamins), shiitake mushrooms also contribute to heart and immune health.
Monk Fruit—Monk fruit extract is about 150-200 times sweeter than sugar and comes from the monk fruit plant. It is a natural, plant-based sweetener.
Ginseng Extract—Rich in antioxidants, ginseng reduces inflammation and helps protect against oxidative stress. It also increases cognitive function and energy levels.
Ginger Root—Most studied for decreasing nausea and supporting digestive health.
Citric Acid—Naturally occurring in citrus fruits, commercial citric acid is produced as a (purified) by-product of mold fermentation. It is included to enhance fruit flavors.
Glycine—An amino acid that the body uses for collagen and glutathione synthesis (glutathione is a major antioxidant the body creates to combat oxidative stress/aging).
Coconut Water Powder—Typically standardized for potassium, coconut water powder also contains small amounts of other electrolytes and has a slight sweetness.
SAP’s Electrolyte Blend (Chloride, Sodium, Calcium, Folate, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin D3, Potassium, Magnesium)— Although chloride, sodium, calcium, potassium, and magnesium are electrolytes, Vitamins B3, B6, B9 (Folate), B12, C, and D3 are not. The vitamins contribute to energy production (B Vitamins) and immune health (Vitamins C & D3).
l-Glutamine—Naturally produced by the body, glutamine primarily assists in immune function and digestive health.
D-Glucuronolactone— Naturally produced by the body, D-glucuronolactone is most known for producing energy, increasing cognitive functioning, lowering cholesterol, and detoxing the liver. However, these benefits are poorly researched. There are very little human studies showing any benefit to taking this ingredient, let alone an effective dosage.
l-Cysteine—One of the building blocks of glutathione, an important antioxidant. Cysteine has also been studied for blood sugar management and aiding in some respiratory conditions.
Final Evaluation
Ingredient Quality: C. This beverage does not claim anything.
Ingredient Clarity: C. At first glance, this label is clean and transparent with all ingredients listed as either functional or a sweetener. However, there are three different flavors of this product, but somehow the ingredient statement does not list any flavors. This is deceptive since there is no way that this beverage does not contain flavors. Since flavors are not listed, what other ingredients are not listed?
Functional Benefit: B-. The “Electrolyte Blend” contains ingredients (vitamins) that are not electrolytes. Although the B Vitamins are imperative to creating energy, Vitamins C and D3 do not enhance exercise performance or contribute to energy and/or hydration. Additionally, other ingredients (ginger root, l-cysteine, glutamine, and glycine) are added that have no benefit to performance, hydration, or energy. D-glucuronolactone is an ingredient commonly seen in energy beverages, but it has very few human studies around its efficacy (let alone an effective dosage). The only ingredients that make sense to this beverage is the coconut water, shitake mushroom, and the actual electrolytes of the electrolyte blend. Shitake mushroom is a good source of B Vitamins (creating energy) and the coconut water is a good source of electrolytes (potassium). The other electrolytes are within an acceptable range to provide adequate hydration, except for the salt. This beverage contains almost 25% of the daily value of sodium, a concerning amount considering that most American diets already contain a large amount of salt.
Nutritional Value: A. Compared to Gatorade, this product has far less sugar and calories. It only contains 5 grams of sugar and 35 calories, which is a lower calorie, healthier alternative.
Overall Score: C. There are a lot of functional ingredients in here that serve no purpose for energy and/or hydration. For example, Vitamin C, D3; glycine, glutamine, cysteine, and ginger all protect the immune system and/or reduce inflammation but have no proven benefits to help with exercise recovery and hydration. The electrolytes that are in in the drink are at beneficial amounts, except for the sodium (salt). The sodium amount is twice as high as what is seen in Gatorade and makes up almost 25% of the daily value, which is high, especially for a beverage. It seems like this beverage peppers in functional ingredients without any proven benefits to exercise recovery and hydration. Additionally, the ingredient statement does not list any flavors, which is deceptive because there is no way that this beverage does not contain flavors. On the upside, this beverage is naturally sweetened with monk fruit and coconut water and contains only five grams of added sugar. Additionally, it contains shitake mushroom, which is naturally high in energy producing B Vitamins, coconut water (high in potassium, an important electrolyte), and other electrolytes in the “Electrolyte Blend” that are at appropriate values (except for sodium). Considering the price ($3.25/can) and the amount of functional ingredients that do not contribute to hydration and energy, this is hardly worth buying.
Would you buy this product? Why or why not?