■ Between 1985 and 2005, the overall availability of SSBs
in the United States increased by 8.5 gallons per capita
per year; 40 percent of this increase was due to sports
drinks and fruit-flavored drinks.
■ While the number of people buying regular sodas fell
by 16.5 million from 2003 to 2008, other non-alcoholic
beverage segments, including sports drinks, grew during
the same timeframe.
■ From 1989–2008, the percentage of American children
ages 6 to 11 consuming sports drinks increased
significantly, from 2 percent to 12 percent.13 The
amount of sports drinks consumed by these children
also increased, from 255 milliliters per day to 289
milliliters per day during the same timeframe.
■ In 2006, sports drinks were the third-fastest growing
beverage category in the United States.6
In 2008, sports
drinks sales were $7.5 billion, increasing in volume by
17 percent between 2004 and 2008.