Energy Drink Review

Do energy drinks really work and are they safe?

We found the best energy-drink reviews on detailed enthusiast websites and blogs, some of which profile as many as 1,000 energy drinks. The best research as to the healthfulness of energy drinks comes from ConsumerReports.org and WebMD.com, whereas several beverage-rating sites like BevNet.com and RateItAll.com feature very general reviews of energy drinks and are worth a glance. A comparison review at Slate magazine is both helpful and entertaining. An analysis of energy drinks' caffeine content at EnergyFiend.com is very useful, since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require manufacturers to list caffeine content on their products.

The FDA does not define the term "energy drink," but they can generally be distinguished from sports drinks; whereas sports drinks contain electrolytes, sugar and salt to replace fluids lost during exercise, energy drinks are supposed to give you a boost of energy, usually through a combination of caffeine and sugar (sugar might appear on the label as fructose, glucose or sucrose). Caffeine may be added directly, or may come from the tropical plants guarana or yerba mate. For reference, a 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola classic has about 40 grams of sugar and about 35 mg of caffeine. An 8-ounce cup of brewed coffee has about 100 mg of caffeine. Energy drinks, especially those in large cans, can often have double the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee -- or more.

Experts, including editors at ConsumerReports.org, caution that children shouldn't consume more than about 100 mg of caffeine per day. Most energy drinks contain far more than that per can, anywhere from 100 mg to 300 mg. Tara Parker-Pope, writing in The New York Times, reports that energy drinks have been linked to nausea, sweating and heart palpitations that sometimes lead to emergency-room visits by teenagers and young adults. In March 2008, the Journal of American College Health published a report about a possible link between energy drinks and risky behavior, such as aggressiveness and substance abuse. The report doesn't claim that energy drinks cause bad behavior in young people, but instead advises parents to be observant if their children use these products regularly. The American Beverage Association is quick to say that its members market energy drinks to adults and not to teenagers.

A recent study conducted by the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit has indicated that people with high blood pressure or heart disease should probably not use energy drinks because of potential risks to their health. During tests in this study, both caffeine and taurine have been shown to have a direct impact on blood pressure and cardiac function.

If you're concerned about your caloric intake, you won't find encouraging news there either. Many energy drinks have just as many calories as a bottle of Coca-Cola. Some manufacturers add B vitamins to their energy drinks, possibly because B vitamins are necessary to extract energy from food, or according to some health experts, just because vitamins make energy drinks sound healthier.

Taurine is an amino sulfonic acid that is found naturally in the human body, and is a major ingredient in many energy drinks. Some energy-drink makers claim it is a detoxifier, while others use it to boost the energy jolt from caffeine. Doctors are unclear as to the value of taurine in energy drinks, but it has become so popular that one fan has created an entire blog just to review all the energy drinks that contain taurine.

Most reviewers rate energy drinks based on their energy kick and taste. Many energy drinks excel in one or the other, if not both. However, we found two energy drinks that stood out for providing little boost and tasting bad, too. Steven Seagal's Lightning Bolt Cherry Charge Energy Drink (*est. 90 cents for a 16-ounce can) is one such beverage. Jason Hargett at Screaming Energy says "I'd rather strip the skin off my face with a soup ladle" than drink this again. He gave it very low marks for taste, energy and value. The Taurine Rules blog calls it "another disappointment for Seagal."

YJ Stinger Pounding Punch (*Est. $2 for an 8.4-ounce can) is another energy drink that scores low on both taste and energy. The Taurine Rules blog says there was no noticeable buzz, "but I might have missed it since I was busy trying not to throw up." Jason Hargett at Screaming Energy reports that it "tastes like what a melted fruit punch crayon tastes like," and adds that it doesn't have a lot of energy boost. In a review for The New York Times, William Grimes samples the Sinful Citrus flavor of YJ Stinger, but doesn't like it very much: "It looks like a product intended to be poured in the toilet. That's where it went in my house, at any rate."

Energy drinks have been a rapidly growing part of the beverage industry, but smaller brands are now being absorbed into larger companies. The major beverage companies like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have taken notice and developed their own energy drink brands or made distribution deals with existing leaders. According to BevNet.com, at the end of 2008, Monster signed a distribution deal with Coca-Cola. Rockstar, which also had a distribution deal with Coca-Cola, then switched to a new deal with Pepsi in February 2009. However, with the downturn in the economy, some less-well-known brands seem to be having a hard time reaching customers. The parent company of BooKoo energy drinks, for example, filed for bankruptcy in December 2008.