For someone who is active, it’s essential to hydrate properly during workouts. Without proper hydration, our bodies won’t be able to function at their highest potential. The ways to go about hydrating vary from person to person and sports drink companies understand this. 

Many of their products are marketed as being able to give athletes an edge in their performance. But what if they took it further and created something that would, at first, benefit the user, but would in actuality benefit the company? 

Gatorade, the very popular sports drink company, has recently begun beta testing a new product called the “Gx Sweat Patch.” The three-inch patch is placed on the forearm during a workout. According to Gatorade’s beta sign-up page, the patch “uses sweat and science to help optimize your performance.” 

It seems like a great idea initially: who wouldn’t want something like this as part of their workout armory? But looking a bit deeper, it seems the company has a much greener goal to fulfill. 

According to an article published by wearable technologies, the sensors in the patch will relay information of sodium loss to the company’s GX app and “then offers advice on how to refuel-with Gatorade, naturally.” 

After reading that specific line, everything started to click together. This patch is nothing more than a cash grab for the company. Other companies, such as Nike and Adidas, have started to experiment with similar technology. But the principle still stands: the only reason why Gatorade is even trying to get into this is to further push their sports drink lines. 

Not only are they trying to make more money, but they are also taking our biological information as well. At first, it doesn’t seem like a big deal, it’s only just information about our sweat: But it’s a private thing to us. We’re already in an age where so many companies have our information. Do we really want another to have our biological information? 

Now, this reaction may come off as a bit over the top, but you have to realize that Gatorade can sell the information they obtain from the app to third party members or even to your insurance company. 

User information can be placed in a large database, and companies can use the information however they want. Services such as home genetic testing have come under fire for selling sensitive data to other companies. Personally, I would be cautious before putting the patch on my body and having my information be sold to the highest bidder.