BERKELEY, Calif. (BRAIN) — GU Energy Labs is revamping its brand, with a new logo, new formulas for its nutrition products, new names and new packaging.
The company, founded in 1993, said the rebranding is part of its new focus on "assisting, educating and inspiring people to reach their highest athletic potential through an integrated nutrition system of Hydration, Energy and Recovery."
The rebranding includes a new slogan, "GU For It."
All GU Energy Gels are now formulated without the anti-oxidant vitamins C & E. The company said recent research has shown that anti-oxidants are not necessary because bodies naturally create a defense mechanism to the accumulation of free radicals, which in turn improves adaptation to training. According to GU, consuming vitamins C and E during exercise has been shown to block this adaptation.
GU's Roctane line of energy gels has been reformulated as well, replacing the amino acid histidine with beta-alanine to increase production of carnosine, a muscle buffer that helps to maintain normal acidity within muscle. 
GU Energy Gels are now made without herbs, chamomile and ginger, because the company concluded the large amountsof these herbs that would be required to be effective would negatively impact the flavor of the gels.
GU has also renamed some of its products. GU Chomps will now be known as GU Energy Chews; Electrolyte Brew is now called GU Hydration Drink Mix; GU Brew Tablets will be tagged as GU Hydration Drink Tabs, and Recovery Brew will be named GU Recovery Drink Mix.
"Changing the product names does two things," said Adam Chamberlain, GU's vice president of marketing. "It makes it easier for athletes to understand the entirety of our line and how it fulfills their complete nutrition plan, and it diminishes any confusion about how individual products fit into our line.
"We're also putting the most critical nutritional information right on the front of each individual product, so our athletes can see exactly how many calories of energy they're getting, as well as other important data on caffeine, sodium levels and amino acids."
GU has also entered into an recycling program with Terracycle, making every single-serve packet of gel, drink mix and chews recyclable.
