May 13, 2026Gatorade launches research effort to address women’s hydration science
Gatorade unveiled last week a multiyear global research commitment called “Body of Science” that is aimed at advancing the science of women’s hydration and nutrition. The effort will be led by the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI), the brand’s research arm that has four decades of expertise in human performance.
GSSI will study women’s needs across life stages and critical moments, with 500 women having already participated in early research. According to Gatorade, the work will help the 65 million women who report feeling that dehydration impacts their overall health, mood, focus and energy.
“For over four decades, GSSI has been committed to understanding hydration and nutrition science,” Dr. Kimbery Stein, senior principal scientist at GSSI, said in a news release. “’Body of Science’ represents a pivotal evolution of that mission — one that acknowledges and addresses a critical gap in research.
“By conducting and publishing peer-reviewed studies on women’s unique hydration and nutrition needs across life stages, we’re not just advancing the science, we’re establishing a new standard. This research will empower women to perform at their best, inside and outside of sport, and navigate their bodies with evidence-based knowledge and solutions, not assumptions.”
Only 6% of global sports science research focuses exclusively on women, Gatorade says, adding that decades of research has assumed women’s physiology mirrors men’s. The result is science designed for half the population and applied to all of it.
GSSI has conducted hydration and nutrition research on thousands of athletes and authored hundreds of peer-reviewed studies. With “Body of Science,” GSSI is applying that expertise to close what it calls the women’s research gap.
Venus Williams will serve as the first ambassador for the initiative to advance the research and amplify the gap it is closing.
“This work is so important because it’s not just about me, it’s about the women who come after me,” Williams said in a news release. “For decades, we’ve pushed our bodies to the limit based on research designed for men. What excited me most is that with ‘Body of Science,’ Gatorade is asking the right questions about hydration and nutrition and conducting the studies that will give women the knowledge we have been missing.”
“Body of Science” is a continuation of Gatorades Fuel Tomorrow platform focused on fueling opportunities in sport and beyond. Women across the United States can participate in “Body of Science” research through the GSSI Labs app.
