Propel water is generally considered safe during pregnancy, but it comes with a few caveats worth understanding. The drink contains two artificial sweeteners, sucralose and acesulfame potassium, both of which are FDA-approved for use during pregnancy. It also provides electrolytes and B vitamins that can be helpful during pregnancy, especially if you’re dealing with nausea or dehydration. The key factor is moderation.
What’s Actually in Propel
Propel is a zero-calorie flavored water made by Gatorade. Its main selling points are electrolytes and B vitamins, but it gets its sweet taste from two artificial sweeteners: sucralose and acesulfame potassium. A standard 12-ounce serving contains about 160 mg of sodium and 40 mg of potassium. On the vitamin side, a single bottle delivers 60% of the daily value for vitamin B6, 60% for niacin (B3), and 100% for pantothenic acid (B5).
Because it has zero sugar and zero calories, Propel won’t contribute to excessive gestational weight gain the way sugary sports drinks can. But those artificial sweeteners are the reason many pregnant women pause before drinking it.
Are the Sweeteners a Concern?
Both sucralose and acesulfame potassium have been reviewed by the FDA and approved for general consumption, including during pregnancy. A meta-analysis found that low-calorie beverages approved by the FDA did not affect preterm delivery rates when compared with outcomes for women who avoided them entirely. Health Canada similarly states that sugar substitutes during pregnancy do not pose a health risk, though it recommends moderation so they don’t replace nutrient-rich foods and drinks.
Sucralose has an acceptable daily intake of 9 mg per kilogram of body weight. For a 150-pound person, that works out to roughly 612 mg per day, far more than you’d get from a few bottles of Propel. Animal studies at high doses have not shown increased risk of birth defects or other fetal harm.
Acesulfame potassium has a slightly higher acceptable daily intake of 15 mg per kilogram. However, research is more limited for this sweetener, and studies confirm it does cross the placenta. One animal study found that fetuses exposed to acesulfame potassium through amniotic fluid developed a stronger preference for sweet foods in adulthood, though the concentrations used were substantially greater than what a person would typically consume.
The Gut Microbiome Question
Where things get more nuanced is in newer research on how artificially sweetened beverages during pregnancy may affect the baby after birth. A study published through the National Institutes of Health found that infants whose mothers consumed artificially sweetened beverages during pregnancy showed measurable shifts in gut bacteria composition, including a depletion of certain beneficial bacterial species. These infants also had altered metabolic markers in their urine at three months of age.
One metabolic byproduct, succinate, was found to mediate roughly 29% of the effect that artificial sweetener exposure had on infant body mass index at one year old. In other words, maternal consumption of these beverages was linked to slightly higher infant weight, and changes in gut metabolism appeared to be part of the reason why. Mouse studies have pointed in the same direction, showing that artificial sweetener consumption during pregnancy can predispose offspring to increased weight gain through both behavioral mechanisms (like a stronger preference for sweet foods) and physiological ones (like increased insulin resistance and altered fat metabolism).
This doesn’t mean one Propel a day will cause problems. But it does suggest that regularly relying on artificially sweetened drinks throughout pregnancy may have subtle effects on your baby’s developing metabolism that researchers are still working to fully understand.
The Upside: Electrolytes and Hydration
Pregnancy increases your blood volume by nearly 50%, which means your body needs more fluids and more electrolytes to keep up. If plain water isn’t appealing, especially during the first trimester when nausea makes everything harder, Propel can be a useful tool for staying hydrated. The sodium and potassium it provides are modest but meaningful, particularly if you’re losing fluids through morning sickness.
The B vitamins in Propel are a genuine bonus. Vitamin B6 in particular has been studied for its role in reducing pregnancy nausea, and a single bottle supplies a significant portion of the daily value. That said, Propel shouldn’t replace a prenatal vitamin. It doesn’t contain folic acid, iron, or calcium, which are the nutrients most critical during pregnancy.
How Much Is Reasonable
An occasional Propel is unlikely to cause any issues. If you’re drinking it daily, you’re still well within the FDA’s acceptable daily intake for both sweeteners. The concern isn’t really about hitting a toxic threshold. It’s more about the pattern of regularly consuming artificial sweeteners over nine months and what the emerging research on infant metabolism suggests about that pattern.
A practical approach is to use Propel when you need it, such as during bouts of nausea, after exercise, or on hot days when plain water isn’t cutting it, while keeping regular water as your primary source of hydration. If you want the electrolyte benefit without the artificial sweeteners, coconut water or adding a pinch of salt and a squeeze of citrus to plain water are simple alternatives.