Is Prime Hydration Drink OK For Kids? [Full Analysis!]

Ah, the age-old parenting conundrum: “Is this OK for my kid?” From questionable playground snacks to the latest digital craze, it’s a question as timeless as “Why is the sky blue?” But today, we’re diving into a more liquid query: Prime Hydration Drink.

Sure, it’s trendy and the beverage of choice for teens, but does it pass the playground test? Before you swap out juice boxes for sports drinks, let’s pour over the facts, dissect the ingredients, and get to the bottom of this bottle. Ready to quench your curiosity? Let’s dive in!

Key Takeaways:

Depending on the country of residence, it may not be suitable for children to consume Prime Hydration. In Canada, the label explicitly mentions that it is intended for adults only and not for children. However, in the United States, the beverage has no age restrictions. Furthermore, all the ingredients listed in the US version are approved by the FDA for human consumption.

There could be several reasons you are considering Prime Hydration for your kids. First, maybe you are just sold on the hype the drink has brought to this beverage industry.

Or it can be that your kid has just come home after a tiresome session in the afternoon sun. Usually, water is best for hydration. But you may have heard that, at times, water may not be enough to rehydrate and restore the balance of lost electrolytes and minerals from the body.

So all of that probably inspired you to start researching Prime Hydration for your kid. However, before you make it a regular drink for your kids, maybe you should read this guide until the end first!

Dr. Irene Mazzuca: “Children are at greater risk for dehydration than adults, due to their higher surface-to-mass ratio. A review of the available scientific literature indicated that most children don’t drink enough and are underhydrated based on elevated hydration biomarkers.” 

At What Age Can You Drink Prime Hydration?

The creators of Prime Hydration intended it to appeal to a wide age range, including the sizable proportion of KSI and Logan Paul’s fan base who are under 16 years old. It would not be wise to exclude a significant portion of their core demographic. However, please note that in certain countries, the government may classify some of the drink’s ingredients as suitable only for adult consumption.

What Is In Prime Hydration?

Here’s a table detailing each ingredient and its function:

Note: The functions provided are general and based on the typical uses of these ingredients. The exact function might vary depending on the formulation and concentration in the specific product.

Check out our Additive Information List database, where we explain the function of ingredients typically found in sports and energy drinks.

Good ingredients

The first ingredient is filtered water which is a good option since water is one of the best hydration components in any drink.

Another good ingredient the drink has is 10% coconut water.

Coconut water is a popular form of rehydration after exercise. It has electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and manganese. Also, it is low in sugar and calories, which is another added plus point.

I’ve recently become fascinated with coconut water vs. sports drinks. That’s why I wrote a whole article about how coconut water stacks up against Gatorade, the top sports drink in North America. You can read my article about Gatorade vs. Coconut Water here.

Prime Hydration Calories by Flavor

Ingredients That Raise Concerns:

Prime Hydration also includes Citric acid, a flavor enhancer that functions as a preservative.

Although approved by the FDA, one study found that a small amount of individuals demonstrate symptoms including: joint pain with swelling and stiffness, muscular pain, dyspnea, and abdominal cramping. Source: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Another ingredient of Prime Hydration that can raise concern is artificial sweeteners. Prime has two artificial sweeteners, one is Sucralose, and another is Acesulfame Potassium.

As per WebMD, some studies have shown that Sucralose can alter the gut microbiome by reducing the number of good bacteria to half.

As a parent, I always have concerns about the ingredients in beverages. So I explored all the ingredients in Prime Hydration and what they do. You can read my article about what’s really in Prime Hydration here(5-minute read).

Moreover, as per the research done on animals, it has been found that Sucralose can raise body inflammation. (With time, inflammation leads to other problems such as obesity and diabetes.)

Now Acesulfame potassium (also known as Ace-K) doesn’t have a very good reputation.

Even though the FDA has generally recognized Acesulfame Potassium as safe, some researchers suggest that it can have bad health effects.

According to one study performed on mice, it has been found that the Ace-K resulted in weight gain and shifts in the microbiome of the gut.

As per CSPI, there are health concerns associated with Ace-K, including hormone disruption.

Consuming sports drinks and energy drinks has been a growing concern for many pregnant women, and that’s why Dr. Mazzuca wrote an in-depth article on the topic. To better understand the effects of energy drinks on pregnant women, you can read Dr. Mazzuca’s article about consuming energy drinks while pregnant here.

Prime Hydration also includes natural flavors – a term that is actually unregulated. There can be many different compounds used to add flavors to the drink.

And as a consumer or researcher, you never know the actual compound. So whether it is safe or not can be questionable.

Check out Prime Energy vs. Prime Hydration: What’s the Difference? (9-Minute read)

Nutrition In Prime Hydration:

Prime Hydration contains around 834 mg of electrolytes, 10% coconut water, 250 milligrams of BCAA for muscle recovery, antioxidants, and vitamin B.

Here’s a chart that shows the nutrition facts of Prime Hydration (One serving is 473 ml)

I found Prime Hydration a bit sweet. I wrote an article about why the combination of Sucralose and Acesulfame Potassium made Prime too sweet for some people.

What is The Purpose Of Prime Hydration Drink?

Prime Hydration is a sports hydration drink. And just as its name suggests, its role is to provide hydration to the body and thus instant energy.

The best thing about Prime hydration is that it is sugar-free, gluten-free, and caffeine-free. It acts as an electrolyte-recovering and muscle-rejuvenating drink.

We already have a detailed comparison of Gatorade vs. Prime Hydration. This in-depth article will outline how Prime Hydration differs from other major hydration drinks.

What Drink Should You Give To Your Kid?

As per Dr. Poinsett, you should generally avoid any electrolyte drink with caffeine, high sugar, or any other added ingredient.

She recommends using electrolyte drinks specifically made for children, such as Pedialyte, which can be taken when oral rehydration is needed.

On the flip side, Amy Reed, A registered Dietician, suggests that you can give electrolyte supplementation to your child if he or she has been exercising in the sun for an hour or more.

However, if the child is performing lighter activities, that doesn’t mean you need to give electrolytes to your child.

Suppose the child is doing normal activities like playing at the playground, pool, etc., in the heat. Additionally, if the child is eating and drinking simultaneously, then electrolyte supplements will likely not be needed.

American Academy of Pediatrics declares in a clinical report about sports drinks and energy drinks: “Water is also generally the appropriate first choice for hydration before, during, and after most exercise regimens…For most children and adolescents, daily electrolyte requirements are met sufficiently by a healthy balanced diet; therefore, sports drinks offer little to no advantage over plain water.”

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What is your favorite sports drink brand? Click on the bottle to place your vote. 

Gatorade17

Prime65

Powerade9

BodyArmor51

Vitamin Water5

Propel8

US vs. Canadian Version of Prime Hydration

US Version of Prime Hydration Label

Ingredients
Filtered Water, Coconut Water from Concentrate, Citric Acid, Dipotassium Phosphate, Tri Magnesium Citrate, Natural Flavor, Sucralose, Beta Carotene for Color, L-Isoleucine, L-Leucine, L-Valine, D-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Acesulfame Potassium, Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin a), Zinc Aspartate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B-12).

Contain Allergen:
Tree Nuts(Coconut) *Coconut water from concentrate

Canadian Version of Prime Hydration Label

Ingredients
Filtered Water, Coconut Water from Concentrate, Citric Acid, Dipotassium Phosphate, Tri Magnesium Citrate, Natural Flavor, Sucralose, Beta Carotene for Color, L-Isoleucine, L-Leucine, L-Valine, D-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Acesulfame Potassium, Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin a), Zinc Aspartate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B-12).

Eau filtrée, eau de coco à partir de concentré, acide citrique, phosphate dipotassique, citrate de trimagnésium, arôme naturel, sucralose, bêta-carotène pour la couleur, L-isoleucine, L-leucine, L-valine, acétate de D-alpha tocophéryle (vitamine E), Acésulfame de potassium, palmitate de rétinyle (vitamine a), aspartate de zinc, chlorhydrate de pyridoxine (vitamine B-6), cyanocobalamine (vitamine B-12).

Not intended for children / Pas pour consommation des enfants

For adults only / Pour adultes seulement

Do not exceed 1 serving per day / Ne consumment pas

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, consult a health care practitioner prior to use /
Si vous êtes enceinte ou allaitez, consultez un professionnel de la santé avant de consommer ce produit

What Drinks To Avoid Giving To Your Kid?

Here are some of the drinks that you should possibly avoid giving to your kids:

• Vitamin Water: Even though vitamin water sounds like a great option, many varieties can have caffeine, high sugar content, and artificial ingredients that aren’t best for kids. The vitamin source of your kid should be from healthy snacks and meals.
• Energy Drinks: Most of these drinks contain a large amount of caffeine and added sugar. If you’re looking for a hydrating drink for your kid, it’s recommendable to avoid all kinds of caffeinated and sugar-sweetened beverages.
• Soda: Drinks like Ginger Ale can have a lot of sugar which is not great for the gut.
• Fruit Juices: Yes, even the hundred percent fruit juice drinks have high sugar content. Moreover, orange or apple juices can be very acidic, further irritating the stomach and causing dental erosion.

Good Natural Alternative

Electrolyte drinks aren’t the only option to replace the lost electrolytes after your kid undergoes strenuous exercise. Electrolytes are also found naturally in the child’s diet. So your best bet would be to boost that along with giving plain water.

One can get fluids and electrolytes naturally through fruits such as bananas, oranges, and kiwis. Also, vegetables like spinach and cucumber act as good sources of electrolytes. On average, it is estimated that food provides 20%-30% of total fluid intake, while drinks provide the rest (70–80%).

Furthermore, if you are looking for a natural source of electrolytes, your best choice is unsweetened coconut water. If needed, you can add a bit of salt to it.

Final Thoughts

In short, the Prime hydration drink is better than other drinks since it doesn’t have added sugar or caffeine and contains fewer harmful ingredients.

However, it does have artificial sweeteners and preservatives, which can raise questions. Ideally, whenever we give something to kids, the items should be completely free of anything that raise concerns.

We already shared a lot of facts in this guide regarding Prime Hydration. Hope now you can decide what would be the best option for your kids.

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