If you ever looked at the ingredient label on a Monster or Red Bull, you know that there are quite a few ingredients in there. But what exactly are the Monster energy drink ingredients or C4 energy drink ingredients?
We broke down 10 ingredients that you can typically find in energy drinks, so you know exactly what you are drinking — and how much is too much.
Top 10 Energy Drink Ingredients
1. Caffeine
| Typical Amount: | 100 to 300 mg |
| Safe Amount: | 400 mg per day |
| Purpose: | Improves memory, decreases fatigue, and improves mental functioning |
Caffeine is the most talked-about ingredient in energy drinks and for good reason. Energy drinks come packed with caffeine, as it’s one of the primary energy boosters.
If you are looking for the energy drink with the most caffeine, it is Bang energy drink, with 300 mg per 16-ounce can.
Caffeine has tons of short-term perks, but the drawbacks are numerous too. It’s an addictive substance, and it’s easy to build up a tolerance and end up consuming more caffeine in a day than you should.
- Does a great job boosting short-term energy
- Gives mental functioning a significant short-term boost
- Addictive
- Can make you feel jittery and nervous
- The body builds up a tolerance
- Easy to overdose
2. Taurine
| Typical Amount: | 750 to 1,250 mg |
| Safe Amount: | 6,000 mg per day |
| Purpose: | Supports metabolism, improves physical performance, and supports nerve growth |
While caffeine might be the most talked-about ingredient in energy drinks, taurine is a close second. Taurine is a natural chemical that is already found in your body, though nowhere near the levels in energy drinks.
Taurine helps improve your metabolism and peak physical performance, but there are no long-term studies that show the effects of large dosages of taurine in the body.
- Natural ingredient
- Improves metabolism and physical performance
- Supports healthy nerve growth
- No long-term studies on dosage amounts found in energy drinks
3. B Vitamins
| Typical Amount: | 8 to 12 μg |
| Safe Amount: | Unlimited |
| Purpose: | Provides, stress relief, boosts cognitive performance, and reduces stress and anxiety |
Manufacturers pack B vitamins into energy drinks. But while there are definite perks for small dosages of B vitamins, like stress relief and improved cognitive performance, there’s not much reason to take the amount found in energy drinks.
They’re not bad for you, but your body simply can’t process that much of it. The excess simply passes through your system.
- Can’t overdose on it
- Natural ingredients
- Benefits for smaller dosages
- No real benefits for amounts in energy drinks
4. Glucuronolactone
| Typical Amount: | 1,000 and 1,200 mg |
| Safe Amount: | 1,000 mg per kilogram of body weight |
| Purpose: | Improved stamina, improved mood, and reduced mental fatigue |
If you’re looking at the ingredient list of energy drinks, glucuronolactone isn’t likely one that you’re going to recognize. But it’s found in a bunch of energy drinks for a reason. It helps improve stamina and reduces mental fatigue, although it’s not in many studies.
Still, you can consume up to 1,000 mg per kilo of body weight, so the 1,000 to 1,200 mg found in a typical energy drink is far under the maximum dosage.
- Improves mental performance
- High overdosage amount
- Improves energy and mood
- Not involved in many studies
5. Guarana
| Typical Amount: | 1.4 to 300 mg |
| Safe Amount: | 3 grams per day |
| Purpose: | Reduces fatigue, aids learning, and boosts memory |
Guarana is an ingredient that energy drink companies brag about, but few people actually know what it does. While it does a great job of reducing fatigue and improving short-term mental performance, there are many potential drawbacks.
For some people, guarana can cause insomnia, nervousness, and a whole litany of adverse side effects. It doesn’t affect everyone this way, but it’s certainly a risk.
- Does a great job of reducing fatigue
- Greatly improves short-term mental performance
- Can cause insomnia
- Can cause nervousness
- Many potential side effects
6. Ginseng
| Typical Amount: | 8 to 400 mg |
| Safe Amount: | 10-gram single dose, 200 mg per day with no breaks |
| Purpose: | Acts as an anti-inflammatory, enhances brain functions, and fights fatigue |
The primary purpose of ginseng is to boost the effects of the caffeine in energy drinks. It comes with many of the same potential drawbacks, and it’s known to interfere with certain medications.
Still, it helps fight short-term fatigue and improves short-term brain function. It can also act as an anti-inflammatory, which is a useful perk.
- Enhances effects of caffeine
- Improves short-term brain function
- Helps fight fatigue
- Can interfere with certain medications
- Not as well-regulated as some other ingredients
7. Sugar
| Typical Amount: | 0 to 55 grams |
| Safe Amount: | 24 to 36 grams per day (long term) |
| Purpose: | Improves taste, short-term energy burst, short-term mood booster |
While not every energy drink contains sugar, those that do contain a large amount of it. Sugar acts as a tremendous short-term energy booster, but it also leaves you susceptible to a crash.
It’s also habit-forming, and most energy drinks contain more than the daily recommended value in one drink alone!
- Tastes great
- Outstanding short-term energy booster
- Way too much in many energy drinks
- Habit-forming
8. Aspartame/Sucralose/Ace-K
| Typical Amount: | Unknown |
| Safe Amount: | 50 mg per kilogram of weight |
| Purpose: | Improves taste and eliminates sugar |
If your energy drink doesn’t have sugar, chances are that it has an artificial sweetener instead. This is the case for the 0-calorie Monster and Red Bull drinks, and all you need to do is take a look at Reign energy drink ingredients and Rockstar energy drink ingredients to see that they have the same thing.
Artificial sweeteners improve a drink’s taste and eliminate sugar, but their side effects are highly controversial.
Some studies link artificial sweeteners to weight gain and cancer, but these are controversial. That’s why the safe amount is set at 50 mg per kilogram of body weight, though some studies show that there’s no such thing as a safe dosage.
- Tastes great
- Eliminates the need for sugar
- Controversial
9. L-Carnitine
| Typical Amount: | 150 to 250 mg |
| Safe Amount: | 2 grams per day |
| Purpose: | Improves exercise performance and enhances self of well-being |
Just about every energy drink out there has l-carnitine, but not too many people know what it does. In short, it helps improve exercise performance and can act as a mood booster.
However, while it’s one of the less-controversial supplements in energy drinks, it can cause gastrointestinal issues and lead to heartburn.
- Safe supplement
- Improves stamina and exercise performance
- Can cause upset stomachs
- Can cause heartburn or diarrhea
10. Ginkgo Biloba
| Typical Amount: | 30 to 70 mg |
| Safe Amount: | 240 mg |
| Purpose: | Has antioxidants, helps prevent inflammation, improves cognitive function |
Ginkgo biloba is likely one of the least controversial ingredients found in energy drinks, yet it’s one that few brands advertise that their drinks have.
Ginkgo biloba improves brain function and is an outstanding source of antioxidants. It also has anti-inflammatory benefits. The only real drawback of ginkgo biloba is that it can upset your stomach and lead to headaches.
- Great source of antioxidants
- Improves brain function
- Outstanding anti-inflammatory
- Can cause headaches
- Can upset your stomach
Energy Drinks: People Also Ask
How Often Should You Drink Energy Drinks?
While the label on energy drinks often says that you should drink no more than three a day, the truth is that three energy drinks a day are likely too much.
Many experts recommend that you only drink one energy drink a day and that children and adolescents should never drink them. In short, energy drinks aren’t good for you, and the fewer that you can drink, the better.
When you look at Zoa energy drink ingredients or the ingredients on any of your favorite energy drinks, it’s not hard to see why.
What Is a Healthy Substitute for Energy Drinks?
If you take a look at your Celsius energy drink ingredients and decide to cut them out, what can you drink instead? There are a few healthy alternatives, but the best choices include water, coffee, or tea.
All three can provide you with energy-boosting benefits, and they don’t come with all the adverse side effects.
Conclusion
While there’s no arguing that energy drinks aren’t good for you, there’s also nothing wrong if you decide to indulge every once in a while. Now that you know what all the different ingredients are, you can make an informed decision for yourself and ensure that you don’t accidentally overdose on anything!
See Also: 17 Ingredients in G Fuel: Is This Energy Drink Really Healthier?
Featured Image Credit: Joenomias, Pixabay
Table of Contents
