The recent surge in popularity of the sports drink, PRIME among South African children and teenagers raises the question of just how healthy or harmful the drink is. A study by The Sports Science Institute of South Africa (SSISA) set out to determine whether the hype around the sports drink is justified.
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The PRIME brand of drinks was released in 2022 by YouTube sensations, Logan Paul and KSI and has become a craze among the South African youth since its arrival in the country this month, May 2023.
There are three products in the PRIME range of drinks: PRIME Hydration, PRIME Hydration sticks and the PRIME Energy drink. The PRIME Hydration drink is the only one which is available in South Africa at present.
The hydration drink is marketed as a sports beverage and contains 10% coconut water, branch chain amino acids (BCAAs), electrolytes, vitamin B and multiple antioxidants, with only 2g of sugar per serving. While the PRIME website claims that the hydration drink is appropriate for individuals of all ages, some sources have cautioned against its consumption by children under the age of 15 years old.
As per the nutritional label on the PRIME website, the hydration drink is comparable to other drinks in the sports/hydration category.
According to the study done by the SSISA, The most concerning product in the PRIME range is the Energy drink, which is presently not sold in South Africa. PRIME Energy contains a high level of caffeine, considerably higher than its competitors at 200mg of caffeine per serving. To draw a comparison, a cup of coffee has 40mg of caffeine.
‘On the Prime website, there is a disclaimer regarding the age of use, warning anyone under 18 years old, pregnant, or breastfeeding not to consume the energy drink. Furthermore, what is even more concerning is that the website does not provide a nutrition label for the drink. When searching online for more clarity on other ingredients in the drink, we were unable to find a nutrition label listing all the drink’s ingredients.
‘Although the energy drink is not yet available in South Africa, many overseas schools have already banned the drink from children’s lunch boxes, and parents are encouraged to rather send water or fruit juice with their kids to school. If the energy drink does become available here, we would encourage the same. The high amount of caffeine is not advisable, and the lack of nutritional information is concerning,’ the SSISA said.
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