Energy Drinks

Last Updated: January 3, 2024

Energy drinks and shots are beverages that are claimed to increase energy and reduce fatigue. They typically contain caffeine along with a cocktail of other ingredients, including, but not limited to, taurine, glucuronolactone, carnitine, choline, electrolytes, and B vitamins.

Energy Drinks is most often used for

What are energy drinks?

Energy drinks and shots are food supplements that typically contain sugar, artificial sweeteners, and stimulants like caffeine, along with various other substances such as vitamins and electrolytes, which leads to a highly variable composition. They are marketed to enhance focus and energy, are particularly popular among teenagers and young adults, and have raised health concerns despite their significant global market presence.

What are energy drinks’ main benefits?

Energy drinks may reduce sleepiness and fatigue, increase alertness, and improve cognitive functions such as mood, attention, memory, and reaction time. They can also enhance exercise performance, but more high-quality research is needed to confirm these benefits because caffeine is likely the primary ingredient responsible for these effects.

What are energy drinks’ main drawbacks?

Energy drinks have several drawbacks, including potential side effects like headaches, jitteriness, and sleep problems, as well as associations with increased stress, anxiety, and unhealthy behaviors. Additionally, they can acutely raise heart rate and blood pressure and may pose cardiovascular risks, particularly for people with preexisting heart conditions or if they are consumed in excess or with other substances.

How do energy drinks work?

Energy drinks likely work primarily due to caffeine, which is associated with improved cognitive function and exercise performance, but their effects are complicated by other ingredients, like sugar and various vitamins, whose contributions are not well understood. Further research is needed to clarify the benefits and risks of these additional components because current studies often lack adequate control groups.

What are other names for Energy Drinks?
Note that Energy Drinks is also known as:
  • Redbull Energy Drink
  • Monster Energy Drink
  • Full Throttle Energy Drink
  • NOS Energy Drink
Energy Drinks should not be confused with:
  • Caffeine (often a main ingredient but not the sole ingredient)
Dosage information

There are no specific dosing suggestions for energy drinks or energy shots, but there are upper limits of suggested daily intake for some of the substances found in them.

For example, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), caffeine is unlikely to cause detrimental health effects if daily intake is below 400 mg/day in non-pregnant adults or below 200 mg/day in pregnant/lactating women, and if a single dose is less than 200 mg.[1][2] While more research is needed to clarify the safety and upper limits of intake for children and adolescents,[1] one systematic review suggests that this age group should consume no more than 2.5 mg of caffeine per kilogram of bodyweight per day (equivalent to 100 mg for a 40 kg person),[3] and some organizations discourage children and adolescents from consuming caffeine and other stimulants at all.[2]

Because some energy drinks and shots contain very high amounts of caffeine, and because high caffeine intake can cause serious adverse effects, the FDA recommends avoiding dietary supplements that contain highly concentrated caffeine since they can far exceed the upper recommended limit of daily intake.[4] For a detailed overview of caffeine dosing, read our article “How Much Caffeine Is Too Much?”.

To learn more about the specific ingredients in energy drinks and shots, visit our pages on sugar, artificial sweeteners, caffeine, taurine, guarana, glucuronolactone, carnitine, choline, electrolytes, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, and the B vitamins, including B3 (niacin), B6, and B12.

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References
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Examine Database References
  1. Exercise Capacity - Shearer J, Graham TEPerformance effects and metabolic consequences of caffeine and caffeinated energy drink consumption on glucose disposalNutr Rev.(2014 Oct)
  2. Blood Pressure - Gualberto PIB, Benvindo VV, Waclawovsky G, Deresz LFAcute effects of energy drink consumption on cardiovascular parameters in healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.Nutr Rev.(2023-Sep-11)
  3. Blood Pressure - Shah SA, Chu BW, Lacey CS, Riddock IC, Lee M, Dargush AEImpact of Acute Energy Drink Consumption on Blood Pressure Parameters: A Meta-analysis.Ann Pharmacother.(2016-Oct)
  4. Blood Pressure - Nancy Grinberg, Karima Benkhedda, Jennifer Barber, Andrew D Krahn, Sébastien La VieilleEffects of Caffeinated Energy Drinks on Cardiovascular Responses during Exercise in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled TrialsAppl Physiol Nutr Metab.(2022 Mar 31)
  5. Heart Rate - Lasheras I, Seral P, Alonso-Ventura V, Santabárbara JThe impact of acute energy drink consumption on electrical heart disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.J Electrocardiol.(2021)
  6. Vascular Function - Skaf-Gonçalves L, Peçanha D, Kasal D, Tibirica EAcute effects of energy drink consumption on microvascular reactivity in young male volunteers at rest: a randomized trial.Braz J Med Biol Res.(2024)
  7. Reaction Time - Sholtes D, Kravitz HM, Deka A, Westrick J, Fogg LF, Gottlieb MOptimising sleep and performance during night float: A systematic review of evidence and implications for graduate medical education trainees.J Sleep Res.(2021-Aug)