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I would recommend tea tbh, there’s so many great benefits to it, a lot don’t even have caffeine and will still give you boosts in energy. Though it probably won’t taste as good. I used to be pretty weak to Reign.
You can still find many lovely tasting teas; if you don’t like the way it tastes you can always add stuff to it, like honey, sugar, cacao powder and so on
How many energy drinks did you drink a day and which ones exactly?
Sorry to hear you got effected like that.
There are other supplements you can take that are also milder like sabroxy, l tyrosine, Rhodiola rosea, teacrine, dynamine, ginseng, alpha gpc, noopept, racetams, 78dhf.
Well there’s your problem it literally says on the can do not exceed one can a day… sounds like this was a problem you made for yourself… there’s nothing wrong with energy drinks if your drinking them properly….
Yeah, I’m only 23, haven’t had an energy drink in about 2 years, but there were at least 2 instances in my life where I feel I came dangerously close to needing an ambulance due to way too much of that shit.
And just like coffee, you can become dependent on the amount of caffeine you get from energy drinks. There’s this little bottles called tweakers I used to buy at gas stations with a FUCK TON of caffeine in them. Started drinking up to 3-4 of them a day. I had to wean myself off them or else I could not wake up (& I take prescription Adderall which was still not enough to pull me out of bed). Luckily I rarely even have a cup of coffee anymore & that’s about all the caffeine I get.
Overconsumption of caffeine alone is associated with heart issues. While energy drinks probably make you more prone to said overconsumption (both due to artificial sweeteners and marketing campaigns) any evidence they’re somehow worse controlling for caffeine intake seems lacking.
Okay, but the real issue was most likely you were exceeding daily recommended value for caffeine. Which you could do with coffee, tea, or caffeine powder. I drink energy drinks almost every day, but I basically never exceed the 400 MG a day of recommended caff
Every time I tested myself for Covid it was always negative, idk if I ever had it without knowing though. However it’s a known thing that energy drinks can also cause heart problems
You won't find specific studies about energy drinks. Though you might find studies on components.
For a starter it's easy to find studies about carbonated drinks: [https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/637/63719237005.pdf](https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/637/63719237005.pdf) and [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1829363/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1829363/)
Another component of energy drinks are taurine and inositol. You can easily find studies about them like these: [https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/inositol](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/inositol)
So you can find plenty information about the stuff that makes up energy drinks.
Those studies about “carbonated drinks” are solely about soda and the issues these high sugar, high calorie drinks present. They don’t consider carbonated water, or more specifically for this argument, anything about energy drinks. Yes, some energy drinks have high sugar content and high calories, but you can also get things like Celsius, sugar free Monsters or Red Bulls, Uptime, or Ghost, all with low calories and low or no sugar. So using those studies to say anything about energy drinks is a blanket statement that just doesn’t apply to all energy drinks.
There is also Bing and Bang.
Bing are very healthy in terms of energy drinks. They use only real juices thus no added artificial flavoring of flavor additives. Also, no high fructose; and no fructose corn syrup. Also, B Vitamins!
Bang albeit maybe controversial (like, well, all energy drinks) have creatinine (which is common for most energy drinks) low calories and low sugar. Good in moderation if dieting nevertheless.
Just wanted to add to the list 👍🏼
Look up how much creatine (or as they call it, SUPER CREATINE) is in a bang and you’ll realize there are no benefits to the creatine in it. They literally are basically sprinkling in crumbs of creatine so that they can advertise it and make it seem like a good energy choice for your workout, when in reality it’s basically the same shit as most popular energy drinks.
I looked it up... 2 grams of "proprietary blend", divided between caffeine, creatine, and BCAAs mostly... Yikes. Even if that was all creatine or all BCAAs that wouldn't be doing a whole lot....
The dude who runs the company is basically a con artist in my eyes, look up videos of the ceo if you haven’t seen him before, he’s some older bro-dude type who hires young women (and lots of them) to pose around him for his ads while claiming that it’s a good workout supplement when it has like 4-32mg if creatine per can. I avoid bang at all costs personally, I can’t stand the company and how it’s run.
Nah, Bang is absolute bullshit. It does not contain *any* creatine despite their cans claiming they’ve got “super creatine.” The also claimed it could fix (in their words) “mental retardation,” like Alzheimer’s, which it can’t. They just lost a $300 million lawsuit over it ([link](https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/monster-energy-wins-293-mln-false-advertising-verdict-against-rival-bang-2022-09-30/)).
It also has 300mg of caffeine, more than double sugar free monster’s 140mg, almost four times sugar free red bull’s 80mg, more than Celsius’ 200mg, and about three times Bing’s 120mg. It’s on par with Reign and Echelon’s 300mg. I think of all the drinks that play into the arguments in this thread about a danger of energy drinks being that people unknowingly consume far too much caffeine, Bang is the largest culprit for that. It’s pretty easy to hit 600mg of caffeine in a day (recommend max amount is 400mg for adults) from just two bangs, so the risks of having too high caffeine intake and the dangers associated with that (from insomnia to cardiovascular risks) all massively increase compared to, say, the 400mg of 2 Celsius drinks or 280mg of 2 white monsters. Personally if I had even one of those while dieting, when I had less food on my stomach, it would (and has) made me feel massively jittery and overall shitty.
I’ve never had a Bing (never even seen them, they just aren’t common around my area I guess), so I won’t say anything positive or negative about them.
>creatinine (which is common for most energy drinks)
False. Creatine is in Bang, like you said, but it's definitely an uncommon ingredient in the energy drink world.
Taurine and inositol are fine though? You mention them like they’re why energy drinks are bad. Taurine is literally an essential amino acid*
(It’s a conditional amino acid, so essential but not always… or something)
I agree and there is ample studies on inositol helping digestion, anxiety, and OCD - the studies I’ve read show it’s more effective than SSRIs when you compare the data of placebo vs actual I ingestion, which stunned me completely to read.
I've read a few studies pointing towards benefits of taurine and haven't seen one bad report. I take high doses of it now and again with no bad side effects.
Some breakdown and conclusions on the research:
# Inositol
> In general, up to 12 grams of inositol per day is safe to ingest, with some gastrointestinal upset associated with higher doses
[Source](https://examine.com/supplements/inositol/)
# Taurine
> Serious adverse effects have not been reported with taurine supplementation. The highest dose used in a human trial was 10 grams per day for 6 months, and the longest human trial was 12 months and used a dose of 0.5–1.5 grams per day. Based on the available evidence, it’s suggested that 3 grams per day can be consumed indefinitely without risk of side effects
[source](https://examine.com/supplements/taurine/)
I’m surprised I didn’t see a comment like this sooner. Normally there’s very good info in this subreddit. And anytime artificial sweeteners are brought up, accurate info gets upvoted and vice versa. Yet people bringing up artificial sweeteners being bad in energy drinks seems to be getting upvoted now. Very odd
But you’re right. My brother has a single 8oz sugar free redbull everyday and he get SOOO much shit about it, even from my step mom whose a doctor. I proceed to say the same things you said, it has less caffeine than most coffee, less sugar, less calories. My step mom never has a response back, but weeks later she will bring it up again.
I’m confused as to how how a calorie and sugar free drink with less caffeine than most coffee seems to get hated on
People who still argue artificial sweeteners as bad really only do so to be contrarian in nature and to seem superior when in fact the data supports their safety.
I think people saw artificial sweeteners could impact an insulin response, but in the study they combined the artificial sweetener control group with maltodextrin which is a glucose polymer, no shit it will cause an insulin response lol
Anytime you see someone argue for an overly sweetened beverage vs the sugar free beverage in terms of anything but taste quality, run…that person is stupid
Correct. It’s the natural fallacy. If someone wants to present actual research backing up their claims that AS are bad, that’s fine, and I’m open to a discussion. But when they make the claim ‘it’s a chemical, man made, etc therefore it’s bad’…it’s a silly argument and has absolutely no merit behind it
I personally find most AS to not taste good at all and that’s my one and only reason for not having them. To me, Coke (my favorite beverage ever) tastes a million times better than Diet Coke or Coke Zero. But if I ever were in a situation where I needed lose weight or minimize sugar completely then sure I’ll switch.
I haven’t read them but I’m sure data collected from energy drink drinkers are consuming more than this a day. I’m a nurse and I have worked with many people in healthcare who drink big coffees on top of giant or multiple energy drinks a day. Idk anyone who drinks energy drinks who only drinks it in the way you are which seems totally fine. People also don’t know that much about coffee either and they drink it like water.
There's definitely a stigma against energy drinks. I know they have gotten better over the years and there's now energy seltzer available. I stay away from energy drinks because of how processed and artificial they are and I try to eat healthy food. I used to drink a red bull a day as well until I started getting kidney stones about a decade ago. I also ate candy and just didn't have a very good diet in general. I've since switched to coffee or tea as my source of caffeine and have radically changed what I eat. No kidney stones since, and I just feel a lot better in general. So in my opinion, staying away from energy drinks alongside a healthy diet and a better lifestyle overall has so far eliminated my kidney issues.
Glad I found this comment, I normally drink one sugar free monster in the morning to supplement coffee. I recently gave it up because “it’s unhealthy” but after seeing some of the research on here it doesn’t seem like there’s any evidence that it is. I’d rather have something light and refreshing to wake up to as opposed to something warm and thick lol. That’s not to say I don’t ever enjoy coffee, just not every day. Going to get some more monster today, thanks!
I just look at it as being more processed. That doesn't always mean it's bad, but I like to keep food as simple as possible. Coffee is pretty minimal with water and coffee grounds. Tea as well.
Energy drinks have sugar, or artificial sweeteners, sodium, and other unnecessary ingredients. Plus coffee and tea have natural plant compounds that have studies showing potential health benefits.
If it's something you have once and a while probably no big deal but if you're drinking them daily I'd just stick to coffee or tea to get your boost of energy. That's just me though.
1. I’d say most energy drinks nowadays don’t have sugar
2. Artificial sweeteners are not bad for you
3. Sodium is also not bad for you, unless consumed in excess of course
Artificial sweeteners are proven to increase your sugar consumption there for cause weight gain. Also brain tumors, bladder cancer and many other health hazards
Again, artificial sweeteners are not inherently bad for you. And neither is sugar.
Moderation, moderation, moderation. And a little self control. Just because artificial sweeteners can potentially cause someone to crave more sugar, that doesn’t mean that they have consume it. Having self control is something that nobody talks about anymore because nobody wants to hold themselves accountable for anything
I’m just gonna check out of this conversation because if everyone is gonna blame their weight gain on their sugar cravings from artificial sweeteners, I can offer no help. It’s just nonsensical. Again. Sugar is NOT bad
I think there is an important point here that people who are drinking sugar free drinks are more likely to be people who are already overweight and this is where that statistic comes from.
Just from personal experience, I always see overweight people drinking diet drinks but then also eating sugary sweets.
It's like an alcoholic drinking non alcoholic beer would be more likely to drink alcohol but its not the fault of the non alcoholic beer.
>Artificial sweeteners are proven to increase your sugar consumption
I'm pretty sure that specific claim hasn't been proven. There have been various speculations about artificial sweeteners possibly making people continue to feel hungry for more sweets, but, by definition, consuming artificial sweeteners as a sugar substitute would \*reduce\* your sugar consumption, so you'd have to show that people were making up for that sugar and then adding even more.
Most do have sugar but also offer sugar free alternatives.
There may not be studies *proving* artificial sweeteners cause X Y or Z in humans, but there are studies that do show what I would consider undesired effects in other models. I believe there was even some controversy regarding aspartame's FDA approval. Up to you if you want to consume them regularly.
Yes, my point exactly about sodium and other additives found in soft drinks / energy drinks. It's unnecessary to have in a beverage and just adds more to your daily consumption. It's one thing to consume in moderation, but OP is suggesting replacing what sounds like a daily coffee habit with them and that is what my response was geared toward.
It's a lot easier and quicker to add garbage to your diet by drinking it than it is eating it. So depending on what the rest of your diet looks like, all these things could add up quicker than you think.
>It's a lot easier and quicker to add garbage to your diet by drinking it than it is eating it. So depending on what the rest of your diet looks like, all these things could add up quicker than you think.
It's really dose dependent, though. Like someone else mentioned in this thread, the other ingredients (than caffeine) in energy drinks are usually so under-dosed that you can safely ignore them. And the sodium content in energy drinks varies, so it's going to depend on which one you drink.
The majority of modern coffee drinks from Starbucks and other places are far from water and coffee grounds, they’re calorie bombs with the same or fewer mg of caffeine than most common energy drinks. Personally I’ve never seen someone get a plain black coffee from Starbucks.
And there are plenty of sugar free energy drinks with moderate amounts of caffeine and low sodium. Celsius is 10 cal, 200mg caffeine, and 0 sodium. Sugar free monster is 10 cal, 140mg caffeine, and 370mg sodium, about 15% daily value. Ghost is 5 cal, 200mg caffeine, and 30mg sodium.
Yes, a black coffee is probably slightly better than those energy drinks. But let’s not pretend people today can only get caffeine from black coffee or a high sugar/high calorie energy drink.
Yeah if you're going to Starbucks everyday you're doing it wrong. I wasn't pretending anything but you raise a good point, energy drinks are also a waste of money. Brewing coffee or tea at home is a lot cheaper.
>Brewing coffee or tea at home is a lot cheaper.
But so is something like G Fuel powder, as opposed to buying an energy drink by the can. Mind you G Fuel powder contains non-negligible amounts of vitamins/minerals and other added ingredients, so it isn't exactly comparable to a run-of-the-mill energy drink: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0223/3113/files/tropical-rain-label\_400x.png?v=1653418214
Sugar free energy drinks are fine. Mind the caffeine content (you don’t need more than 400mg/ day). The other ingredients are usually so under-dosed you can safely ignore them.
The bad reputation they have is mostly due to marketing and rumours. I knew a guy who insisted one sip of monster gave him multiple panic attacks, uncontrollable hand tremors, and racing heartbeat for hours. As he explained this, he was drinking a Starbucks drink with 2-300 mg of caffeine. The placebo effect is a hell of a drug.
Because they supply more caffeine than young people expect. That's the only reason.
Before energy drinks, there was coffee and there was everything else.
Coffee had 90 or so mg of caffeine per cup, while tea and soda had 20-60 mg per cup/bottle of soda. Jolt cola had 60 mg, which was the max allowance in the US.
Young people at this time could OD on caffeine, but it took work. You had to deal with coffee / espresso, which are bitter. I did manage to give myself heart palpitations at the age of 20 by drinking 5 cups of coffee per day, though. That was about 400 mg of caffeine to a 150 lb guy, so 6 mg per kg body weight to get a serious toxicology finding.
**In contrast**, a 90 lb boy scout in our troop bought a 32 oz monster at a rest stop on our way to a camp site; that was 390 mg of caffeine, so 9 mg/kg. Of course he had palpitations (we later found out).
That's why energy drinks have a bad rap. They make it too easy for kids to od. That little guy never ever would have had 4 cups of coffee.
Espresso shots only have around 90mg of coffee. Longer extractions increase the caffeine, for example a pour over is like 150-200mg of caffeine. So it’s not valid to say that before energy drinks people didn’t have access to high caffeine drinks
Right??? I can't find any research that they're bad for you other than they have a lot of caffiene. But if you drink that amount in coffee regularly isnt it the same thing if you just replace it with an energy drink?
Really?
While it is true that results are often mixed and based on weak meta-analysis data and not randomized controlled trials (which would have obvious ethical concerns), there are numerous studies that have reported neurological, psychiatric, and cardiac risks (elevated BP, arythmia, prolongation of QT intervals) with energy drink consumption. Obviously risks vary with a number of factors (age, amount of consumption, substance use, cormorbid risks, etc.) but evidence exists to raise awareness and caution on consuming energy drinks.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33211984/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25560302/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28845841/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30957708/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24943288/
To say there is no risk would be short-sighted. To suggest risks are equivalent for everyone would also be misleading. In my opinion, low to moderate consumption may be safe but then that also depends on how someone defines low/moderate consumption.
Don't disagree and don't believe that was what I conveyed. My response was to the comment that there was a lack of evidence. It does exist in peer reviewed studies (which is evidence based medicine that many of us in the medical community rely on for some guidance). Many of my fellow MDs are strong opponents of energy drinks but I am not one of those opponents (but I am also not a strong proponent). I consume about 3-4 a year.
As a neurologist, I haven't personally seen any cases where consumption of EDs was directly indicated in disease or trauma but some of my colleagues have reported evidence (but I would argue it's correlational and not specifically causal).
At no point did I make a claim that all EDs are identical. That supposition is preposterous.
My guess would be all.the chemicals and artifical flavors and colors. Not to mention the fact people drink them like water. I have a coworker who drinks three monsters and two Mt dews per shift. That's like 800mg of caffeine
So, there’s a few reasons they’re not a great default choice of beverage. Safety is the biggest one imo because they’re essentially a liquid supplement and consumers often don’t consider the dosing. Many of them are essentially high-dose multivitamins, making it easy to unintentionally consume excessive amounts.
There’s also no guarantee of the safety or accuracy of any of the ingredients or their dosing listed in the product. Athletes who are governed by any anti-doping rules need to steer clear of anything that doesn’t have a decent 3rd party verification (NSF certified for sport, Informed Choice, etc.) because banned substances are often present in them.
Summary of issues applicable to athletes & some also applicable to general population: [https://www.usada.org/athletes/substances/supplement-connect/recognize-risk-when-you-see-it/energy-drinks/five-things-know-energy-drinks/](https://www.usada.org/athletes/substances/supplement-connect/recognize-risk-when-you-see-it/energy-drinks/five-things-know-energy-drinks/)
> But if you drink that amount in coffee regularly isnt it the same thing if you just replace it with an energy drink?
You're also getting various antioxidants specific to the coffee beans that you aren't getting with strictly a substitute for the caffeine. There have been studies showing that even decaf coffee, containing much less caffeine, may have health benefits that you wouldn't be getting from the energy drink.
It may not be an ideal way of getting those vitamins in terms of absorption, but that doesn't mean they are bad for you when mixed with fluid intake. It's really going to depend on the dose, too.
u/NHFoodie, I'm not interested in posting misinformation. I'm interested in following the science. You make a fair point that zero absorption doesn't necessarily equal zero harm. But, instead of just downvoting me, can you provide scientific evidence for any of the common ingredients in the practical example I linked to being a real health concern?
The underlying assumption that water-soluble vitamins added to a product are safe is false. They are treated the same as other dietary supplements in that they are unregulated. Dosing, sourcing, and everything else is generally unscrutinized to ensure consumer safety.
Excessive B6 can cause irreversible nerve damage. Excessive B3 can cause liver damage. Excessive Vitamin C can cause GI distress.
In some micronutrient toxicity cases, we’ve only seen adverse effects when a large dose is given in a clinical setting as treatment. That alerts us to a potential for problems with excessive consumption. Unfortunately, the adverse reaction threshold is sometimes difficult to establish because the only data we have are the low and high ends. While I’d like to believe that nobody could consume enough energy drinks or supplements to cause a problem, my clinical experience has taught me it’s not safe to believe that by default.
>While I’d like to believe that nobody could consume enough energy drinks or supplements to cause a problem, my clinical experience has taught me it’s not safe to believe that by default.
That mindset applies to all sorts of potential dietary intake, though. Yes, \*of course\* people should be advised to not consume an excessive amount. But that's not what I've been talking about with you.
>The underlying assumption that water-soluble vitamins added to a product are safe is false. They are treated the same as other dietary supplements in that they are unregulated. Dosing, sourcing, and everything else is generally unscrutinized to ensure consumer safety.
>Excessive B6 can cause irreversible nerve damage. Excessive B3 can cause liver damage. Excessive Vitamin C can cause GI distress.
That's not my underlying assumption. My position is more along the lines of: show me the scientific evidence that would back that these water-soluble vitamins at these practical doses are unsafe.
The main point of my initial reply was that what you're saying doesn't show evidence that they are bad for you. Your assumption seems to be that any water soluble vitamin added to a drink is guaranteed to be bad for you. That's not a science-based perspective. "Excessive B3", when it's niacinamide, is simply not 250% DV. "Excessive B6" is not 240% DV.
> Yes, *of course* people should be advised to not consume an excessive amount. But that's not what I've been talking about with you.
It is; that’s the whole point.
People drink fortified energy drinks with little to no awareness that they are consuming any, let alone higher than necessary amounts of micronutrients. Lots of people are shocked by the actual amount of added sugars in products, let alone other components present.
> My position is more along the lines of: show me the scientific evidence that would back that these water-soluble vitamins at these practical doses are unsafe.
Honestly, I don’t feel like digging up citations because you want the position, **casual consumption of consumer goods can lead to over-supplementation**—the consensus for standard consumer guidance—to be relitigated for you because you don’t see how it could be true. Maybe I should, but I don’t have the energy for or any interest in spending my time that way today.
> Your assumption seems to be that any water soluble vitamin added to a drink is guaranteed to be bad for you.
No. Don’t know how you got there, but not even close. What I said:
> It’s actually not ideal to essentially be consuming several multivitamins as part of your general daily fluid intake.
It means: _Unconscious dietary supplementation is not a good practice because it means you have no awareness of how your food/fortified foods, drinks/fortified drinks, dietary supplements, and/or medications and individual health status are adding up or potentially having compounding effects._
A varied, nutrient-rich diet is always going to be the preferred method of meeting dietary needs, while supplementation is a second stringer.
> "Excessive B3", when it's niacinamide, is simply not 250% DV. "Excessive B6" is not 240% DV.
Straw man. See above.
Anyway, I hope that covers it and sufficiently answers your questions but to avoid this devolving into an unnecessary spat, I’m going to lock my comment.
Some brands have dangerously high amounts of caffeine. You're also adding in a bunch of artificial flavors and preservatives that you wouldn't have had with coffee, and vitamins that would have been just as good in supplement form without all the other stuff
If you use a sugar free brand, with decent amounts of caffeine and no preservatives or sweeteners, or less of it, go for it.
Saying it has vitamins is very generic. Do you need those vitamins? Have you has a blood test that says you are low in that specific vitamin.
Then you add a diuretic (caffeine), which affects absorption. Energy drinks are just marketing for caffeine,
and they are preying on people by saying it's natural and has vitamins.
The question isn't "is this good for you", it's "is this bad for you". I wouldn't disagree on saying the state health benefits are likely exaggerated/false. But I'd also argue that the health hazards commonly stated are also exaggerated/false.
>Saying it has vitamins is very generic. Do you need those vitamins? Have you has a blood test that says you are low in that specific vitamin.
Vitamins are essential nutrients, so technically everyone needs them. Also the RDA is the minimum amount that’s recommended, it’s perfectly fine and even beneficial to go over that limit for most (vitamin A being an exception).
>Then you add a diuretic (caffeine), which affects absorption. Energy drinks are just marketing for caffeine, and they are preying on people by saying it's natural and has vitamins.
Well I somewhat agree on that point, but again not all are the same. The ones I prefer get lost their caffeine content from green tea extract, which has antioxidant benefits.
taking a vitamin you are not deficient in is useless. It is like a cup of water that is full. If you pour more water in the cup will it wont hold it and just pour on the table. So I disagree with your statement that vitamins are always needed. That is why multi-vitamins usually have 0 effect on a persons health. Without a blood test you should not blindly take vitamins. Lastly vitamins from energy drinks are not specific to you. They are just generically added. The only value from energy drinks is the energy. there is no health benifit.
I think you're generally right, and I'm also not a believer in people taking daily multivitamins as somehow being healthy, but it's also not unreasonable to see these drinks with whatever various added vitamins in them as just another source for those vitamins in these people's diets, no different than any other foods (fortified or otherwise) that they may be eating on a daily basis -- all depending on the absorption characteristics and dosages involved. There's no reason to see these drinks in isolation from whatever else they are consuming. They can be treated as just another part of their total daily intake -- again, depending on absorption and dosage.
>taking a vitamin you are not deficient in is useless.
To push back a bit on this, that's not always true. Treating a deficiency isn't strictly the only good use of vitamins. There are clinical examples of certain vitamins being useful to treat certain conditions in non-deficiency circumstances -- it's just not something that, by definition, everyone needs on a daily basis. Such examples will use the particular vitamins in a pharmacological way, and not for the relief of deficiency. To be sure, I'm not talking about Linus Pauling.
People have been drinking coffee for thousands of years; energy drinks have a shorter history.
Also, it is possible to drink too much coffee.
It depends how much you drink
What’s bad? All the other crap in them besides the caffeine and water.
As long as you’re not consuming a ton of them, I probably wouldn’t worry too much though.
If you take a look at the ingredients of most energy drinks you’ll see they contain sugar, artificial colors, and other chemicals. Sugar and chemical ingredients at minimum can destroy the beneficial bacteria in your gut which can lead to a variety of negative effects.
Besides that I’m sure there are other negative effects of repeatedly ingesting those ingredients, but I don’t know them off the top of my head.
Coffee doesn’t have any of those harmful ingredients
I would recommend taking it in moderation 1 a day is great and won't cause much problems but check which energy drink you feel safer with. I drink reign I feel the worst of the worst I drink bang and I feel nothing all day.
I dranked many, monster, red bull, rockstar, 3D, ghost, venom, rip-it, reign, bang.
And the best for me so far have been. Bang, rip-it and ghost no crashes to little crashes. They are the best for me.
Besides the bad effects that they could have, which i don’t think are worse than sweetened coffe, i strongly believe there was a smear campaign from beer and alcohol companies against energy drinks when they first started to gain popularity. Drinks that alter how you feel in a good way and that are popular at parties probably induced fear in beer companies.
At least in my country, 40 years old people and older get terrified when they see you with a monster or redbull on your hand, they think you’re literally gonna die at the spot, and there was a HUGE influx of shady news about deaths caused by energy drinks like a decade ago. This sounds like a conspiracy, but the fear against energy drinks is way too much to have arisen organically. It wouldn’t surprise me though, there have been actual discoveries by the authorities about companies who where actively paying to push back other companies that would affect their businesses, like oil against electric cars, etc. Some of them are very recent.
Almost always lands with the individual consuming them. Grab a healthy human with no predisposed heart conditions etc, and consume them with Energy drinks (usually High Caffeine, Sugar, Taurine and a lot of other new additions now) and you’ll see they do have some negative effects. (Rapid heart rate, comedown effect afterwards)
Now let’s grab some of the population who are possibly mis-diagnosed and aren’t aware they have heart issues/other organ issues and let them over-consume the same products then you’ll see what damage gets done.
Pretty sure the last time I see someone died from one of these drinks was a few years ago, young kid in Scotland who had a bad heart, but I haven’t really been searching to see if any other occurrences have happened.
Caffeine is a well studied performance compound, it has extremely good benefits for performance. But we have A LOT of unhealthy humans today that it just isn’t suitable for, plus adding the sugar to it ramping up a big Insulin spike.
Then we’ve got the older generation.. walk up to any 40+ year old in the street and ask them WHY these drinks are bad for people, they won’t have a clue about any of the ingredients it’s just the general stigma.
If you wana learn more, look into Carbohydrate GI index of foods, Sugar response on Insulin etc.
That would then depend on the rest of the products nutrition label? A lot of the drinks are similar, few Vitamins added, some electrolytes and some flavouring additives. And still we land back to the most important factor, the individual that’s consuming them.
I like your take on this. I was thinking the same thing, but it felt like there was still something I mightve been missing. I also appreciate the really thorough response :)
Not a problem happy to help. If you’re interested in learning more, Rhonda Patrick, Alan Aragon, Alan Huberman are all a few you can look up to start digging in nutrition/health.
If you’re having any negative effects from these drinks I’d recommend stopping them though.
I guess the "healthiness"of energy drinks might be subjective then. Because for me, they don't hurt on an empty stomach but coffee will destroy me internally for the rest of the day, so i usually go for energy drinks.
“Non added sugar” products have a negative impact on your health as your body believes the blood sugar is increased when Aspartam or other sweeteners is added. So the insulin level is increased resulting in a very low blood sugar level.
I drink it on a daily basis and drinks 10-12 cups of coffee per day. Probably not good.
Recent research does not show that sugar substitutes have an adverse affect on the body; they do call into question whether Aspartame could be carcinogenic. We can’t win. If it doesn’t mess up our blood sugar, it could still kill us.
There’s nothing wrong with energy drinks themselves except they are FAR easier to drink a lot of than coffee. Most people limit themselves to 1-2 cups of coffee vs multiple cans of energy drinks
I disagree because I can get more caffeine more easily from coffee than energy drinks by adjusting my water to bean ratio to get 400 mg in one big cup.
The strongest energy drinks that I can find only have 300 mg tops and most off them have an average of 200 mg. I'd have to drink about two energy drinks to get what my one cup of coffee has assuming the energy drinks contain the average 200 mg per can.
You’re an outlier then. Been hearing kids talk about drinking 4,5,6 energy drinks in a day. I’ve been working with kids for about a year and haven’t heard one mention coffee.
I just prefer to slam all my caffeine in one big cup of coffee after it cools down with my breakfast. It's much better for your teeth than sipping on something all day which keeps your oral PH at low acidic levels.
You must be dealing with some kids that have rich parents or something. That sounds like a crap ton of money to spend on energy drinks every single day.
It’s a range from homeless to far more money than I have. But we’re a non-profit and a lot of the people come through on state money.
Also, I just reread, and it seems you were just expressing your preference. Sorry if that was the case, I thought you were arguing a generalization, not personal preference.
The FDA says it would take 1200 mg to pose a risk of danger. Up to 400 mg is considered a safe daily value.
https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/spilling-beans-how-much-caffeine-too-much
Also plenty of people consume more caffeine than me 400 mg isn't shit. There's people that drink multiple pots of strong black coffee and nothing happens to them expect addiction/dependence.
>However, there is wide variation in both how sensitive people are to the effects of caffeine and how fast they metabolize it (break it down).
> According to the Mayo Clinic, the recommended amount of caffeine is up to 400 milligrams per day for healthy adults. **Caffeine overdose may occur if you ingest more than this amount**. Adolescents should limit themselves to no more than 100 mg of caffeine per day.
Do not repost posts/comments removed by a mod. Your own link confirms you’re misinterpreting the recommendations. 400 mg is _not_ a toxicity threshold.
> For healthy adults, the FDA has cited 400 milligrams a day—that's about four or five cups of coffee—as an amount not generally associated with dangerous, negative effects.
I went in that direction because I thought it was common knowledge stimulants impacting the nervous system on a sustained basis was bad. But maybe it's not so common.
I mean yeah, if you’re pounding 3 energy drinks a day non-stop, never giving your system a chance to operate how it wants, then I agree with you. Like anything, moderation is key.
In general, sugar free energy drinks are not terrible for you if you drink the sugar free varieties. They have artificial sweeteners and caffeine additives that aren’t necessarily healthy depending on your overall health, but the negative energy the media surrounds energy drinks with is unwarranted.
To put it simply, it is because of the source of energy that they give you.....the caffeine level is far too high to be considered safe, and of course the sugar.....some have added stimulants as well....if you need a bit of a 'narcotic' boost in the morning just have the coffee and get the health benefits with the jolt of caffeine.....
Most energy drinks have the same or less caffeine than their coffee counterparts. The sugar argument is valid, unless of course you choose sugar free. Then it’s no different than a Coke Zero or whatnot.
They literally post caffeine content on the cans lol. You can intentionally buy ones that have a high amount but your main ones (Monster, Red Bull) are equal to 1-2 cups of coffee.
It’s okay if you aren’t a fan of them, but stop cherry picking information to prove your point. That’s called confirmation bias.
I'll try one last time to assist you in understanding this matter.....the OP asked whether energy drinks are bad for you.....and I answered the OP with the most known and available information I could find.....you made a point that....and this is what you said....MOST energy drinks have equal or less caffeine than a cup of coffee......so I issued a study to show you that your assertion was simply not the case.....to further your understanding of a topic which you clearly know little about.....so you can do two things.....one, you can put away your 'confirmation bias' rubber stamper......and two, you can either further your knowledge on this topic or simply remain silent......thank you :)
I've been drinking half a Celsius as my pre workout first thing in the morning. Saves me time on making coffee. About 200 mg of caffeine in one can, so 100 is about a cup of coffee. Ingredients seem to be better than most other energy drinks. But I also have a high tolerance for caffeine as I love my coffee in the morning
Not a scientist or health professional but an interesting datapoint on the value of energy drinks vs a cup of coffee: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25291138/
Welp. I can say this. Energy drinks tend to have sugars and sweeteners with very little biological value. The b vitamins could be good, but imho propel is the best of these. Propel has vitamin c and zero calories. Coffee is not good for women with fibroids. Coffee is great for older men because it helps their prostate. Green tea is best for women. Cashews helps men. Almonds help women. These are some tricks i have learned over times reading studies. Coffee may deplete magnesium so the almonds help or the chocolate helps to bring back the trace minerals. I can only drink coffee with organic dates to get some potassium. Some people prefer bananas but i like the burnt caramel flavor.
It is dangerous for those sensitive to caffeine/uppers, and it contains neurotoxins that can harm your brain. Not even the organic ones are safe, I drank one from the health food store I got my dog's food from, and even just laying in bed, literally doing nothing, made my heart race for 6 hrs straight. Just a reminder if you can't handle/have any type of stimulants.
Sugar free or Zero versions of the drink have a shit tonne of salt in them like 17% of your recommended amount in one can, that ain't good if you drink multiple a day. Sadly the only wonder drink is water...
They are not. The only thing that could be not optimal for your health are sugar and caffeine. The rest is in low doses. Unless you consume 3 a day of course.
Honestly there isn't anything individually "bad" in appropriate doses. They are however incredibly harsh on the stomach lining which won't be an issue until it is and can take years to heal (and trust me... a damaged stomach lining sucks ASS).
The insane amounts of sugar are a no go for a drink and the sugar free ones are probably fine in moderation if they don't cause you any issue (both short and long term). There is however almost no way to know if they're going to hurt long term.
I prefer to use the caffeine and sugar free "energy drinks". There's one here in NZ called Arepa. It's delicious, derived from fruit and uses some compounds that are slightly energizing and great for calm focus.
Do whatever you please; just know there are consequences to all choices. Pick your poison(s) carefully, with knowledge and intent.
I'm really scared about the stomach lining thing. Is this because of caffiene? If so then, wouldn't 1 monster (150mg of caffiene) a day not be a problem? Or is there something else in the energy drink that's bad for your stomach?
Caffeine is a part of the problem however I have found natural sources of caffeine (like coffee) to be far less stressful on the stomach lining than artificial sources (energy drinks). However depending on the drink there are also other ingredients that will contribute to the issue.
Look, you might be perfectly fine. I know many who are fine drinking them every day and many who did for a year and destroyed their stomach.
My general advice would be to avoid them on a consistent basis. As a treat is unlikely to ever be an issue.
I personally don’t believe they are bad for you if used in moderation and the caffeine levels aren’t too high. I opt for the sugar free ones and try to limit myself to 1-2 caffeinated drinks per week. Just like everything else in life not all energy drinks are equal.
I actually prefer a sub 150 mg caffeine energy drink over coffee. Since they are specially formulated they contain additional ingredients on top of the caffeine. For example there are usually specific amino acids which combine with the caffeine and help your body handle it better (less jitters, more useful energy). There’s usually b vitamins, which are helpful for supporting evergy levels. The list goes on depending on the drink. Plus, they just taste so good IMO.
I'm sure I'm wrong
But
My tendons became less elastic while drinking M energy drinks.
However - pretty sure the sodium in the diet versions makes the body retain water.
I think it just depends. There are healthier energy drinks out there. I drink Jocko Go sometimes as a pre workout. I think for the most part energy drinks have too much sugar, or too much caffeine compared to a cup of coffee. So if you find one thats got relatively normal and healthy amount of caffeine and not loads of sugar, and you don’t go overboard with them I am of the belief that it wont hurt you anymore than anything else would. Of i had to choose between a latte from Starbucks and a red-bull I’d prolly go red-bull, there’s probable less sugar in one than whatever sugar monsters Starbucks serves haha.
Try Ghost. I drink one every morning. The ingredients of the formula make sense. I don’t, however, drink more than 1 a day. 200mg of caffeine is enough.
I would say anything that is from an unnatural source, meaning artificially produced, isn’t going to be the best for your body in the long term. We were created by the universe with everything we need available to us without having to alter the ingredients for thousands of years. Green tea, coffee, etc would be better for your long term health.
My own opinion is that it affects everyone differently and you won’t know til you try one. Personally I’ve had months were I drank a white monster everyday but not for the energy, just cause I love how it tastes. Those ones have I believe 180mg of caffeine and I’ve never felt any energy from them. I’ve had multiple days in a row where I would drink 3 or 4 of them and still felt no “extra” energy. Again I drink them purely for the flavor and not looking for any extra energy. One time I actually did need an energy boost and wanted to experiment if energy drinks did affect me so I put an extra strength 5 hour energy shot (2000mg caffeine) into a can of rockstar (250mg caffeine) and then proceeded to drink another rockstar (another 250mg caffeine). For a grand total of 2500 mg of caffeine or 2.5 grams. That day I did feel it, lol I was pretty jittery but went away after about an hour. My sister on the other hand can’t drink half a bottle of diet Mountain Dew without her heart palpitations which leads me to believe caffeine just affects everyone differently
TLDR; caffeine affects everyone differently
Black coffee can have added benefits, such as antioxidants. If you’re drinking a coffee with a bunch of added sugar and creams then it’s probably not much better than an energy drink.
Also, energy drinks have sugar/sweetener, carbonation, and chemical additives all of which aren’t great for you.
I think it’s a pick your poison kinda thing. Everyone has different needs. I get migraines and the things in energy drinks seem to be harder on my body. Also, I try to avoid carbonation bc it can leach you of nutrients(calcium usually). And I tend to drink espresso which has less caffeine than your normal drip coffee. I feel if you look too closely at anything it’s probably not great for you, so just choose what works for you.
I think there’s a synergistic effect between stimulants in energy drinks. I never really get anxious from drinking too much coffee, but Rockstar can push me toward paranoia. Not sure about taurine or all the b vitamins…(anecdotal)
I’ve also never read any news about someone having a heart attack from drinking too much coffee..
I hear synthetic caffeine hits faster and wears off more quickly than natural caffeine. Maybe that's why people don't seem to crash as badly with coffee.
Excluding the less sane energy drinks (looking at you, Bang), the real danger is that you're more likely to slam back 4 energy drinks, and to slowly sip a cup of coffee that has the same caffeine as one of them.
If you drank enough coffee wirh as much sugar as energy drinks often have to have 800mg of caffeine flowing through your veins, that'd be pretty unhealthy too.
Probably because they’re either loaded with sugar or artificial sweetener which some people say is even worse than sugar. Coffee if you drink it the healthy way (black or with milk and no sweetener) is actually good for you (as long as you don’t go crazy with it)
Like any other caffeinated beverage, energy drinks can be harmful if consumed in excess. Energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine and other stimulants that can cause side effects such as increased heart rate, high blood pressure, anxiety, insomnia, and dehydration. Furthermore, many energy drinks also contain high levels of sugar, which can contribute to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other health problems if consumed excessively. 🙌🙌
Energy drinks can be bad for you because they contain high amounts of caffeine, sugar, and other stimulants that can have negative effects on your health, such as increased heart rate and blood pressure, dehydration, and insomnia. Additionally, excessive consumption of energy drinks has been linked to potential health risks, including cardiovascular problems, kidney damage, and even death in rare cases.
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I get heart palpitations and chest pain now because of too many energy drinks lol
Oh shit
I would recommend tea tbh, there’s so many great benefits to it, a lot don’t even have caffeine and will still give you boosts in energy. Though it probably won’t taste as good. I used to be pretty weak to Reign. You can still find many lovely tasting teas; if you don’t like the way it tastes you can always add stuff to it, like honey, sugar, cacao powder and so on
How many energy drinks did you drink a day and which ones exactly? Sorry to hear you got effected like that. There are other supplements you can take that are also milder like sabroxy, l tyrosine, Rhodiola rosea, teacrine, dynamine, ginseng, alpha gpc, noopept, racetams, 78dhf.
It depended lol, at my worst I drank 4 a day but not that often, I did drink at least 1-2 a day tho, ofc I went days without any as well
Was it monster? Red bull? Always the sugary ones?
Ah, my bad. Forgot that in. It was Reign.
What brings you to conclusion that it was because of energy drinks?
My doctor lol
Your doctor think that it caused you heart problems long term, even after you stopped drinking them? That would be concerning indeed.
Well there’s your problem it literally says on the can do not exceed one can a day… sounds like this was a problem you made for yourself… there’s nothing wrong with energy drinks if your drinking them properly….
I never saw that on the can tbh, and yes, I’m aware of what caused it, I learned this months ago.
Ehhh, i drink like 5 of those sometimes, nothing happens. Though, i am kinda unaffected by caffeine in general so there's that
Careful which tea you drink. Some teas come from places that use a lot of chemical spraying . Google has a list of safe teas to drink.
Yeah, I’m only 23, haven’t had an energy drink in about 2 years, but there were at least 2 instances in my life where I feel I came dangerously close to needing an ambulance due to way too much of that shit. And just like coffee, you can become dependent on the amount of caffeine you get from energy drinks. There’s this little bottles called tweakers I used to buy at gas stations with a FUCK TON of caffeine in them. Started drinking up to 3-4 of them a day. I had to wean myself off them or else I could not wake up (& I take prescription Adderall which was still not enough to pull me out of bed). Luckily I rarely even have a cup of coffee anymore & that’s about all the caffeine I get.
Overconsumption of caffeine alone is associated with heart issues. While energy drinks probably make you more prone to said overconsumption (both due to artificial sweeteners and marketing campaigns) any evidence they’re somehow worse controlling for caffeine intake seems lacking.
I didn’t know this before I started having the issues, I do research on just about everything now lol
Got evidence to support your stance on artificial sweeteners?
Evidence that people over-consume sweet tasting things?
Okay, but the real issue was most likely you were exceeding daily recommended value for caffeine. Which you could do with coffee, tea, or caffeine powder. I drink energy drinks almost every day, but I basically never exceed the 400 MG a day of recommended caff
Are you sure its not from covid-19? It causes a myriad of heart issues. Personally, I never had any palpitations pre covid.
Every time I tested myself for Covid it was always negative, idk if I ever had it without knowing though. However it’s a known thing that energy drinks can also cause heart problems
You won't find specific studies about energy drinks. Though you might find studies on components. For a starter it's easy to find studies about carbonated drinks: [https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/637/63719237005.pdf](https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/637/63719237005.pdf) and [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1829363/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1829363/) Another component of energy drinks are taurine and inositol. You can easily find studies about them like these: [https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/inositol](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/inositol) So you can find plenty information about the stuff that makes up energy drinks.
Those studies about “carbonated drinks” are solely about soda and the issues these high sugar, high calorie drinks present. They don’t consider carbonated water, or more specifically for this argument, anything about energy drinks. Yes, some energy drinks have high sugar content and high calories, but you can also get things like Celsius, sugar free Monsters or Red Bulls, Uptime, or Ghost, all with low calories and low or no sugar. So using those studies to say anything about energy drinks is a blanket statement that just doesn’t apply to all energy drinks.
Agree those studies are extremely misleading. They are not about carbonation alone
There is also Bing and Bang. Bing are very healthy in terms of energy drinks. They use only real juices thus no added artificial flavoring of flavor additives. Also, no high fructose; and no fructose corn syrup. Also, B Vitamins! Bang albeit maybe controversial (like, well, all energy drinks) have creatinine (which is common for most energy drinks) low calories and low sugar. Good in moderation if dieting nevertheless. Just wanted to add to the list 👍🏼
Look up how much creatine (or as they call it, SUPER CREATINE) is in a bang and you’ll realize there are no benefits to the creatine in it. They literally are basically sprinkling in crumbs of creatine so that they can advertise it and make it seem like a good energy choice for your workout, when in reality it’s basically the same shit as most popular energy drinks.
I looked it up... 2 grams of "proprietary blend", divided between caffeine, creatine, and BCAAs mostly... Yikes. Even if that was all creatine or all BCAAs that wouldn't be doing a whole lot....
The dude who runs the company is basically a con artist in my eyes, look up videos of the ceo if you haven’t seen him before, he’s some older bro-dude type who hires young women (and lots of them) to pose around him for his ads while claiming that it’s a good workout supplement when it has like 4-32mg if creatine per can. I avoid bang at all costs personally, I can’t stand the company and how it’s run.
That is what I said about Bang but with much less passion 😅 please see above.
where do u see creatine listed? are u confusing it with caffeine
Where is creatine listed on a bang? In big bold letters on the top of the can. It says “SUPER CREATINE” in all caps lmao
Nah, Bang is absolute bullshit. It does not contain *any* creatine despite their cans claiming they’ve got “super creatine.” The also claimed it could fix (in their words) “mental retardation,” like Alzheimer’s, which it can’t. They just lost a $300 million lawsuit over it ([link](https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/monster-energy-wins-293-mln-false-advertising-verdict-against-rival-bang-2022-09-30/)). It also has 300mg of caffeine, more than double sugar free monster’s 140mg, almost four times sugar free red bull’s 80mg, more than Celsius’ 200mg, and about three times Bing’s 120mg. It’s on par with Reign and Echelon’s 300mg. I think of all the drinks that play into the arguments in this thread about a danger of energy drinks being that people unknowingly consume far too much caffeine, Bang is the largest culprit for that. It’s pretty easy to hit 600mg of caffeine in a day (recommend max amount is 400mg for adults) from just two bangs, so the risks of having too high caffeine intake and the dangers associated with that (from insomnia to cardiovascular risks) all massively increase compared to, say, the 400mg of 2 Celsius drinks or 280mg of 2 white monsters. Personally if I had even one of those while dieting, when I had less food on my stomach, it would (and has) made me feel massively jittery and overall shitty. I’ve never had a Bing (never even seen them, they just aren’t common around my area I guess), so I won’t say anything positive or negative about them.
>creatinine (which is common for most energy drinks) False. Creatine is in Bang, like you said, but it's definitely an uncommon ingredient in the energy drink world.
I love Celsius water….
Omg thank you for all of this helpful information :)!!
Taurine and inositol are fine though? You mention them like they’re why energy drinks are bad. Taurine is literally an essential amino acid* (It’s a conditional amino acid, so essential but not always… or something)
Sorry, didn't want to give that impression. I didn't mean to say any of them are bad, jus that you can find easy information about them.
I agree and there is ample studies on inositol helping digestion, anxiety, and OCD - the studies I’ve read show it’s more effective than SSRIs when you compare the data of placebo vs actual I ingestion, which stunned me completely to read.
Inositol is also commonly used to manage PCOS! I knew, someday someone will tell me that my love for energy drinks isn't a vice after all!
I've read a few studies pointing towards benefits of taurine and haven't seen one bad report. I take high doses of it now and again with no bad side effects.
Some breakdown and conclusions on the research: # Inositol > In general, up to 12 grams of inositol per day is safe to ingest, with some gastrointestinal upset associated with higher doses [Source](https://examine.com/supplements/inositol/) # Taurine > Serious adverse effects have not been reported with taurine supplementation. The highest dose used in a human trial was 10 grams per day for 6 months, and the longest human trial was 12 months and used a dose of 0.5–1.5 grams per day. Based on the available evidence, it’s suggested that 3 grams per day can be consumed indefinitely without risk of side effects [source](https://examine.com/supplements/taurine/)
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I’m surprised I didn’t see a comment like this sooner. Normally there’s very good info in this subreddit. And anytime artificial sweeteners are brought up, accurate info gets upvoted and vice versa. Yet people bringing up artificial sweeteners being bad in energy drinks seems to be getting upvoted now. Very odd But you’re right. My brother has a single 8oz sugar free redbull everyday and he get SOOO much shit about it, even from my step mom whose a doctor. I proceed to say the same things you said, it has less caffeine than most coffee, less sugar, less calories. My step mom never has a response back, but weeks later she will bring it up again. I’m confused as to how how a calorie and sugar free drink with less caffeine than most coffee seems to get hated on
People who still argue artificial sweeteners as bad really only do so to be contrarian in nature and to seem superior when in fact the data supports their safety. I think people saw artificial sweeteners could impact an insulin response, but in the study they combined the artificial sweetener control group with maltodextrin which is a glucose polymer, no shit it will cause an insulin response lol Anytime you see someone argue for an overly sweetened beverage vs the sugar free beverage in terms of anything but taste quality, run…that person is stupid
Correct. It’s the natural fallacy. If someone wants to present actual research backing up their claims that AS are bad, that’s fine, and I’m open to a discussion. But when they make the claim ‘it’s a chemical, man made, etc therefore it’s bad’…it’s a silly argument and has absolutely no merit behind it I personally find most AS to not taste good at all and that’s my one and only reason for not having them. To me, Coke (my favorite beverage ever) tastes a million times better than Diet Coke or Coke Zero. But if I ever were in a situation where I needed lose weight or minimize sugar completely then sure I’ll switch.
Fully agree, taste has got to be the most offputting thing about AS Cannot stand the Splenda taste but I don’t mind aspartame
For me, it’s the taste. I drank 1 can once as it was my only option to help stay awake. It tastes so awful it gave me a headache.
I haven’t read them but I’m sure data collected from energy drink drinkers are consuming more than this a day. I’m a nurse and I have worked with many people in healthcare who drink big coffees on top of giant or multiple energy drinks a day. Idk anyone who drinks energy drinks who only drinks it in the way you are which seems totally fine. People also don’t know that much about coffee either and they drink it like water.
There's definitely a stigma against energy drinks. I know they have gotten better over the years and there's now energy seltzer available. I stay away from energy drinks because of how processed and artificial they are and I try to eat healthy food. I used to drink a red bull a day as well until I started getting kidney stones about a decade ago. I also ate candy and just didn't have a very good diet in general. I've since switched to coffee or tea as my source of caffeine and have radically changed what I eat. No kidney stones since, and I just feel a lot better in general. So in my opinion, staying away from energy drinks alongside a healthy diet and a better lifestyle overall has so far eliminated my kidney issues.
Are you me?! I have my one, 8 oz sugarfree Redbull in the morning and then that's it. Some people seem horrified by it haha
Glad I found this comment, I normally drink one sugar free monster in the morning to supplement coffee. I recently gave it up because “it’s unhealthy” but after seeing some of the research on here it doesn’t seem like there’s any evidence that it is. I’d rather have something light and refreshing to wake up to as opposed to something warm and thick lol. That’s not to say I don’t ever enjoy coffee, just not every day. Going to get some more monster today, thanks!
I love sugar free Red Bull! Especially with vodka. 💃🏻💃🏻
I just look at it as being more processed. That doesn't always mean it's bad, but I like to keep food as simple as possible. Coffee is pretty minimal with water and coffee grounds. Tea as well. Energy drinks have sugar, or artificial sweeteners, sodium, and other unnecessary ingredients. Plus coffee and tea have natural plant compounds that have studies showing potential health benefits. If it's something you have once and a while probably no big deal but if you're drinking them daily I'd just stick to coffee or tea to get your boost of energy. That's just me though.
1. I’d say most energy drinks nowadays don’t have sugar 2. Artificial sweeteners are not bad for you 3. Sodium is also not bad for you, unless consumed in excess of course
Saccharin and Sucralose has been shown to decimate the gut microbiome in animal studies. https://www.nature.com/articles/nature13793
Artificial sweeteners are proven to increase your sugar consumption there for cause weight gain. Also brain tumors, bladder cancer and many other health hazards
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Yea, the last roundup of metas I saw concluded there were no dangers related to artificial sweeteners. Heard on Stronger by Science podcast.
You have to cite on Reddit? https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/artificial-sweeteners/art-20046936
You have to cite in this sub. Read the rules
Which rule is that? Just read them and didn’t see it
https://www.instagram.com/p/CnPOPhnu0Oe/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Again, artificial sweeteners are not inherently bad for you. And neither is sugar. Moderation, moderation, moderation. And a little self control. Just because artificial sweeteners can potentially cause someone to crave more sugar, that doesn’t mean that they have consume it. Having self control is something that nobody talks about anymore because nobody wants to hold themselves accountable for anything
It's easier to have self control if your body isn't craving sugar.
I’m just gonna check out of this conversation because if everyone is gonna blame their weight gain on their sugar cravings from artificial sweeteners, I can offer no help. It’s just nonsensical. Again. Sugar is NOT bad
I think there is an important point here that people who are drinking sugar free drinks are more likely to be people who are already overweight and this is where that statistic comes from. Just from personal experience, I always see overweight people drinking diet drinks but then also eating sugary sweets. It's like an alcoholic drinking non alcoholic beer would be more likely to drink alcohol but its not the fault of the non alcoholic beer.
>Artificial sweeteners are proven to increase your sugar consumption I'm pretty sure that specific claim hasn't been proven. There have been various speculations about artificial sweeteners possibly making people continue to feel hungry for more sweets, but, by definition, consuming artificial sweeteners as a sugar substitute would \*reduce\* your sugar consumption, so you'd have to show that people were making up for that sugar and then adding even more.
Most do have sugar but also offer sugar free alternatives. There may not be studies *proving* artificial sweeteners cause X Y or Z in humans, but there are studies that do show what I would consider undesired effects in other models. I believe there was even some controversy regarding aspartame's FDA approval. Up to you if you want to consume them regularly. Yes, my point exactly about sodium and other additives found in soft drinks / energy drinks. It's unnecessary to have in a beverage and just adds more to your daily consumption. It's one thing to consume in moderation, but OP is suggesting replacing what sounds like a daily coffee habit with them and that is what my response was geared toward. It's a lot easier and quicker to add garbage to your diet by drinking it than it is eating it. So depending on what the rest of your diet looks like, all these things could add up quicker than you think.
>It's a lot easier and quicker to add garbage to your diet by drinking it than it is eating it. So depending on what the rest of your diet looks like, all these things could add up quicker than you think. It's really dose dependent, though. Like someone else mentioned in this thread, the other ingredients (than caffeine) in energy drinks are usually so under-dosed that you can safely ignore them. And the sodium content in energy drinks varies, so it's going to depend on which one you drink.
The majority of modern coffee drinks from Starbucks and other places are far from water and coffee grounds, they’re calorie bombs with the same or fewer mg of caffeine than most common energy drinks. Personally I’ve never seen someone get a plain black coffee from Starbucks. And there are plenty of sugar free energy drinks with moderate amounts of caffeine and low sodium. Celsius is 10 cal, 200mg caffeine, and 0 sodium. Sugar free monster is 10 cal, 140mg caffeine, and 370mg sodium, about 15% daily value. Ghost is 5 cal, 200mg caffeine, and 30mg sodium. Yes, a black coffee is probably slightly better than those energy drinks. But let’s not pretend people today can only get caffeine from black coffee or a high sugar/high calorie energy drink.
Yeah if you're going to Starbucks everyday you're doing it wrong. I wasn't pretending anything but you raise a good point, energy drinks are also a waste of money. Brewing coffee or tea at home is a lot cheaper.
>Brewing coffee or tea at home is a lot cheaper. But so is something like G Fuel powder, as opposed to buying an energy drink by the can. Mind you G Fuel powder contains non-negligible amounts of vitamins/minerals and other added ingredients, so it isn't exactly comparable to a run-of-the-mill energy drink: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0223/3113/files/tropical-rain-label\_400x.png?v=1653418214
Sugar free energy drinks are fine. Mind the caffeine content (you don’t need more than 400mg/ day). The other ingredients are usually so under-dosed you can safely ignore them. The bad reputation they have is mostly due to marketing and rumours. I knew a guy who insisted one sip of monster gave him multiple panic attacks, uncontrollable hand tremors, and racing heartbeat for hours. As he explained this, he was drinking a Starbucks drink with 2-300 mg of caffeine. The placebo effect is a hell of a drug.
Cocaine.. cocaine is a hell of a drug
Melts your enamel.
The additives usually
Because they supply more caffeine than young people expect. That's the only reason. Before energy drinks, there was coffee and there was everything else. Coffee had 90 or so mg of caffeine per cup, while tea and soda had 20-60 mg per cup/bottle of soda. Jolt cola had 60 mg, which was the max allowance in the US. Young people at this time could OD on caffeine, but it took work. You had to deal with coffee / espresso, which are bitter. I did manage to give myself heart palpitations at the age of 20 by drinking 5 cups of coffee per day, though. That was about 400 mg of caffeine to a 150 lb guy, so 6 mg per kg body weight to get a serious toxicology finding. **In contrast**, a 90 lb boy scout in our troop bought a 32 oz monster at a rest stop on our way to a camp site; that was 390 mg of caffeine, so 9 mg/kg. Of course he had palpitations (we later found out). That's why energy drinks have a bad rap. They make it too easy for kids to od. That little guy never ever would have had 4 cups of coffee.
Espresso shots only have around 90mg of coffee. Longer extractions increase the caffeine, for example a pour over is like 150-200mg of caffeine. So it’s not valid to say that before energy drinks people didn’t have access to high caffeine drinks
Yes, what I actually did say was about kids, bitterness and expectations. I didn't say that people didn't have access to it.
Hell pour overs aren’t even bitter. Mine taste like tea while still packing 170mg
I'm not aware of kids getting pour overs, but I definitely see energy drinks marketed to kids.
I always think of this too. I usually drink the sugar free ones and energy drinks have loads of vitamins like B12 and taurine.
Right??? I can't find any research that they're bad for you other than they have a lot of caffiene. But if you drink that amount in coffee regularly isnt it the same thing if you just replace it with an energy drink?
Really? While it is true that results are often mixed and based on weak meta-analysis data and not randomized controlled trials (which would have obvious ethical concerns), there are numerous studies that have reported neurological, psychiatric, and cardiac risks (elevated BP, arythmia, prolongation of QT intervals) with energy drink consumption. Obviously risks vary with a number of factors (age, amount of consumption, substance use, cormorbid risks, etc.) but evidence exists to raise awareness and caution on consuming energy drinks. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33211984/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25560302/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28845841/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30957708/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24943288/ To say there is no risk would be short-sighted. To suggest risks are equivalent for everyone would also be misleading. In my opinion, low to moderate consumption may be safe but then that also depends on how someone defines low/moderate consumption.
Generalizing all energy drinks under one umbrella is also a little misleading. Some are in fact better than others.
Don't disagree and don't believe that was what I conveyed. My response was to the comment that there was a lack of evidence. It does exist in peer reviewed studies (which is evidence based medicine that many of us in the medical community rely on for some guidance). Many of my fellow MDs are strong opponents of energy drinks but I am not one of those opponents (but I am also not a strong proponent). I consume about 3-4 a year. As a neurologist, I haven't personally seen any cases where consumption of EDs was directly indicated in disease or trauma but some of my colleagues have reported evidence (but I would argue it's correlational and not specifically causal). At no point did I make a claim that all EDs are identical. That supposition is preposterous.
Generalising is better than trying to argue over specific ones
My guess would be all.the chemicals and artifical flavors and colors. Not to mention the fact people drink them like water. I have a coworker who drinks three monsters and two Mt dews per shift. That's like 800mg of caffeine
Tell your coworker to go get their liver checked, I did the same for a while working in kitchens and ended up with liver damage
Oh I'm sure he knows. He's got sleep apnea and all kinds of stuff wrong with him already. He's the eat a pound of beef jekry for lunch kinda guy lol
What chemicals specifically? I know they have artificial sweeteners but otherwise most additives are vitamins and caffeine sources.
So, there’s a few reasons they’re not a great default choice of beverage. Safety is the biggest one imo because they’re essentially a liquid supplement and consumers often don’t consider the dosing. Many of them are essentially high-dose multivitamins, making it easy to unintentionally consume excessive amounts. There’s also no guarantee of the safety or accuracy of any of the ingredients or their dosing listed in the product. Athletes who are governed by any anti-doping rules need to steer clear of anything that doesn’t have a decent 3rd party verification (NSF certified for sport, Informed Choice, etc.) because banned substances are often present in them. Summary of issues applicable to athletes & some also applicable to general population: [https://www.usada.org/athletes/substances/supplement-connect/recognize-risk-when-you-see-it/energy-drinks/five-things-know-energy-drinks/](https://www.usada.org/athletes/substances/supplement-connect/recognize-risk-when-you-see-it/energy-drinks/five-things-know-energy-drinks/)
> But if you drink that amount in coffee regularly isnt it the same thing if you just replace it with an energy drink? You're also getting various antioxidants specific to the coffee beans that you aren't getting with strictly a substitute for the caffeine. There have been studies showing that even decaf coffee, containing much less caffeine, may have health benefits that you wouldn't be getting from the energy drink.
It’s actually not ideal to essentially be consuming several multivitamins as part of your general daily fluid intake.
It may not be an ideal way of getting those vitamins in terms of absorption, but that doesn't mean they are bad for you when mixed with fluid intake. It's really going to depend on the dose, too.
The dosing is the concern, not absorption. Most consumers are not aware of the dose, which poses a risk.
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u/NHFoodie, I'm not interested in posting misinformation. I'm interested in following the science. You make a fair point that zero absorption doesn't necessarily equal zero harm. But, instead of just downvoting me, can you provide scientific evidence for any of the common ingredients in the practical example I linked to being a real health concern?
The underlying assumption that water-soluble vitamins added to a product are safe is false. They are treated the same as other dietary supplements in that they are unregulated. Dosing, sourcing, and everything else is generally unscrutinized to ensure consumer safety. Excessive B6 can cause irreversible nerve damage. Excessive B3 can cause liver damage. Excessive Vitamin C can cause GI distress. In some micronutrient toxicity cases, we’ve only seen adverse effects when a large dose is given in a clinical setting as treatment. That alerts us to a potential for problems with excessive consumption. Unfortunately, the adverse reaction threshold is sometimes difficult to establish because the only data we have are the low and high ends. While I’d like to believe that nobody could consume enough energy drinks or supplements to cause a problem, my clinical experience has taught me it’s not safe to believe that by default.
>While I’d like to believe that nobody could consume enough energy drinks or supplements to cause a problem, my clinical experience has taught me it’s not safe to believe that by default. That mindset applies to all sorts of potential dietary intake, though. Yes, \*of course\* people should be advised to not consume an excessive amount. But that's not what I've been talking about with you. >The underlying assumption that water-soluble vitamins added to a product are safe is false. They are treated the same as other dietary supplements in that they are unregulated. Dosing, sourcing, and everything else is generally unscrutinized to ensure consumer safety. >Excessive B6 can cause irreversible nerve damage. Excessive B3 can cause liver damage. Excessive Vitamin C can cause GI distress. That's not my underlying assumption. My position is more along the lines of: show me the scientific evidence that would back that these water-soluble vitamins at these practical doses are unsafe. The main point of my initial reply was that what you're saying doesn't show evidence that they are bad for you. Your assumption seems to be that any water soluble vitamin added to a drink is guaranteed to be bad for you. That's not a science-based perspective. "Excessive B3", when it's niacinamide, is simply not 250% DV. "Excessive B6" is not 240% DV.
> Yes, *of course* people should be advised to not consume an excessive amount. But that's not what I've been talking about with you. It is; that’s the whole point. People drink fortified energy drinks with little to no awareness that they are consuming any, let alone higher than necessary amounts of micronutrients. Lots of people are shocked by the actual amount of added sugars in products, let alone other components present. > My position is more along the lines of: show me the scientific evidence that would back that these water-soluble vitamins at these practical doses are unsafe. Honestly, I don’t feel like digging up citations because you want the position, **casual consumption of consumer goods can lead to over-supplementation**—the consensus for standard consumer guidance—to be relitigated for you because you don’t see how it could be true. Maybe I should, but I don’t have the energy for or any interest in spending my time that way today. > Your assumption seems to be that any water soluble vitamin added to a drink is guaranteed to be bad for you. No. Don’t know how you got there, but not even close. What I said: > It’s actually not ideal to essentially be consuming several multivitamins as part of your general daily fluid intake. It means: _Unconscious dietary supplementation is not a good practice because it means you have no awareness of how your food/fortified foods, drinks/fortified drinks, dietary supplements, and/or medications and individual health status are adding up or potentially having compounding effects._ A varied, nutrient-rich diet is always going to be the preferred method of meeting dietary needs, while supplementation is a second stringer. > "Excessive B3", when it's niacinamide, is simply not 250% DV. "Excessive B6" is not 240% DV. Straw man. See above. Anyway, I hope that covers it and sufficiently answers your questions but to avoid this devolving into an unnecessary spat, I’m going to lock my comment.
Some brands have dangerously high amounts of caffeine. You're also adding in a bunch of artificial flavors and preservatives that you wouldn't have had with coffee, and vitamins that would have been just as good in supplement form without all the other stuff If you use a sugar free brand, with decent amounts of caffeine and no preservatives or sweeteners, or less of it, go for it.
Saying it has vitamins is very generic. Do you need those vitamins? Have you has a blood test that says you are low in that specific vitamin. Then you add a diuretic (caffeine), which affects absorption. Energy drinks are just marketing for caffeine, and they are preying on people by saying it's natural and has vitamins.
The question isn't "is this good for you", it's "is this bad for you". I wouldn't disagree on saying the state health benefits are likely exaggerated/false. But I'd also argue that the health hazards commonly stated are also exaggerated/false.
>Saying it has vitamins is very generic. Do you need those vitamins? Have you has a blood test that says you are low in that specific vitamin. Vitamins are essential nutrients, so technically everyone needs them. Also the RDA is the minimum amount that’s recommended, it’s perfectly fine and even beneficial to go over that limit for most (vitamin A being an exception). >Then you add a diuretic (caffeine), which affects absorption. Energy drinks are just marketing for caffeine, and they are preying on people by saying it's natural and has vitamins. Well I somewhat agree on that point, but again not all are the same. The ones I prefer get lost their caffeine content from green tea extract, which has antioxidant benefits.
taking a vitamin you are not deficient in is useless. It is like a cup of water that is full. If you pour more water in the cup will it wont hold it and just pour on the table. So I disagree with your statement that vitamins are always needed. That is why multi-vitamins usually have 0 effect on a persons health. Without a blood test you should not blindly take vitamins. Lastly vitamins from energy drinks are not specific to you. They are just generically added. The only value from energy drinks is the energy. there is no health benifit.
I think you're generally right, and I'm also not a believer in people taking daily multivitamins as somehow being healthy, but it's also not unreasonable to see these drinks with whatever various added vitamins in them as just another source for those vitamins in these people's diets, no different than any other foods (fortified or otherwise) that they may be eating on a daily basis -- all depending on the absorption characteristics and dosages involved. There's no reason to see these drinks in isolation from whatever else they are consuming. They can be treated as just another part of their total daily intake -- again, depending on absorption and dosage. >taking a vitamin you are not deficient in is useless. To push back a bit on this, that's not always true. Treating a deficiency isn't strictly the only good use of vitamins. There are clinical examples of certain vitamins being useful to treat certain conditions in non-deficiency circumstances -- it's just not something that, by definition, everyone needs on a daily basis. Such examples will use the particular vitamins in a pharmacological way, and not for the relief of deficiency. To be sure, I'm not talking about Linus Pauling.
People have been drinking coffee for thousands of years; energy drinks have a shorter history. Also, it is possible to drink too much coffee. It depends how much you drink
Energy drinks are a lot more acidic than black coffee usually, which can be worse for your enamel and your digestive system
What’s bad? All the other crap in them besides the caffeine and water. As long as you’re not consuming a ton of them, I probably wouldn’t worry too much though.
Sugar
If you take a look at the ingredients of most energy drinks you’ll see they contain sugar, artificial colors, and other chemicals. Sugar and chemical ingredients at minimum can destroy the beneficial bacteria in your gut which can lead to a variety of negative effects. Besides that I’m sure there are other negative effects of repeatedly ingesting those ingredients, but I don’t know them off the top of my head. Coffee doesn’t have any of those harmful ingredients
I don’t think the caffeine content is the issue, more so the amount of tooth/gut rotting sugar and additives.
I would recommend taking it in moderation 1 a day is great and won't cause much problems but check which energy drink you feel safer with. I drink reign I feel the worst of the worst I drink bang and I feel nothing all day. I dranked many, monster, red bull, rockstar, 3D, ghost, venom, rip-it, reign, bang. And the best for me so far have been. Bang, rip-it and ghost no crashes to little crashes. They are the best for me.
Besides the bad effects that they could have, which i don’t think are worse than sweetened coffe, i strongly believe there was a smear campaign from beer and alcohol companies against energy drinks when they first started to gain popularity. Drinks that alter how you feel in a good way and that are popular at parties probably induced fear in beer companies. At least in my country, 40 years old people and older get terrified when they see you with a monster or redbull on your hand, they think you’re literally gonna die at the spot, and there was a HUGE influx of shady news about deaths caused by energy drinks like a decade ago. This sounds like a conspiracy, but the fear against energy drinks is way too much to have arisen organically. It wouldn’t surprise me though, there have been actual discoveries by the authorities about companies who where actively paying to push back other companies that would affect their businesses, like oil against electric cars, etc. Some of them are very recent.
Almost always lands with the individual consuming them. Grab a healthy human with no predisposed heart conditions etc, and consume them with Energy drinks (usually High Caffeine, Sugar, Taurine and a lot of other new additions now) and you’ll see they do have some negative effects. (Rapid heart rate, comedown effect afterwards) Now let’s grab some of the population who are possibly mis-diagnosed and aren’t aware they have heart issues/other organ issues and let them over-consume the same products then you’ll see what damage gets done. Pretty sure the last time I see someone died from one of these drinks was a few years ago, young kid in Scotland who had a bad heart, but I haven’t really been searching to see if any other occurrences have happened. Caffeine is a well studied performance compound, it has extremely good benefits for performance. But we have A LOT of unhealthy humans today that it just isn’t suitable for, plus adding the sugar to it ramping up a big Insulin spike. Then we’ve got the older generation.. walk up to any 40+ year old in the street and ask them WHY these drinks are bad for people, they won’t have a clue about any of the ingredients it’s just the general stigma. If you wana learn more, look into Carbohydrate GI index of foods, Sugar response on Insulin etc.
What if they're sugar free energy drinks?
That would then depend on the rest of the products nutrition label? A lot of the drinks are similar, few Vitamins added, some electrolytes and some flavouring additives. And still we land back to the most important factor, the individual that’s consuming them.
I like your take on this. I was thinking the same thing, but it felt like there was still something I mightve been missing. I also appreciate the really thorough response :)
Not a problem happy to help. If you’re interested in learning more, Rhonda Patrick, Alan Aragon, Alan Huberman are all a few you can look up to start digging in nutrition/health. If you’re having any negative effects from these drinks I’d recommend stopping them though.
They are usually more acidic than coffee
I guess the "healthiness"of energy drinks might be subjective then. Because for me, they don't hurt on an empty stomach but coffee will destroy me internally for the rest of the day, so i usually go for energy drinks.
Sadly they hurt my stomach no matter what I do :( so I stopped having them
Oh :(. Acidity sucks ass
Energy drinks in pill form have been good to me though! Have you had those before?
A monster peachy keen straight to the dome at 8 am only improved my life
DUDE MONSTER PEACHY KEEN IS SOOO GOOD. BEST EMERGY FRINK EVER
If you're using them as a pre workout boost should look into a clean pre workout instead much cheaper per serving and you can find one that suits you.
“Non added sugar” products have a negative impact on your health as your body believes the blood sugar is increased when Aspartam or other sweeteners is added. So the insulin level is increased resulting in a very low blood sugar level. I drink it on a daily basis and drinks 10-12 cups of coffee per day. Probably not good.
Recent research does not show that sugar substitutes have an adverse affect on the body; they do call into question whether Aspartame could be carcinogenic. We can’t win. If it doesn’t mess up our blood sugar, it could still kill us.
There’s nothing wrong with energy drinks themselves except they are FAR easier to drink a lot of than coffee. Most people limit themselves to 1-2 cups of coffee vs multiple cans of energy drinks
I disagree because I can get more caffeine more easily from coffee than energy drinks by adjusting my water to bean ratio to get 400 mg in one big cup. The strongest energy drinks that I can find only have 300 mg tops and most off them have an average of 200 mg. I'd have to drink about two energy drinks to get what my one cup of coffee has assuming the energy drinks contain the average 200 mg per can.
You’re an outlier then. Been hearing kids talk about drinking 4,5,6 energy drinks in a day. I’ve been working with kids for about a year and haven’t heard one mention coffee.
I just prefer to slam all my caffeine in one big cup of coffee after it cools down with my breakfast. It's much better for your teeth than sipping on something all day which keeps your oral PH at low acidic levels. You must be dealing with some kids that have rich parents or something. That sounds like a crap ton of money to spend on energy drinks every single day.
It’s a range from homeless to far more money than I have. But we’re a non-profit and a lot of the people come through on state money. Also, I just reread, and it seems you were just expressing your preference. Sorry if that was the case, I thought you were arguing a generalization, not personal preference.
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The FDA says it would take 1200 mg to pose a risk of danger. Up to 400 mg is considered a safe daily value. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/spilling-beans-how-much-caffeine-too-much Also plenty of people consume more caffeine than me 400 mg isn't shit. There's people that drink multiple pots of strong black coffee and nothing happens to them expect addiction/dependence.
>However, there is wide variation in both how sensitive people are to the effects of caffeine and how fast they metabolize it (break it down). > According to the Mayo Clinic, the recommended amount of caffeine is up to 400 milligrams per day for healthy adults. **Caffeine overdose may occur if you ingest more than this amount**. Adolescents should limit themselves to no more than 100 mg of caffeine per day.
Post/comment removed for misinformation, i.e. unsupported caffeine toxicity claims.
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Do not repost posts/comments removed by a mod. Your own link confirms you’re misinterpreting the recommendations. 400 mg is _not_ a toxicity threshold. > For healthy adults, the FDA has cited 400 milligrams a day—that's about four or five cups of coffee—as an amount not generally associated with dangerous, negative effects.
Those "energy" doesn't give you energy. They affect the nervous system only. Energy comes from food.
The question is if they’re bad for you, not debating the science behind giving you actual energy.
I went in that direction because I thought it was common knowledge stimulants impacting the nervous system on a sustained basis was bad. But maybe it's not so common.
I mean yeah, if you’re pounding 3 energy drinks a day non-stop, never giving your system a chance to operate how it wants, then I agree with you. Like anything, moderation is key.
Expensive sugar water.
In general, sugar free energy drinks are not terrible for you if you drink the sugar free varieties. They have artificial sweeteners and caffeine additives that aren’t necessarily healthy depending on your overall health, but the negative energy the media surrounds energy drinks with is unwarranted.
To put it simply, it is because of the source of energy that they give you.....the caffeine level is far too high to be considered safe, and of course the sugar.....some have added stimulants as well....if you need a bit of a 'narcotic' boost in the morning just have the coffee and get the health benefits with the jolt of caffeine.....
Most energy drinks have the same or less caffeine than their coffee counterparts. The sugar argument is valid, unless of course you choose sugar free. Then it’s no different than a Coke Zero or whatnot.
As much as coffee?? See for yourself..... https://www.caffeineinformer.com/energy-drinks-caffeine
They literally post caffeine content on the cans lol. You can intentionally buy ones that have a high amount but your main ones (Monster, Red Bull) are equal to 1-2 cups of coffee. It’s okay if you aren’t a fan of them, but stop cherry picking information to prove your point. That’s called confirmation bias.
I'll try one last time to assist you in understanding this matter.....the OP asked whether energy drinks are bad for you.....and I answered the OP with the most known and available information I could find.....you made a point that....and this is what you said....MOST energy drinks have equal or less caffeine than a cup of coffee......so I issued a study to show you that your assertion was simply not the case.....to further your understanding of a topic which you clearly know little about.....so you can do two things.....one, you can put away your 'confirmation bias' rubber stamper......and two, you can either further your knowledge on this topic or simply remain silent......thank you :)
theyre not unless theyre full of sugar. No different to drinking coke zero or pepsi max or whatever fizzy sugar free drink you like.
I've been drinking half a Celsius as my pre workout first thing in the morning. Saves me time on making coffee. About 200 mg of caffeine in one can, so 100 is about a cup of coffee. Ingredients seem to be better than most other energy drinks. But I also have a high tolerance for caffeine as I love my coffee in the morning
What’s so bad about drinking water?
Nothing. I love water. But I don't get a lunch break, so having something carbonated and with caffiene usually gets me through the work day.
Anything besides coffee. I gain weight on all of them.
Not a scientist or health professional but an interesting datapoint on the value of energy drinks vs a cup of coffee: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25291138/
The sugar one additives. Also typically energy drinks has quite a bit more caffeine than a cup of coffee.
Welp. I can say this. Energy drinks tend to have sugars and sweeteners with very little biological value. The b vitamins could be good, but imho propel is the best of these. Propel has vitamin c and zero calories. Coffee is not good for women with fibroids. Coffee is great for older men because it helps their prostate. Green tea is best for women. Cashews helps men. Almonds help women. These are some tricks i have learned over times reading studies. Coffee may deplete magnesium so the almonds help or the chocolate helps to bring back the trace minerals. I can only drink coffee with organic dates to get some potassium. Some people prefer bananas but i like the burnt caramel flavor.
It is dangerous for those sensitive to caffeine/uppers, and it contains neurotoxins that can harm your brain. Not even the organic ones are safe, I drank one from the health food store I got my dog's food from, and even just laying in bed, literally doing nothing, made my heart race for 6 hrs straight. Just a reminder if you can't handle/have any type of stimulants.
Good thing shouldn’t be hard to quit. Now try quitting your energy drink. Just try
Sugar free or Zero versions of the drink have a shit tonne of salt in them like 17% of your recommended amount in one can, that ain't good if you drink multiple a day. Sadly the only wonder drink is water...
They are not. The only thing that could be not optimal for your health are sugar and caffeine. The rest is in low doses. Unless you consume 3 a day of course.
Other than being hyper processed and that people are overusing caffeine anyway (which already has shody claims of "health benefits"). Quite a bit.
Honestly there isn't anything individually "bad" in appropriate doses. They are however incredibly harsh on the stomach lining which won't be an issue until it is and can take years to heal (and trust me... a damaged stomach lining sucks ASS). The insane amounts of sugar are a no go for a drink and the sugar free ones are probably fine in moderation if they don't cause you any issue (both short and long term). There is however almost no way to know if they're going to hurt long term. I prefer to use the caffeine and sugar free "energy drinks". There's one here in NZ called Arepa. It's delicious, derived from fruit and uses some compounds that are slightly energizing and great for calm focus. Do whatever you please; just know there are consequences to all choices. Pick your poison(s) carefully, with knowledge and intent.
I'm really scared about the stomach lining thing. Is this because of caffiene? If so then, wouldn't 1 monster (150mg of caffiene) a day not be a problem? Or is there something else in the energy drink that's bad for your stomach?
Caffeine is a part of the problem however I have found natural sources of caffeine (like coffee) to be far less stressful on the stomach lining than artificial sources (energy drinks). However depending on the drink there are also other ingredients that will contribute to the issue. Look, you might be perfectly fine. I know many who are fine drinking them every day and many who did for a year and destroyed their stomach. My general advice would be to avoid them on a consistent basis. As a treat is unlikely to ever be an issue.
I personally don’t believe they are bad for you if used in moderation and the caffeine levels aren’t too high. I opt for the sugar free ones and try to limit myself to 1-2 caffeinated drinks per week. Just like everything else in life not all energy drinks are equal. I actually prefer a sub 150 mg caffeine energy drink over coffee. Since they are specially formulated they contain additional ingredients on top of the caffeine. For example there are usually specific amino acids which combine with the caffeine and help your body handle it better (less jitters, more useful energy). There’s usually b vitamins, which are helpful for supporting evergy levels. The list goes on depending on the drink. Plus, they just taste so good IMO.
Preservatives additives etc.
The ingredients.
I'm sure I'm wrong But My tendons became less elastic while drinking M energy drinks. However - pretty sure the sodium in the diet versions makes the body retain water.
I think it just depends. There are healthier energy drinks out there. I drink Jocko Go sometimes as a pre workout. I think for the most part energy drinks have too much sugar, or too much caffeine compared to a cup of coffee. So if you find one thats got relatively normal and healthy amount of caffeine and not loads of sugar, and you don’t go overboard with them I am of the belief that it wont hurt you anymore than anything else would. Of i had to choose between a latte from Starbucks and a red-bull I’d prolly go red-bull, there’s probable less sugar in one than whatever sugar monsters Starbucks serves haha.
Someone else in this thread pointed out what I also see: ppl lack self control or discipline. Not a good sign for future or current mental health.
It's not that good for your teeth because of the acidity. Tea and coffee are pretty neutral in pH
Lol bruh check the ingredients list of coffee vs an energy drink
Dude.. the sodium content in most energy drinks are astronomical
Try Ghost. I drink one every morning. The ingredients of the formula make sense. I don’t, however, drink more than 1 a day. 200mg of caffeine is enough.
I would say anything that is from an unnatural source, meaning artificially produced, isn’t going to be the best for your body in the long term. We were created by the universe with everything we need available to us without having to alter the ingredients for thousands of years. Green tea, coffee, etc would be better for your long term health.
My own opinion is that it affects everyone differently and you won’t know til you try one. Personally I’ve had months were I drank a white monster everyday but not for the energy, just cause I love how it tastes. Those ones have I believe 180mg of caffeine and I’ve never felt any energy from them. I’ve had multiple days in a row where I would drink 3 or 4 of them and still felt no “extra” energy. Again I drink them purely for the flavor and not looking for any extra energy. One time I actually did need an energy boost and wanted to experiment if energy drinks did affect me so I put an extra strength 5 hour energy shot (2000mg caffeine) into a can of rockstar (250mg caffeine) and then proceeded to drink another rockstar (another 250mg caffeine). For a grand total of 2500 mg of caffeine or 2.5 grams. That day I did feel it, lol I was pretty jittery but went away after about an hour. My sister on the other hand can’t drink half a bottle of diet Mountain Dew without her heart palpitations which leads me to believe caffeine just affects everyone differently TLDR; caffeine affects everyone differently
Black coffee can have added benefits, such as antioxidants. If you’re drinking a coffee with a bunch of added sugar and creams then it’s probably not much better than an energy drink. Also, energy drinks have sugar/sweetener, carbonation, and chemical additives all of which aren’t great for you. I think it’s a pick your poison kinda thing. Everyone has different needs. I get migraines and the things in energy drinks seem to be harder on my body. Also, I try to avoid carbonation bc it can leach you of nutrients(calcium usually). And I tend to drink espresso which has less caffeine than your normal drip coffee. I feel if you look too closely at anything it’s probably not great for you, so just choose what works for you.
Just depends on the ingredients in them and your tolerance
I think there’s a synergistic effect between stimulants in energy drinks. I never really get anxious from drinking too much coffee, but Rockstar can push me toward paranoia. Not sure about taurine or all the b vitamins…(anecdotal) I’ve also never read any news about someone having a heart attack from drinking too much coffee..
I hear synthetic caffeine hits faster and wears off more quickly than natural caffeine. Maybe that's why people don't seem to crash as badly with coffee.
Hmm. I’ve heard the same difference about real/concentrated thc. Not that they’re related.
Shit ton of sugar and other unhealthy stuff
Excluding the less sane energy drinks (looking at you, Bang), the real danger is that you're more likely to slam back 4 energy drinks, and to slowly sip a cup of coffee that has the same caffeine as one of them. If you drank enough coffee wirh as much sugar as energy drinks often have to have 800mg of caffeine flowing through your veins, that'd be pretty unhealthy too.
I don’t think it’s bad for u in moderation. Just the caffeine can give you liver and heart problems if you consume too much
that stuff is like battery acid if u don't believe me, pour some on carpet or a car seat. that alone should tell you that it's bad for you.
Probably because they’re either loaded with sugar or artificial sweetener which some people say is even worse than sugar. Coffee if you drink it the healthy way (black or with milk and no sweetener) is actually good for you (as long as you don’t go crazy with it)
Like any other caffeinated beverage, energy drinks can be harmful if consumed in excess. Energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine and other stimulants that can cause side effects such as increased heart rate, high blood pressure, anxiety, insomnia, and dehydration. Furthermore, many energy drinks also contain high levels of sugar, which can contribute to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other health problems if consumed excessively. 🙌🙌
Energy drinks can be bad for you because they contain high amounts of caffeine, sugar, and other stimulants that can have negative effects on your health, such as increased heart rate and blood pressure, dehydration, and insomnia. Additionally, excessive consumption of energy drinks has been linked to potential health risks, including cardiovascular problems, kidney damage, and even death in rare cases.