As any athlete will tell you, drinking water isn't enough to stay hydrated while performing at top speed, force or endurance, and even mild dehydration can result in reduced performance. The key is to replenish electrolytes and other nutrients, as contained in popular sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade. But not everyone likes traditional sports drinks' rather overwhelming taste, artificial colours and high sugar content.
Two newcomers to the hydration market are offering an alternative in the shape of fizzy tablets. Nuun and Zym, both based in the US, manufacture electrolyte replacement tablets that can be popped into ordinary water to create a hydrating drink for sports enthusiasts (and for non-active people with hangovers).
One tube of Zym (USD 7.95) is enough for ten 20 oz. bottles, and a tube of Nuun (USD 6.50) creates twelve times 16 oz. of electrolyte drink. Both brands stress a near absence of sugar and calories, and a light refreshing taste. Obvious advantages of the tablets are their portability and convenience over lugging gallons of sports drinks, or measuring out electrolyte powders.
Nuun has been around for a few years (mainly selling to pro triathlon and endurance racers), and has distributors in Canada and the UK. Zym just got started this year, and sets itself apart by a higher dosage of vitamin B. Both companies are still busy gaining a foothold, so it seems like the right time to snap up partnership and distribution deals for the rest of the world, and grab a piece of that Gatorade action ;-)
Website: www.nuun.com / www.gozym.com
Contact: info@nuun.com / sales@gozym.com
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Hi SMan,
Thanks for your comment. Actually, Berocca isn't the same thing. True -- fizzy supplements have been around for a long time. But while Berocca is a combination of vitamin B, C and minerals, Zym and Nuun contain high levels of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium, meant to help athletes stay hydrated and to prevent cramping.
I used ZYM at the Chicago Marathon. It has a phenomenal taste. No cramps either.
you give greyhounds and horses electrolytes after races... :)
I am training for the Rock n Roll marathon in Phoenix and just starting taking ZYM. It tastes good and is less sugary, I don't know if it is the formula that is helping me out or the taste just makes me drink more? But I have had less cramping lately.
bg
I'd heard about nuun before and have had some american friends using it, so managed to track it down when I was over in San Fran recently.
nuun's flavours were great and I really liked the variety (I put a selection of the flavours in a tube for a long run and it was nice to have a mix). I liked the zero sugar too - completely non-sticky and seemed "wetter". I picked some up in a store there but a bonus was I discovered the main tri-stores in the UK carry nuun, so now I'm back home that's what I'm using.
zym - a friend had a tube of these but the group didn't like them as much. Seemed like a cheaper version of nuun and the tabs were a bit sticky because of the sugar which I didn't like. The taste had a bit of residue feeling and because of the sugar I didn't feel comfortable using them in my hydration-pack so overall a thumbs down from me.
pb
I've been using NUUN for a couple years in adventure-racing. LOVE the stuff. It was the biggest step forward our team took. Aside from training more ;)
Yeh
I used to use nuun but switched over to ZYM. ZYM's taste is soooo much better. I would have to put 2 to 3 tablets of nuun in my water. The taste is weak and it seemed like such a waste.
ZYM has more electrolytes an vitamins too. I'm taking a bunch with me to a charity bike ride overseas.
Recently came across ZYM in my local health food grocery store. LOVE IT. Reminds me on Vitamin Water except at 1/4 the cost. Ordered 10 tubes.
nuun is great! It’s effective, simple to use, and comes in a convenient – take it with you – waterproof tube. I’m a multisport athlete who has been using nuun for 3 years. Before discovering nuun, I used to drink plain water because all the energy drinks - loaded with sugars – I tried upset my stomach. As a result, keeping my electrolytes balanced during exercise was always a challenge. Now that I found nuun that has now sugars, I never get an upset stomach and simply drop a tablet/water bottle and go. It even tastes great so I end up drinking more which is always a good thing. Give it a try!
Please note that I am now (though I wasn't when I first used it) a nuun sponsored adventure racer so you'll have to make up your own mind about this product. But, since I use it all the time in some of the most demanding endurance conditions in the world, you might find my feedback helpful
Oops, I mean nuun has no sugar and not "now" sugars ...typo
nuun was the ideal hydration/electrolyte replacement technology for use in my 55.5 mile ultraswim around Lake Washington last summer. I spent 37 hours swimming with zero cramps, stomach irritation, or headaches (experienced with sugar-filled sports drinks in the past). The sugar-free and caloree-free tablets were easy to use (while floating in the water on my back)and made it easier to separate my nutrition and hydration needs. The variety of good flavors kept the taste of lake water at bey as well. Great product!
I've tried ZYM and overall, I think it is a great product. IT WORKS GREAT FOR CYCLING.
This is not a new concept. Berocca B-Vitamin supplement has been around for many many years in Australia.
SMan | November 23, 2006 10:58 PM