CHICAGO, June 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- To help keep athletes safe and performing at their best during the hot summer months, The Gatorade Company, a division of PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), has partnered with top professional athletes in a variety of sports including J.J. Watt, Jimmie Johnson, Usain Bolt, Eli Manning, April Ross and more for the Gatorade Beat the Heat educational campaign this summer. In its 11^th year, Gatorade Beat the Heat has also teamed up with the Korey Stringer Institute and league partners including the NFL and NBA to continue to raise awareness among athletes, parents and coaches on how proper hydration can help reduce heat-related illnesses during athletic activity.

While dehydration is a risk across all types of youth sports during the hot summer months, research conducted by the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) found that as many as 70 percent of high school football players showed up for practice inadequately hydrated. Additionally, research shows that dehydration or poor hydration increases the risk for heat illness.ⁱ

"Athletes don't always fully comprehend how dehydration can negatively impact performance," said Dr. James Carter, Director of GSSI. "Through the Beat the Heat program, we and our partners are able to educate athletes, parents and coaches about the importance of proper hydration and safety measures while active in the heat."

Throughout the summer, featured professional athletes will visit youth sports camps and will be shown on Gatorade's YouTube page sharing their heat recommendations and warning athletes about the perils of dehydration.

"The Beat the Heat program is important because of its goal of providing education and awareness around the prevention, recognition and treatment of heat-related illness during the summer sports season," said George Chiampas, Korey Stringer Institute Medical and Science Advisory Board. "While you can't change the weather, you can change how you approach practices or competitions and games in hot weather. Athletes, referees, parents and coaches may not know that heat-related illnesses can be prevented with appropriate strategies related to hydration, acclimatization, fitness, cooling and practice modifications."

"It's the responsibility of athletes, coaches, parents and trainers to closely monitor the warning signs of dehydration and heat-related illness," said Bryan Snyder, Denver Broncos Director of Team Nutrition. "Beyond simple hydration, drinks that contain electrolytes to help retain and regulate fluids are very important. Additionally, the consumption of carbohydrates found in sports drinks can help an athlete's performance."

About Gatorade
The Gatorade Company, a division of PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), provides sports performance innovations designed to meet the needs of athletes at all competitive levels and across a broad range of sports. Backed by a 50 year history of studying the best athletes in the world and grounded in years of hydration and sports nutrition research at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, Gatorade provides scientifically formulated products to meet the sports fueling needs of athletes in all phases of athletic activity. For more information and a full list of products, please visit www.gatorade.com.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $66 billion in net revenue in 2014, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our goal to deliver top-tier financial performance while creating sustainable growth and shareholder value. In practice, Performance with Purpose means providing a wide range of foods and beverages from treats to healthy eats; finding innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment and reduce our operating costs; providing a safe and inclusive workplace for our employees globally; and respecting, supporting and investing in the local communities where we operate.

About the NBA
The NBA is a global sports and media business built around three professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women's National Basketball Association, and the NBA Development League.  The league has established a major international presence with offices in 13 markets worldwide, games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 47 languages, and NBA merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on 6 continents.  NBA rosters at the start of the 2014-15 season featured a record 101 international players from 37 countries and territories.  NBA Digital's assets include NBA TV, which is available in 60 million U.S. homes, and NBA.com, which recorded 26.9 billion page views during the 2013-14 seasons, with more than half of all visitors originating from outside of North America.  The NBA is the No. 1 professional sports league on social media, with nearly 835 million likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms.  Through NBA Cares, the league and its teams and players have donated more than $260 million to charity, completed more than 3.3 million hours of hands-on community service, and created more than 970 places where kids and families can live, learn, or play.

ⁱ Stover, E., Zachwieja, J., Stofan, J., Murray, R., & Horswill, C. (2006). Consistently High Urine Specific Gravity in Adolescent American Football Players and the Impact of an Acute Drinking Strategy. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 27(4), 330-335.

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SOURCE The Gatorade Company

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