Energy Drink Guide: What You Need To Know

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December 11, 2008
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These days, high energy drinks fill a larger space on store shelves. But most of them pack more than just a high dose of caffeine. The drinks also boast ingredients to rev people up, which may help some students pull off all night study sessions or help others stay awake at the wheel. The energy drink market is a multi million dollar industry, these companies have done a great job getting people addicted to these types of drinks. What many people don't know is that about 95% of energy drinks contain ingredients that can be very harmful to your health. Let's take a closer look at some of the most popular energy drinks...

Zija is not your typical energy drink, as a matter of fact it is not really an energy drink per say but more like a health drink.

Zija is a delicious, all-natural beverage blended from a miracle plant called Moringa, considered by many to be the most nutrient-rich plant ever discovered.

Ingredients

Moringa Oleifera ( The most nutrient rich plant discovered to date )
Purified Spring Water
Natural cane sugar
Natural Flavor
Citric Acid
Agar (seaweed extract)
Acacia and Ester Gums
Fruit Pectin

Side Effects

Zija doesn’t cause any known bad side effects. Users have reported to have better clarity, mental focus and more energized after consuming Zija everyday for an entire week.

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Monster is designed to replenish lost body energy, Monster energy drink is really a trusted ally when it comes to activities or task which requires thousands of calories to be used. Whether you are an athlete, student, or working man, such energy drink is relatively helpful when it comes to increasing your stamina and improving your performance, no matter how many calories your body is burning.

Ingredients

Carbonated Water
Sucrose
Glucose
Citric Acid
Natural Flavor
Taurine
Sodium Citrate
Color Added
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
L-Carnitine
Caffeine
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)
Sorbic Acid
Benzoic Acid
Niacinamide
Sodium Chloride
Glucuronolactone
Inositol
Guarana (Paullinia Cupana) Seed Extract
Pyridoxine Hydrochloride
Sucralose
Riboflavin
Maltodextrin
Cyanocobalamin

Side Effects

Gastro-intestinal problems, upset stomach, vomiting, headaches, mood swings, blurred vision, and inability to concentrate.

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NOS has been providing the human horsepower consumers all over the country demand. The brand has grown 181% in 2007 and is currently the 7th largest energy drink brand. The drink is named after a brand of nitrous used to boost cars in performance and during races. It is very common to see the name featured on cars in their commercials.

Ingredients

Carbonated Water
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Citric Acid
Taurine (1000mg)
Sodium Citrate
Natural Passionfruit Flavor With Other Natural Flavors
D-Ribose
L-Carnitine
Caffeine
Sodium Hexametaphosphate
Pectin
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)
Inositol, Gum Arabic
Monopotassium Phosphate
Sodium Benzoate
Potassium Sorbate
Ester Gum
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Calcium Disodium Salt of EDTA (protects freshness)
Sucralose
Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6)
Beta-Carotene (Color)
Folic Acid
Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12)

Side Effects

Rapid heart rate, sweating, jitters, shakes, headaches, nausea, insomnia, stomach ache, diarrhea, restlessness.

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Rockstar was the first energy drink to feature the larger 16oz can. The flavor of this product is very good, but like many other energy drinks it is hard to put into words. Basically, it has citrus, bubble gum, and vanilla flavors that result in an almost apple-like flavor. Much better than the medicinal tasting competitors. As for the formula, you’ll find many ingredients that you’d expect in an energy drink, plus a few extras.

Ingredients

carbonated water
high fructose corn syrup
dextrose
citric acid
taurine
natural and artificial flavors
guarana seed extract
ascorbic acid
caramel color
potassium sorbate (preservative)
caffeine
niacinamide
inositol
L-carnitine
milk thistle extract
ginkgo biloba leaf extract
calcium pantothenate
siberian ginseng root extract
cyanocobalamin
riboflavin
pyridoxine hydrochloride

Side Effects

Dehydration, headaches, stomach aches, anxiety, irritability, mood swings.

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Red Bull has become popular in America due to its stimulant effects, but also has been criticized for its negative effects. Red Bull is designed to boost mental and physical performance: “Red Bull vitalizes the body and mind,” according to the motto of the brand in America. The high concentration of caffeine, glucose, sucrose, taurine, and glucuronolactone is supposed to increase metabolism, thus improving the user’s concentration, energy, and endurance.

Ingredients

Glucose
Taurine
Glucuronolactone
Caffeine
Niacin (niacinamide)
Sodium citrate
Inositol

Side Effects

RedBull have been reported to cause jitters, headaches, increased heart rate, insomnia, shakes, stomach aches, diarrhea, increased blood pressure, agitation and excessive perspiration.

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Decades before countless revolting energy drinks spawned throughout American grocery stores, Jolt stood alone. While other soft drink manufacturers foolishly chose to advertise their product’s great taste or value, Jolt used a lot of capital letters to brag that their cola contained enough sugar and caffeine to dissolve the Statue of Liberty.

Ingredients

Taurine – 2800 mg.
Caffeine – 280 mg.
Guarana – 56 mg.
Ginseng – 56 mg.
Vit. B6 – 9.8 mg.
Vit. B1 – .075 mg.
Vit. B2 – .095 mg.
Vit. B3 – 1.12 mg.
Vit. B5 – .56 mg.

Side Effects

Jitters, shakes, insomnia, increased heart rate, restlessness, headache

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AMP Energy Drink is Pepsi’s first real entry into the energy drink market — and it is betting on the established Mountain Dew brand name to bring it a good market share. AMP is based on the original flavor of Mountain Dew, so it’s a taste that most people will be familiar with. It has been enhanced with a variety of ingredients typically found in energy drinks (taurine, ginseng, guarana, etc.), so the flavor has a bit more bite than regular Dew.

Ingredients

carbonated water
high fructose corn syrup and/or sugar
citric acid
orange juice from concentrate
natural flavors
guarana
sodium benzoate
sodium polyphosphates
maltodextrin
caffeine
gum arabic
erythoric acid
taurine
panax ginseng
calcium disodium edta (to product flavor)
potassium benzoate
brominated vegetable oil
yellow 5

Side Effects

Headaches, loss of appetite, irritability, cotton-mouth, thirst

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Wired Extreme 3000 Taurine is the super-charged cousin of the brand original. The drink contains increased amounts of caffeine and taurine (3000 mg or 3 grams). In general, we think this enhanced energy drink will appeal to the young males that are its target demographic. Like all the drinks in the brand it features the slogan “Faster the Connection.”

Ingredients

Carbonated water
high fructose corn syrup
dextrose
citric acid
taurine
potassium citrate
natural and artificial flavor
caffeine
sodium benzoate (preservative)
caramel color
inositol
potassium sorbate (preservative)
niacin
calcium-pantothenate
pyridoxine hydrochloride
yellow 5
cyanocobalamin

Side Effects

Restlessness, insomnia, nausea, headaches, double vision, blurred vision.

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Discussions

: by red_bull 12/09/2010 Reply

have you guys ever tried excience

: by energymasta 12/22/2008 Reply

You people talkin bout energy drinks…so sad. Sounds like a lotta people that work for Monsta, Red Bull, Amp and RockSta trying to pimp some drinks. So anybody thats lookin for tha truth…listen up to tha Masta. I’ve tried all them drinks and looked up the facts on tha net. Nobody can dispute that NOS is tha high performance energy drink…it’s got lots more caffeine than Rockstar, Amp, Monster or any of the others…and it actually tastes GREAT! So dont be played by these suckas…try for yourself!!