Are Energy Drinks Bad For You?

A common question that is asked in the fitness industry is, “are energy drinks bad for you?” Or more likely than a simple question, you have been told vehemently “don’t drink energy drinks they are bad for you!!!”. But is this true, are energy drinks bad for you? Well, let’s dig into this a little bit more.

Firstly we have to be clear about what we mean as bad for you. Most people are very loosely defining something as bad for you if it negatively affects your health either in the short term or in the long term. However, if you are not tracking any markers of health currently, you can have no opinion on whether energy drinks are bad for YOU as an individual.

If the people telling you that energy drinks are bad for you, are also overweight or drink alcohol or smoke, then their opinion on the matter is ill placed as those three things are much bigger risk factors for ill health than drinking a can of Monster. Don’t major in the minors.

If you are not engaging in a calorie appropriate diet, and you are engaging in behaviours that are known to cause ill health, then energy drink consumption and whether it is bad should be very low on your list of health worries.

But back to defining what “bad for you” means. Presumably, everyone is talking about health when they say this, and more so long-term health than short-term health. So we have a rough target to clarify the question.

However, if you want to quantify how “healthy” a certain food product is, you actually have to quantify how healthy you are as an individual. It is impossible to say accurately how beneficial or negative a substance is to your health, if you have no baseline values. Maybe your definition of “healthy” is actually only 50% of the “health” capacity of your system.

However, I am being pedantic here and I know most people don’t actually want to have to rush out to their doctors and get extensive blood work, genetic testing and psychological evaluations to find out if drinking a can of Monster is ok.

So, let’s break down the ingredients of a can of Monster and see if any of the ingredients are associated with ill health, and then try to answer whether drinking Monster for YOU is of benefit or if it will cause ill effects.

I am going to analyse the White Monster Ultra because with the addition of extra calories and sugar, the actual question/answer does change. But not because “sugar is evil”, but rather because increases in calories that aren’t accounted for will lead to weight gain over time. If you control for the calories in a can of full-sugar Monster, then the comparison is relatively equal to the evaluation of the Monster Ultra.

Energy Drinks Ingredients

• Carbonated water, nothing hugely wrong with carbonated water. It does play a role in the erosion of tooth enamel, so I wouldn’t be swirling the Monster around in your mouth, although this would only be an issue if you were drinking multiple cans daily and for years. Carbonation may offer some benefit to those using a Monster before training as it could increase the buffering capacity of the body (allow you to do a few extra reps over time), but I don’t think there is actually a large enough quantity in a can of Monster to achieve this, but it is an added plus none the less. So a neutral to positive ingredient, except in those with weak teeth.
• Citric acid, a natural preservative and flavouring. Outside of excessive consumption (I am talking levels you wouldn’t be able to achieve by drinking Monster) no ill effects on health, and potentially provides some benefits. Citric acid enhances mineral absorption and actually has performance-enhancing effects as it is itself an intermediate in the citric acid cycle (which is essential for aerobic metabolism). So a neutral to positive ingredient.
• Erythritol, a sweetener that isn’t actually digested by humans and is excreted relatively unchanged. No real negatives associated with it as it doesn’t induce any ill effects in normal human doses, again potentially if you drank a ridiculous quantity of Monster daily for years some erythritol toxicity would occur. However, erythritol does actually have some pretty neat antioxidant effects, so I am going to give erythritol a neutral to positive rating and qualify that by saying it only has negative effects when consumed in ridiculous quantities (but so does water or any substance in fact). Now if you do have some sort of gut issues going on this could be a negative, so do be aware that sugar alcohols do cause issues in some people.
• Sodium citrate, an acidity regulator that could be in one of many forms such as monosodium citrate, disodium citrate or most likely trisodium citrate. Much like citric acid (citrate is the salt of citric acid) sodium citrate is fairly innocuous and poses no real health risks. It is used as medicine to treat metabolic acidosis and certain kidney conditions, so it could in fact have some positive effects on the body depending on your current state. Could be bad for those with high sodium levels or metabolic alkalosis though. So again a neutral rating, with positives for certain populations and negatives for others.
• Natural and artificial flavours, hard to find exactly which natural and artificial flavourings are used, but considering it is sold in the European Union and conforms to their ridiculously high standards it is safe to say that outside of drinking ridiculous quantities of Monster daily you have nothing to worry about here. (Some people have specific issues with certain natural and artificial flavours, but as with all allergies/intolerances, they should/would be very aware of this and drinking Monster would not be something they should/would engage in).
• Panax ginseng root extract, this is an easy win for Monster as ginseng is a health promoting agent. Although the quantities could be higher and thus the effects it has on improving cognition, concentration, memory, work efficiency, stamina, endurance, and reducing muscle damage would all be enhanced. It is also an adaptogenic herb that could help you cope better with stress and actually improve your immune system. This scores a positive rating for Monster.
• Taurine, an amino acid that is conditionally essential, and provides numerous health benefits. These include improved heart health, reduce blood pressure, reduced sympathetic tone (or a more even sympathetic tone like we ideally want from caffeine. Adding taurine to an energy drink allows us to get the increased drive from caffeine but not the overly hyped feeling you can get from caffeine), along with increased exercise performance. Containing taurine makes this an easy win for Monster.
• Sucralose, a sweetener that is perfectly safe to consume in normal amounts again you would have to drink copious cans of Monster for this to become an issue.
• Caffeine, a stimulant. This is what is responsible for the “energy” aspect of energy drinks, it is hard to distinguish the benefits of caffeine specifically from that of coffee as the research is generally focused on coffee rather than caffeine, which obviously is a confounder. Caffeine is fairly innocuous, and outside of the people who metabolise caffeine slowly (you would need genetic testing to tell this) caffeine is likely to be classed as a health food. You may consider this a knock against the healthfulness of Monster, but caffeine consumption is generally associated with improvements in health, once it isn’t in excess. I certainly wouldn’t be drinking multiple Monsters every day, but 1-2 is far from problematic caffeine use.
• Sorbic acid, a natural preservative. Outside of allergy, no negative health outcomes are noted from long-term sorbic acid consumption.
• Benzoic acid, a natural preservative. No ill effects from this compound on its own as it is found in nature (berries are surprisingly high in benzoic acid), however, it can break down into small amounts of benzene when in a strong enough acidic environment (like in Monsters that contain ascorbic acid, although I haven’t measured the pH of a Monster, so it is hard to tell what the pH environment actually is when all the ingredients are combined). Benzene is a known carcinogen. This may seem like a loss, but it is pretty much the same from eating fruits and again unless you drink litres of Monster daily it isn’t a huge issue. But I am still counting this as a negative against drinking Monster.
• Acesulfame potassium, a sweetener that has received some pretty bad press. However, in “normal” amounts, it’s a non-issue. Acesulfame K is completely innocuous in normal amounts, and again unless you plan on drinking litres of Monster daily for years, toxicity is not an issue.
• L-carnitine L-tartrate, is another one of our favourite substances. L-carnitine has multiple health benefits, and this is a big health win for Monster and although the dose could be higher this is a nice boost to the health properties of Monster. Combining it with the L-tartrate molecule has added antioxidant properties. A very big positive here for Monster.
• Niacinamide, a form of vitamin B3 (niacin) that doesn’t have the negative side effects supplementing with direct niacin has. A health win here, especially for those with low B3 intake. Although niacinamide doesn’t have the same health benefits of niacin, it is still associated with “health” supplement.
• D-calcium pantothenate, also known as vitamin B5 is a component of coenzyme A (CoA), an essential coenzyme for life to actually occur and function correctly. The addition of B5 to Monster is a health win, especially for those with low intakes.
• Sodium chloride, this is just salt. It is essential for health and outside of conditions that require low salt intake, this is a health win for Monster.
• D-glucuronolactone, a little under researched as a supplement for my liking, but none the less a natural component of connective tissue. I am going to leave this as a neutral, although I could hypothesise why this could be bad or good it doesn’t have enough research to truly support my stance (my stance being that this is actually a beneficial substance).
• Inositol, a pseudovitamin that is considered part of the B vitamin family. A benefit for health, especially in those that are deficient in B vitamins. It has some really beneficial and interesting properties, but we will save that for another day. This is a health win for Monster.
• Guarana seed extract, a plant extract that is used to enhance weight loss (through its stimulatory effect), enhance athletic performance, reduce mental and physical fatigue, help treat low blood pressure and chronic fatigue syndrome, and it has also been used to enhance sexual desire (likely through its stimulatory effects). A neutral to positive health rating, as most of the benefits, are derived from its caffeine content, the guarana extract itself isn’t actually “more” healthy than caffeine.
• Pyridoxine hydrochloride, another B vitamin. Another potential health win, especially for those with low intake or deficiency.
• Maltodextrin, a sugar. Not a huge amount in Monster Ultra as it is just used as a thickener and to mask/enhance some of the other tastes. In the context of a calorie appropriate diet, it is neither a health positive nor negative.
• Cyanocobalamin, another B vitamin, another health win. It does actually contain cyanide, but this is a none issue because cobalamin is actually an “antidote” to cyanide poisoning as it soaks up cyanide. Still a health win.

In summary, there is nothing wrong with drinking an energy drink. At best it is a mildly beneficial drink for your health, at worst it is relatively benign. It is potentially negative if consumed in large quantities over time, however, nobody could realistically physically get to the levels required to actually cause long-term ill health and would likely reach a level of caffeine that would cause short-term ill health first (anxiety or even death).

So unless you plan on drinking 20-30 Monsters every day, Monster is probably NOT bad for your health.

Lifestyle

The other factors you must also look at when you discuss energy drink consumption are your sleep and stress management. If you feel you NEED an energy drink to get through your day, then that is probably indicative of something not squared away with either your diet, sleep or stress management.

So looking at sorting out your diet first, and then really dialling in on your sleep and stress management should be a bigger priority than discussing whether an energy drink is good or bad. We know sleep and stress management are bigger players for health, so whatever minuscule effects having an energy drink has on health pale in comparison to the effects of having better sleep and better stress management.

So it would be wise to address those areas if you feel you NEED to consume an energy drink daily.

Potential Issues with Energy Drinks

Now, I don’t want to close out this article without at least touching on the potential issues with energy drinks.

1. High Caffeine Content:
   • Most energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine, which can lead to side effects like increased heart rate, high blood pressure, anxiety, and sleep disturbances if consumed excessively.
   • Caffeine overdose can cause symptoms such as jitteriness, headaches, nausea, and, in extreme cases, heart arrhythmias.
2. Sugar Content:
   • Many energy drinks are loaded with sugar, contributing to weight gain, tooth decay, and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
   • Sugar-free versions may use artificial sweeteners, which are generally safe in moderation but may not be well-tolerated by some individuals.
3. Energy Crashes:
   • The high sugar and caffeine content can lead to an “energy crash” once their effects wear off, leaving you feeling fatigued.
4. Additives:
   • Ingredients like taurine, guarana, and B vitamins are often included. While these are usually safe, their interactions with other ingredients in high doses aren’t fully understood.
   • Excessive amounts of these additives may contribute to overstimulation.
5. Heart and Neurological Risks:
   • Some studies suggest that frequent consumption of energy drinks may be linked to cardiovascular and neurological risks, especially in young people, pregnant women, or those with pre-existing conditions.
6. Dependency and Tolerance:
   • Regular use can lead to caffeine dependency, where you need more to achieve the same effect, and withdrawal symptoms when not consumed.

However, with normal use (~1 energy drink per day, a couple of times per week) and a switch to sugar free energy drinks, these aren’t generally issues. Some people are a bit more sensitive to caffeine, and will need to consume less caffeine and to consume it further away from sleep.

Is coffee a better option than an energy drink for health?

Yeah, it likely is, and despite getting a lot of negative press, coffee is actually a health food and is, in fact, the largest source of antioxidants in the American diet.

Coffee could be considered a health food for most, although not all people. This is where individual variations come in, and why it is so important to track markers of your own health. Even if those markers are more subjective like rating how your energy levels are throughout the day with and without coffee, or how your sleep quality is affected by caffeine.

Although the research is in favour of coffee being healthier than energy drinks, that doesn’t mean energy drinks are unhealthy, it just shows how healthy coffee actually is. However, even with coffee, you shouldn’t NEED it to get through your day. So switching to coffee doesn’t allow you to just ignore why you are feeling that NEED.

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Paddy Farrell

www.triagemethod.com

Hey, I'm Paddy!

I am a coach who loves to help people master their health and fitness. I am a personal trainer, strength and conditioning coach, and I have a degree in Biochemistry and Biomolecular Science. I have been coaching people for over 10 years now.

When I grew up, you couldn't find great health and fitness information, and you still can't really. So my content aims to solve that!

I enjoy training in the gym, doing martial arts and hiking in the mountains (around Europe, mainly). I am also an avid reader of history, politics and science. When I am not in the mountains, exercising or reading, you will likely find me in a museum.