Nothing succeeds like success, of course. Fairly soon, other universities began ordering up some Gatorade for their teams, pro teams bought in, and, by 1983, Gatorade was the official sports drink of the NFL — a title it holds to this day. Eventually, the hydrating liquid for serious athletes morphed into an “energy drink” for amateur athletes with nutrient-packed beverages promising to increase performance and, sometimes, just keep a person awake and alert. Not surprising, one of the most common ingredients in these beverages is the original awake-and-alert substance, caffeine, as in coffee or guarana, a caffeinated berry native to Brazil and Venezuela. Other prominent ingredients are taurine, an amino acid whose name comes from the Latin word for bull, a clear hint of strength, and ginseng, the reputed healing herb. And often, vitamins — primarily the Bs — are also in the mix. And sometimes there is sugar to sweeten an otherwise bland cocktail. The value of the herbs in these products is questionable, as is the value of vitamins for healthy people who eat a varied diet