What the study found
The Beverage Hydration Index study compared a sports drink with still water and found no meaningful difference in how much fluid people kept. The drink that did beat water was an oral rehydration solution, which has several times more sodium than a typical sports drink. Sodium is what helps the body hold on to fluid.
When a sports drink makes sense
Sports drinks were designed for long, sweaty exercise. When you sweat for more than about an hour, especially in heat, you lose a lot of salt along with water, and the sugar gives working muscles fuel. That is when a sports drink can do more than water.
For a short workout, an office day or a walk, water is enough. You get the sodium and potassium you need from food. A 500 ml bottle of a typical sports drink also carries around 30 grams of sugar.
Oral rehydration salts are for illness
Oral rehydration solutions, sold as powders at pharmacies, are made to replace fluid and salt lost through diarrhoea or vomiting. They are a medical product rather than an everyday drink. If you are ill, follow the pack instructions or a pharmacist's advice.
Energy drinks are not sports drinks
Energy drinks are built around caffeine and sugar, not electrolytes. They still add fluid, but they are not a hydration drink. Waterie counts energy drinks and pre-workout drinks at 85%.
How Waterie counts it
These are the values the app uses. Sports drinks, electrolyte water and coconut water all count the same as water.
| Drink | Hydration value | 250 ml counts as |
|---|---|---|
| Water | 100% | 250 ml |
| Sports Drink | 100% | 250 ml |
| Electrolyte Water | 100% | 250 ml |
| Coconut Water | 100% | 250 ml |
| Energy Drink | 85% | 213 ml |
| Pre-Workout | 85% | 213 ml |
More questions
Is coconut water better than water?
Not for everyday drinking. Coconut water is rich in potassium, and its sodium varies a lot between coconuts and brands. In small studies after exercise it rehydrated about as well as water or a sports drink, though some people found it more bloating. Waterie counts it at 100%.
Do I need electrolytes every day?
Most people get enough sodium and potassium from food. Extra electrolytes matter when you sweat heavily for a long time, or when you are losing fluid through illness.
Are sports drinks good for kids?
Usually not. The American Academy of Pediatrics says water, not sports drinks, should be the main drink for children and teenagers, that frequent sports drinks raise the risk of overweight, and that energy drinks have no place in their diet.
Sources
- Maughan RJ, Watson P, Cordery PA, et al. A randomized trial to assess the potential of different beverages to affect hydration status: development of a beverage hydration index. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2016. Funded by the European Hydration Institute.
- Committee on Nutrition and the Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness. Sports drinks and energy drinks for children and adolescents: are they appropriate? Pediatrics, 2011.
- Kalman DS, Feldman S, Krieger DR, Bloomer RJ. Comparison of coconut water and a carbohydrate-electrolyte sport drink on measures of hydration and physical performance in exercise-trained men. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2012.
- World Health Organization. Diarrhoeal disease fact sheet, 2024.
Last reviewed 4 October 2026
General information for healthy adults, not medical advice. If you are pregnant or have a condition that affects your fluid balance, follow your doctor's advice.