Pedialyte

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United States Navy personnel distributing Pedialyte to victims of Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh US Navy 071201-M-7696M-188 U.S. Navy Lt. Pandora J. Liptrot, a Fleet Surgical Team 4 doctor assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), passes out bottles of Pedialyte during a humanitarian relief mission.jpg
United States Navy personnel distributing Pedialyte to victims of Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh

Pedialyte is an oral electrolyte solution manufactured by Abbott Laboratories and marketed for use in children. It was invented by Dr. Gary Cohen of Swampscott, Massachusetts.

Contents

Description

Pedialyte is claimed to promote rehydration and electrolyte replacement in ill children.[ citation needed ]

Pedialyte is lower in sugars than most sports drinks, containing 100 calories per liter compared to approximately 240 in Gatorade. It contains more sodium (1,035 milligrams per liter vs. 465 mg/L in Gatorade) and potassium (780 milligrams per liter vs. 127 mg/L in Gatorade). Pedialyte does not contain sucrose, because this sugar has the potential to make diarrhea worse by drawing water into the intestine, increasing the risk of dehydration. In its flavored formulations, Pedialyte uses the synthetic sweeteners sucralose and acesulfame potassium.[ citation needed ]

Pedialyte has become a hydration alternative to sports drinks for some athletes. [1]

Pedialyte has become a popular drink for people suffering from hangovers, with one third of its sales coming from adults. There has been a 57% increase in its use by adults since 2012. As a result, Pedialyte has begun a marketing campaign promoting the use of Pedialyte by hungover adults. [2] [3]

Pedialyte is similar to rehydration fluids used by the World Health Organization (WHO) such as "New Oral Rehydration Solution" (N-ORS), that are used during the outbreak of illnesses such as cholera and rotavirus. Similar products include Lytren, NormaLyte, Gastrolyte, Ricelyte, Repalyte, Resol, Cordial, Hydralyte, [4] and Drip Drop. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cholera</span> Bacterial infection of the small intestine

Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea lasting a few days. Vomiting and muscle cramps may also occur. Diarrhea can be so severe that it leads within hours to severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. This may result in sunken eyes, cold skin, decreased skin elasticity, and wrinkling of the hands and feet. Dehydration can cause the skin to turn bluish. Symptoms start two hours to five days after exposure.

An electrolyte is a medium containing ions that are electrically conductive through the movement of those ions, but not conducting electrons. This includes most soluble salts, acids, and bases dissolved in a polar solvent, such as water. Upon dissolving, the substance separates into cations and anions, which disperse uniformly throughout the solvent. Solid-state electrolytes also exist. In medicine and sometimes in chemistry, the term electrolyte refers to the substance that is dissolved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diarrhea</span> Loose or liquid bowel movements

Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea or diarrhœa in British English, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements in a day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin with loss of the normal stretchiness of the skin and irritable behaviour. This can progress to decreased urination, loss of skin color, a fast heart rate, and a decrease in responsiveness as it becomes more severe. Loose but non-watery stools in babies who are exclusively breastfed, however, are normal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chocolate milk</span> Sweetened chocolate-flavoured milk

Chocolate milk is a type of flavoured milk made by mixing cocoa solids with milk. It is a food pairing in which the milk's mouthfeel masks the dietary fibres of the cocoa solids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gatorade</span> Manufacturer of sports-themed beverage and food products

Gatorade is an American brand of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo and is distributed in over 80 countries. The beverage was first developed in 1965 by a team of researchers led by Dr. Robert Cade. It was originally made for the Gators at the University of Florida to replenish the carbohydrates that the school's student-athletes burned and the combination of water and electrolytes that they lost in sweat during vigorous sports activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports drink</span> Oral electrolytic infusion

Sports drinks, also known as electrolyte drinks, are functional beverages whose stated purpose is to help athletes replace water, electrolytes, and energy before, during and especially after training or competition. The evidence is lacking pertaining to the efficacy of use of commercial sports drinks for sports and fitness performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pocari Sweat</span> Sports drink

Pocari Sweat is a Japanese sports drink, manufactured by Otsuka Pharmaceutical. It was launched in 1980, and is mostly well known across Asia and the Middle East; it is also available in East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potassium iodide</span> Ionic compound (KI)

Potassium iodide is a chemical compound, medication, and dietary supplement. It is a medication used for treating hyperthyroidism, in radiation emergencies, and for protecting the thyroid gland when certain types of radiopharmaceuticals are used. In the third world it is also used for treating skin sporotrichosis and phycomycosis. It is a supplement used by people with low dietary intake of iodine. It is administered orally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potassium perchlorate</span> Chemical compound

Potassium perchlorate is the inorganic salt with the chemical formula KClO4. Like other perchlorates, this salt is a strong oxidizer although it usually reacts very slowly with organic substances. This, usually obtained as a colorless, crystalline solid, is a common oxidizer used in fireworks, ammunition percussion caps, explosive primers, and is used variously in propellants, flash compositions, stars, and sparklers. It has been used as a solid rocket propellant, although in that application it has mostly been replaced by the higher performance ammonium perchlorate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Powerade</span> Sports drink brand

Powerade is a sports drink created and sold by the Coca-Cola Company. Its primary competitor is Gatorade, owned by PepsiCo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saline (medicine)</span> Saline water for medical purposes

Saline is a mixture of sodium chloride (salt) and water. It has a number of uses in medicine including cleaning wounds, removal and storage of contact lenses, and help with dry eyes. By injection into a vein, it is used to treat dehydration such as that from gastroenteritis and diabetic ketoacidosis. Large amounts may result in fluid overload, swelling, acidosis, and high blood sodium. In those with long-standing low blood sodium, excessive use may result in osmotic demyelination syndrome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oral rehydration therapy</span> Type of fluid replacement used to prevent and treat dehydration

Oral rehydration therapy (ORT) is a type of fluid replacement used to prevent and treat dehydration, especially due to diarrhea. It involves drinking water with modest amounts of sugar and salts, specifically sodium and potassium. Oral rehydration therapy can also be given by a nasogastric tube. Therapy should routinely include the use of zinc supplements. Use of oral rehydration therapy has been estimated to decrease the risk of death from diarrhea by up to 93%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ringer's lactate solution</span> Fluid used for resuscitation after blood loss

Ringer's lactate solution (RL), also known as sodium lactate solution,Lactated Ringer's, and Hartmann's solution, is a mixture of sodium chloride, sodium lactate, potassium chloride, and calcium chloride in water. It is used for replacing fluids and electrolytes in those who have low blood volume or low blood pressure. It may also be used to treat metabolic acidosis and to wash the eye following a chemical burn. It is given by intravenous infusion or applied to the affected area.

Dilip Mahalanabis was an Indian paediatrician known for pioneering the use of oral rehydration therapy to treat diarrhoeal diseases. Mahalanabis had begun researching oral rehydration therapy in 1966 as a research investigator for the Johns Hopkins University International Center for Medical Research and Training in Calcutta, India. During the Bangladeshi war for independence, he led the effort by the Johns Hopkins Center that demonstrated the dramatic life-saving effectiveness of oral rehydration therapy when cholera broke out in 1971 among refugees from East Bengal who had sought asylum in West Bengal. The simple, inexpensive Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) gained acceptance, and was later hailed as one of the most important medical advances of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sqwincher</span> Electrolyte beverage company from Mississippi, USA

The Sqwincher Corporation is an electrolyte beverage manufacturer founded in 1975 in Columbus, Mississippi. The manufacturing facility is located in Columbus, MS and headquarters in Muscatine, IA. Sqwincher products are now sold throughout the U.S. as well as select international markets located in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Costa Rica and Mexico. The company also has a unique distribution model. Rather than trying to compete with the Gatorades of the world in the mass market, Sqwincher sought to market its products to ‘professional’ users, such as electrical utility or construction companies whose workers who are often laboring outside on hot days and need adequate hydration to maintain energy, mental focus and to avoid heat exhaustion. The company also markets direct to consumers.

David R. Nalin is an American physiologist, and Pollin Prize for Pediatric Research and Prince Mahidol Award, a.k.a. Mahidol Medal winner. Nalin had the key insight that oral rehydration therapy (ORT) would work if the volume of solution patients drank matched the volume of their fluid losses, and that this would drastically reduce or completely replace the only current treatment for cholera, intravenous therapy. Nalin led the trials that first demonstrated ORT works, both in cholera patients, and more significantly, also in other dehydrating diarrhea illnesses. Nalin's discoveries have been estimated to have saved over 50 million lives worldwide.

The CRAM diet is a short term dietary treatment for diarrhea and gastroenteritis.

In the United States, Suero Oral® is a brand name of an electrolyte solution used to re-hydrate after working in heat-intensive environments, athletic activity, to treat pediatric vomiting and diarrhea, and as a hangover remedy. The product is similar in formula to other popular pediatric electrolyte beverages such as Pedialyte®.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Management of dehydration</span>

The management of dehydration typically involves the use of oral rehydration solution (ORS). Standard home solutions such as salted rice water, salted yogurt drinks, vegetable and chicken soups with salt can be given. Home solutions such as water in which cereal has been cooked, unsalted soup, green coconut water, weak tea (unsweetened), and unsweetened fresh fruit juices can have from half a teaspoon to full teaspoon of salt added per liter. Clean plain water can also be one of several fluids given. There are commercial solutions such as Pedialyte, and relief agencies such as UNICEF widely distribute packets of salts and sugar. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes a homemade ORS with one liter water with one teaspoon salt and six teaspoons sugar added. The WHO; however, does not generally recommend homemade solutions as how to make them is easily forgotten. Rehydration Project recommends adding the same amount of sugar but only one-half a teaspoon of salt, stating that this more dilute approach is less risky with very little loss of effectiveness. Both agree that drinks with too much sugar or salt can make dehydration worse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaccine ingredients</span> Ingredients used in a vaccine dose

A vaccine dose contains many ingredients very little of which is the active ingredient, the immunogen. A single dose may have merely nanograms of virus particles, or micrograms of bacterial polysaccharides. A vaccine injection, oral drops or nasal spray is mostly water. Other ingredients are added to boost the immune response, to ensure safety or help with storage, and a tiny amount of material is left-over from the manufacturing process. Very rarely, these materials can cause an allergic reaction in people who are very sensitive to them.

References

  1. "Athletes, migrants drinking Pedialyte". United Press International . 26 December 2007. Archived from the original on 3 September 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  2. Little, Katie (14 May 2015). "Got a Hangover? Pedialyte Says It Has a Cure". NBC News . Archived from the original on 14 April 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  3. "Pedialyte now marketing to hungover adults". Fox News. 25 November 2016. Archived from the original on 3 August 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  4. Carter, Warwick J. (2003). The Complete Family Medical Guide. ISBN   9781741218978. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  5. Reyes, Nancy (6 September 2008). "Cholera stalks Harare". Blogger News Network. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2012.