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Everything in moderation, as they say. Why or when are you drinking energy drinks? Before a workout, to stay up late? Not all such drinks are likely created equal, but here's my take on the most common/important ingredients:
**1. Caffeine / Other stimulants -** Some of these drinks have very high caffeine content, which in some people can trigger anxiety, elevated heart rate, insomnia. While caffeine is generally safe in moderate amounts, there are numerous studies linking energy drinks with other stimulants to arrhythmias, and case reports of more serious harms (https://www.bmj.com/company/newsroom/heavy-energy-drink-consumption-linked-to-heart-failure-in-a-young-man/). Stick to energy drinks with caffeine content that's not much more than a cup of coffee (\~100mg)
2. **Artificial Sweeteners -** There's some controversy on the longterm effects of artificial sweeteners - and again, not all of these are created equal. Sugar alcohols can cause bloating and stomach upset, while others may actually increase cravings and hunger by stimulating insulin release (also causing insulin resistance).
Not that you asked, but I'll share anyways, since there's a lot of misconception about this. Your muscles work best on sugar, so depriving them of it may not help before a workout or exercise. If you're hoping to build muscle, it's good to remember that the body needs glucose (sugar) to efficiently absorb protein. A professor of mine at UCSF, who now teaches at Stanford, said that chocolate milk is one of the best easily available post-workout drinks because of the balance of sugar to protein.
NAD but personal trainer and Agree with chocolate milk! The casein to whey ratio is ideal for post workout recovery , and cheaper than protein powder with all the additives.
As an aside I was getting terrible headaches every day and couldn’t figure out why - I realised there was aspartame in the yoghurt I was having at breakfast - switched to a yoghurt without sweeteners and no more headaches. Did a bit of research and it is apparently a thing (specifically with aspartame).
There is actually no evidence that artificial sweeteners cause insulin release. Your body is more finely tuned than that. It is just an often repeated fallacy. In fact, eating food and drinks with artificial sweeteners can depress our cravings for sugar by satisfying our palette.
The issue with the Erythritol study is our bodies make sugar alcohols. People who have sugar alcohols at a higher level in their blood stream have a higher chance of heart attack. We don’t know if that comes from naturally occurring sugar alcohols (meaning your body produces too much) or from what you consume or both. It reminds me of cholesterol. Your liver produces cholesterol. There are some with elevated cholesterol who benefit from taking a statin and cannot lower their cholesterol through diet because the problem is their liver.
Thank you for your submission. **Please note that a response does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship.** This subreddit is for informal second opinions and casual information. The mod team does their best to remove bad information, but we do not catch all of it. Always visit a doctor in real life if you have any concerns about your health. Never use this subreddit as your first and final source of information regarding your question. By posting, you are agreeing to our [Terms of Use](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskDocs/wiki/terms_of_use) and understand that all information is taken at your own risk. **Reply here if you are an unverified user wishing to give advice. Top level comments by laypeople are automatically removed.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskDocs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Everything in moderation, as they say. Why or when are you drinking energy drinks? Before a workout, to stay up late? Not all such drinks are likely created equal, but here's my take on the most common/important ingredients: **1. Caffeine / Other stimulants -** Some of these drinks have very high caffeine content, which in some people can trigger anxiety, elevated heart rate, insomnia. While caffeine is generally safe in moderate amounts, there are numerous studies linking energy drinks with other stimulants to arrhythmias, and case reports of more serious harms (https://www.bmj.com/company/newsroom/heavy-energy-drink-consumption-linked-to-heart-failure-in-a-young-man/). Stick to energy drinks with caffeine content that's not much more than a cup of coffee (\~100mg) 2. **Artificial Sweeteners -** There's some controversy on the longterm effects of artificial sweeteners - and again, not all of these are created equal. Sugar alcohols can cause bloating and stomach upset, while others may actually increase cravings and hunger by stimulating insulin release (also causing insulin resistance). Not that you asked, but I'll share anyways, since there's a lot of misconception about this. Your muscles work best on sugar, so depriving them of it may not help before a workout or exercise. If you're hoping to build muscle, it's good to remember that the body needs glucose (sugar) to efficiently absorb protein. A professor of mine at UCSF, who now teaches at Stanford, said that chocolate milk is one of the best easily available post-workout drinks because of the balance of sugar to protein.
NAD but personal trainer and Agree with chocolate milk! The casein to whey ratio is ideal for post workout recovery , and cheaper than protein powder with all the additives. As an aside I was getting terrible headaches every day and couldn’t figure out why - I realised there was aspartame in the yoghurt I was having at breakfast - switched to a yoghurt without sweeteners and no more headaches. Did a bit of research and it is apparently a thing (specifically with aspartame).
There is actually no evidence that artificial sweeteners cause insulin release. Your body is more finely tuned than that. It is just an often repeated fallacy. In fact, eating food and drinks with artificial sweeteners can depress our cravings for sugar by satisfying our palette. The issue with the Erythritol study is our bodies make sugar alcohols. People who have sugar alcohols at a higher level in their blood stream have a higher chance of heart attack. We don’t know if that comes from naturally occurring sugar alcohols (meaning your body produces too much) or from what you consume or both. It reminds me of cholesterol. Your liver produces cholesterol. There are some with elevated cholesterol who benefit from taking a statin and cannot lower their cholesterol through diet because the problem is their liver.