Is Liquid I.V. Better Than Water? What the Study Shows

Yes. In a 2023 double-blind trial, 26 athletes sweated off about 2.6% of their body weight, then drank back the full amount as water, a sports drink, or an oral rehydration solution. After 3.5 hours, they'd kept about 58% of the water, 74% of the sports drink, and 77% of the rehydration solution. No, and that's the catch. The trial tested drink types, not this brand, so we're grading the formula style. The saltier rehydration drink cut urine more than water in the first 60 minutes, and by 3.5 hours both electrolyte drinks beat water by a similar margin. For electrolyte drinks after real dehydration, that's a solid B.

More sugar means better hydration

Grade D

A little sugar helps your gut pull in sodium and water, which is why rehydration solutions include some. In the trial, the drink with 2.5% carbs did as well as the sports drink with 6% carbs, so more sugar didn't mean more hydration. Carbs were listed as a percent, not grams, so we can't match Liquid I.V.'s dose directly. Eleven grams is close to three teaspoons of sugar and 45 calories a stick. After a long, sweaty workout, that's fine. Sipping a few a day at your desk just adds sugar you didn't need, so the idea that more sugar hydrates you better gets a D.

Added vitamins help you hydrate better

Grade F

Nothing in the evidence ties them to hydration. You get 73 milligrams of vitamin C, 22.8 milligrams of niacin, 2.28 milligrams of B6 and 6.82 micrograms of B12. The rehydration trial used no vitamins and its drinks still worked, so the salt and water did the job. One stick a day is a modest amount for most adults. Some people feel a warm flush from niacin, and stacking several sticks with other supplements raises the total. As a hydration claim, the vitamins get an F.