IN THE NEWS
'IV in a Bottle' May Revolutionize Hydration
The Weather Channel
Sean Breslin
08/17/2012
Dr. Benjamin Yoo believes he holds the secret to proper hydration -- and he can’t wait to share it with the rest of the world.
An M.D. from Charleston, South Carolina, Yoo began developing a new sports drink in 2008 when he was hooking dehydrated athletes to IV bags. If a drink can be absorbed with relatively the same speed as a fluid injected into the body through a needle, he thought, why couldn’t doctors simplify the process of overcoming dehydration?
Yoo ran a series of tests, and the result was a beverage he described as an “IV in a bottle.” It’s called BANa Hydration Drink, and it packs 800 milligrams of sodium in each 17-ounce, calorie- and fat-free bottle (which translates to 33 percent of a suggested daily intake). Sweetened with Stevia to offset the salty taste, BANa has a berry flavor and, like other sports drinks, is best when refrigerated. The name is a spin-off on the IV known as a “Banana Bag,” and the “Na” portion of the name is, predictably, an ode to the Periodic Table symbol for sodium.