U.S. pro athletes as well as illegal immigrants are turning to drinks designed to rehydrate sick infants for a source of liquid nutrition.

ADVERTISEMENT

Susan Bowerman, a sports dietitian and assistant director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of California, Los Angeles, said athletes including the Arizona Cardinals, the Anaheim Ducks, Tom Glavine of the New York Mets and Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs use Pedialyte and similar products in lieu of Gatorade and other sports drinks, The Arizona Republic reported Wednesday.

However, athletes aren't the only dehydrated people turning to the baby beverage for sustenance -- shopkeepers in Sonoran towns across the Mexican border say Pedialyte and its Mexican competitor, Electrolit, are flying off the shelves.

"It's the migrants who drink it. Sometimes each one of them will take three or four bottles of different flavors, depending on how much money they have," Santana said.

The rehydrating solutions help those seeking to cross the border on foot to stave off dehydration, the top cause of death in the desert.