A clinical study conducted by the Hydration Science Lab at Arizona State University has confirmed that Trace Minerals' ZeroLyte electrolyte product hydrates two times faster than water following exercise-induced dehydration — and does so without any sugar. The findings were presented at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, running May 26–29, 2026, and were led by Stavros Kavouras, PhD, professor and director of ASU's Hydration Science Lab.
For restaurant and hospitality operators, the implications reach across two distinct pressure points: back-of-house staff performance and front-of-house beverage programming. Kitchen crews, banquet teams, and event staff routinely work in high-heat environments where dehydration can undercut both safety and productivity. A clinically validated, sugar-free electrolyte that outperforms water on rehydration speed gives wellness-minded operators a credible tool to add to staff break rooms and hydration stations — without the caloric baggage of traditional sports drinks.
On the guest-facing side, the zero-sugar positioning matters. Consumer demand for low- and no-sugar functional beverages continues to climb, and beverage directors building health-forward drink menus are increasingly looking for products that carry clinical credibility rather than marketing claims. ZeroLyte's status as what Trace Minerals describes as the first clinically studied truly sugar-free electrolyte shown to hydrate at this rate gives menu developers a differentiating story to tell.
Trace Minerals, which bills itself as America's No. 1 trace mineral brand, is based in Ogden, Utah. The brand's ZeroLyte line has previously earned award recognition in the functional beverage space. Coverage of the broader functional hydration trend and its crossover into foodservice has been a growing focus at Food & Beverage Magazine, which tracks ingredient innovation across the consumer and operator channels.
With hydration science gaining traction as a legitimate performance and wellness category, operators who move early to integrate clinically backed products — whether in staff programming or restaurant beverage strategy — may find a meaningful point of differentiation as guests grow more sophisticated about what they drink.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
