The US Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) has named Accelerade, made by PacificHealth Laboratories, its official sports drink.
Beth Bass, WBCA chief executive officer said : "We are excited about our relationship with Accelerade because we firmly believe that the product and the educational program behind it can help players at all levels develop and take their game to the next level."
"I was impressed by the research and science behind Accelerade because it shows that a sports drink that contains protein can offer significant benefits for athletes," said WBCA trainer Jackie Ansley, a former college star and one of the nation's most respected basketball trainers.
"To be the official sports drink of the WBCA is a powerful endorsement for Accelerade," said Dr Robert Portman, president and CEO of Pacific Health. "Basketball is the number one participatory sport among women and Accelerade can play an important role in enhancing in-game performance and speeding muscle recovery."
The Atlanta-based WBCA has a membership of more than 5,000 coaches at the youth, high school, college and professional levels.
As part of the new partnership, PacificHealth will develop Powering Muscles, a nutrition education programme, in conjunction with leading exercise physiologists, coaches and trainers.
Pacific Health claims Accelerade is the first sports drink engineered to meet all the hydration, energy and nutrition needs of working muscles. It claims that unlike conventional sports drinks, the product has the patented 4-to-1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein to speed the movement of carbohydrate into the muscle. The sports drink extends endurance by 24 per cent compared to a conventional sports drink and 57 per cent compared to water, according to PacificHealth.
The American Hockey Coaches Association, College Swim Coaches Association of America and the United States Track Coaches Association have also selected Accelerade as the "Official Sports Drink".
PacificHealth Laboratories, based in Woodbridge, New Jersey was founded in 1995 and specialises in nutritional products for sports performance, weight loss and control of Type 2 diabetes.