Energy Drinks: How Much is Too Much?
Energy drinks are a popular beverage known to provide an energy boost, both physically and mentally (1, 2, 5). These types of drinks tend to contain high amounts of caffeine and sugar as well as B vitamins, amino acids and herbs (2).
In a review done by Alsuuni (2015), he pointed out that energy drinks can indeed improve physical endurance, especially during exercise. He also found that they can increase cognitive functions such as memory, alertness, concentration and reaction time. The study also found components such as caffeine, sugar and taurine all played a big role in improving cycling performance, attention span, reaction time, driving performance (specifically during the afternoon) and alertness overall (1). Now that we’ve touched upon the benefits of energy drinks, let’s look at the risks.
As mentioned before, energy drinks contain high amounts of caffeine and sugar.
High caffeine content – normally around 200 mg across different brands of energy drinks – can cause anxiety, insomnia, dehydration, irregular heartbeat, and digestive issues (1, 6).
High sugar content – In energy drinks, there is usually around 41 g of sugar (2). To illustrate, 41 g of sugar exceeds 3 tablespoons of sugar. Overconsumption of sugar can increase the risk of developing chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, excess weight gain and heart problems (1, 4). Health Canada suggests that the majority of sugar intake should come from fruits, vegetables and dairy products without any added sugar (4).
Other components found in energy drinks are guarana and yerba mate – both herbs that contain additional caffeine which adds to the overall caffeine content of the energy drink (4, 5).
Overall, energy drinks can certainly enhance physical and mental performance, however, due to their lack of regulation, consumers must be wary of the high caffeine and sugar content contained within them. Due to this lack of regulation, it is easy for consumers to drink more than the safe dose. Some energy drinks such as Monsters and Redbull have small warning labels that indicate high caffeine content or are not safe to consume for children, adolescents or pregnant women (7). With all this information covered, let’s move on to safe daily recommended doses for caffeine consumption.
Health Canada suggests that healthy adults do not consume more than 400 mg of caffeine (~3 cups of coffee) and adolescents (13 years or older) obtain no greater than 2.5 mg/kg of their body weight daily (3). For pregnant women and for those who wish to get pregnant in the future, Health Canada recommends that these individuals limit their caffeine to 300 mg daily (3). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that consumption of caffeine should be no more than 200 mg per drink (2).
Before purchasing an energy drink, remember to read the nutrition labels, drink in limited amounts, and listen to your body. Drink responsibly and stay safe!
Written by: Anushka Massey, nutrition student
Reviewed by: Kristie Pun, MHSc, RD, Cheryl Ching, MSc, RD, & Pauline Bakowski, MHSc, RD
Disclaimer: Our blog content is for general education purposes and may not be suitable for individual health conditions. Please see your health professional or book an appointment with one of our dietitians for personalized health recommendations.
References
Alsunni A. A. (2015). Energy Drink Consumption: Beneficial and Adverse Health Effects. International journal of health sciences, 9(4), 468–474.
Harvard T. H. Chan. (n.d.). Energy Drinks. Energy Drinks | The Nutrition Source | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Health Canada. (2012, February 16). Caffeine in Food. Government of Canada. Caffeine in Food - Canada.ca.
Health Canada. (2018, February 9). Sugars. Government of Canada. Sugars - Canada.ca
Higgins, John P. MD, MBA, M.PHIL, FACC, FACP, FAHA, FACSM, FASNC, FSGC1; Babu, Kavita MD, FACEP, FACMT2; Deuster, Patricia A. PhD, MPH, FACSM3; Shearer, Jane PhD4 Energy Drinks: A Contemporary Issues Paper, Current Sports Medicine Reports: February 2018 - Volume 17 - Issue 2 - p 65-72 doi: 10.1249/JSR.0000000000000454
National Institute of Health (NIH). (2018, July). Energy Drinks. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Energy Drinks | NCCIH (nih.gov)
Reid, J. L., McCrory, C., White, C. M., Martineau, C., Vanderkooy, P., Fenton, N., & Hammond, D. (2016). Consumption of Caffeinated Energy Drinks Among Youth and Young Adults in Canada. Preventive medicine reports, 5, 65–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2016.11.012
