It’s a vitamin-rich drink with no added sugar that kids across the UK are obsessed with.
But is Prime viral-flavored juice actually a healthy swap for sports drinks?
Created by Youtubers KSI and Logan Paul, Prime Hydration is flying off shelves across the country and selling out within hours of new stock being sold.
The vast majority of each 500ml bottle is filtered water mixed with 10 percent coconut water. It also contains a range of vitamins and branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) – which support muscle growth.
But some nutritionists say they wouldn’t recommend the drink for children and think its benefits could be overstated.
Created by Youtubers KSI and Logan Paul, Prime Hydration is flying off shelves nationwide and selling out within hours of new stock being sold
Chef Gordon Ramsay has even likened drinking it to “swallowing perfume” because of the artificial sweeteners it contains.
Daniel Herman, CEO of sports nutrition company Bio-synergy, said he would not advocate the drink for children, including his own children, for the same reason.
And Duane Mellor, one of the UK’s leading dieticians, told MailOnline that while BCAAs are believed to improve exercise performance, recovery and muscle building, “none of these claims have been accepted by regulators and should not be used in the marketing of such products’. .
Branding around Prime claims it has no added sugar and no caffeine – so it’s not really an energy drink.
It contains coconut water and is a good source of minerals such as potassium, magnesium, calcium and sodium, which are important components for heart, skeletal and muscle health.
Canned energy drinks, and especially their consumption by young people, are controversial, as some can contain more than 50 grams of sugar and contain as much caffeine as three cups of coffee.
Adults should not exceed 30 g of free sugars (which do not occur naturally) per day, while children between the ages of seven and 10 should not exceed 24 g.
But a 500 ml can of Monster Energy contains 55 grams of sugar, while a bottle of Lucozade Sport contains 44 grams.
In comparison, Prime has just 2 g of sugar per bottle — about 7 percent of an adult’s recommended intake.
Instead, it gets its sweetness from artificial sweeteners sucralose and acesulfame K — which health authorities have deemed safe, despite research suggesting they increase cancer risk.
The drink, from YouTube stars KSI and Logan Paul, returned to Aldi stores across the country today. Pictured: A shopper in Ancoats
Some research has suggested that sweeteners may stimulate appetite or alter the gut microbiome, increasing the risk of weight gain and obesity.
Mr Herman added: ‘Children and adolescents have different nutritional needs than adults, and excessive consumption of flavored drinks, including Prime, may contribute to an unhealthy intake of artificial sweeteners, particularly Acesulfame K.
“I think for adults looking for an alternative, Prime could be a low-calorie option, but for kids, including mine, I’d advocate water or milk.”
Prime also contains 113 percent of the daily recommended amount of vitamin A, 125 percent vitamin E, 243 percent vitamin B6 and 192 percent vitamin B12.
Although these vitamins are part of a healthy and balanced diet, too much of them can actually be harmful.
Although the amounts in Prime are above the daily requirement, they should not be high enough to cause problems.