SEATTLE (BRAIN) — Nuun made its name with a popular line of fizzy sports drink tablets that provide electrolytes, vitamins, caffeine — but little calories — for shorter exercise sessions and for daily life. Now the brand is expanding with a new tablet for longer efforts, which can be combined with its original tablets in varying ratios to create a modular system for specific athletic challenges.
PLUS for Nuun provides calories and an electrolyte mix in a blend designed for multi-hour efforts. It's being introduced this month with simultaneous consumer launches at the Sea Otter Classic and the Boston Marathon.
PLUS for Nuun is an effervescent tablet, about twice as thick as Nuun's original Active and Energy tablets. It is intended to be used along with the original tablets, by combining 2–4 tablets of PLUS and 1 tablet of Active or Energy in 16 ounces of water.
"Through our modular system, the athlete can determine prior to the workout how many carbohydrates and added electrolytes they'll need for the duration," said Vishal Patel, Nuun's chief nutritionist. "With our formulation and recommendations, we can ensure, based on our testing, there is a proper carbohydrate-to-fluid ratio, decreasing the onset of any stomach-related issues while providing optimal nutrient replacement."
PLUS uses multiple carbohydrate sources, d-Glucose and Sucrose, that can be used by the body immediately to increase the rate of hydration and help the athlete use several absorption pathways.
Nuun has been working with athletes including professional runner and Olympian Kara Goucher to maximize her hydration and fueling through her training and racing leading up to Olympic Trials next February.
"Vishal's advice has been very helpful and it has been exciting to be part of the research on PLUS," said Goucher. "I have seen immediate benefits using the product in my daily training, especially when pre-loading prior to longer and harder workouts."
Nuun is also the hydration sponsor for Team Novo Nordisk, a global all-diabetes sports team of cyclists, triathletes and runners, spearheaded by the world’s first all-diabetes professional cycling team. The team plans to use PLUS for Nuun at the Tour of California next month.
PLUS for Nuun is available in a tube containing 12 tablets (six servings), with a retail price of $6.99. It is also offered in a single-serving sachet that includes two tablets of PLUS and 1 tablet of Active for $1.99.
More information at nuun.com and in a Nuun white paper (pdf).
