Gatorade Promotes Heat Safety & Education With 12th Annual Beat the Heat Program

CHICAGO, June 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- To help keep athletes safe and performing at their best during the hot summer months, The Gatorade Company has partnered with several top professional athletes for the Gatorade Beat the Heat educational campaign. Now in its 12^th year, Gatorade Beat the Heat has again teamed up with league partners, including the NFL and NBA, in an effort to raise awareness among athletes, parents and coaches on how proper hydration can help reduce heat-related illnesses during athletic activity.

Many factors contribute to heat-related illnesses, which can occur when an athlete is subjected to extreme temperatures and humidity, is unable to cool down or is dehydrated. At the onset of heat illness, it can be more difficult for an athlete's body to properly cool itself and function, often taking a toll on his or her performance.

"Athletes don't always fully comprehend how dehydration can negatively impact performance, nor what an appropriate hydration strategy looks like," said Dr. James Carter, Director of the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI). "Through the Beat the Heat program and the help of our partners, we are able to educate athletes, parents and coaches about the importance of proper hydration and what safety measures to consider while active in the heat."

Throughout the summer, professional athletes including Eli Manning, DeMarco Murray and Emmanuel Sanders will visit youth sports camps to spread their heat safety message. In addition, star athletes J.J. Watt, Karl-Anthony Towns, and others will share their hot environment and hydration tips through unique videos on Gatorade's YouTube page.  

"When you sweat, you lose more than just water," said J.J. Watt, Houston Texans defensive end. "So we need to replace that, we need to get you ready to go for the next day and we need to get you ready to continue your workout so you can be at your best."

Research shows that dehydration or poor hydration can impair performance and increase the risk for heat illness.ⁱ  To minimize the risk for fluid imbalances, athletes should follow individual hydration strategies based on their sweat rate, as sweat rates vary considerably between athletes. For example, sweat rates of ~500 athletes tested at GSSI over the past 15 years have ranged from ~0.5 to over 2.5 L per hour across various sports and environments.ⁱⁱ 

"It's the responsibility of athletes, coaches, parents and trainers to closely monitor the warning signs of dehydration and heat-related illness," said Bryan Snyder, Denver Broncos Director of Team Nutrition. "Beyond simple hydration, drinks that contain electrolytes to help retain and regulate fluids are very important. Additionally, the consumption of carbohydrates found in sports drinks can help an athlete's performance."

About Gatorade
The Gatorade Company, a division of PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), provides sports performance innovations designed to meet the needs of athletes at all competitive levels and across a broad range of sports. Backed by a 50 year history of studying the best athletes in the world and grounded in years of hydration and sports nutrition research at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, Gatorade provides scientifically formulated products to meet the sports fueling needs of athletes in all phases of athletic activity. For more information and a full list of products, please visit www.gatorade.com.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $63 billion in net revenue in 2015, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our goal to deliver top-tier financial performance while creating sustainable growth and shareholder value. In practice, Performance with Purpose means providing a wide range of foods and beverages from treats to healthy eats; finding innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment and reduce our operating costs; providing a safe and inclusive workplace for our employees globally; and respecting, supporting and investing in the local communities where we operate. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

i. Casa, D., DeMartini, J., Bergeron, M., Csillan, D., Eichner, R., Lopez, R., Ferrara, M., Miller, K., O'Connor, F., Sawka, M., & Yeargin, S. (2015). National Athletic Trainers' Association Position Statement: Exertional Heat Illnesses. Journal of Athletic Training 50(9):1-15.

ii. Baker, L., Barnes, K., Anderson, M., Passe, D., Stofan, J. (2015). Normative data for regional sweat sodium concentration and whole-body sweating rate in athletes. Journal of Sports Sciences. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2015.1055291

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