What's the healthiest energy drink? Here's how 7 popular choices stack up.
When you’re feeling low on fuel, it can be tempting to seek out a magic potion for motivation — like one of the many energy drinks on the market, which have been touted as everything from “clean” health tonics to magic bullets for weight loss. But behind the sleek marketing, can energy drinks really be good for you?
Red Bull Energy Drink
Monster Energy Zero Sugar
Prime Original Energy Drink
Alani Nu Energy Drink - Pink Slush
Gorgie Energy Drink
Energy drinks are caffeinated beverages that often contain other stimulants, such as guarana, ginseng, taurine and carnitine, which boost the effects of the caffeine. Vanessa King, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, explains that these beverages are commonly used to increase energy, performance and alertness. But while they’re often confused with sports drinks, energy drinks fall under a different category.
“Energy drinks are not considered nutritional,” King tells Yahoo Life. “They can be included in a balanced, healthy diet, but I wouldn’t consider them alternatives to food [or] meal replacements.”
Lisa Moskovitz, founder of NY Nutrition Group and author of The Core 3 Healthy Eating Plan, says that while energy drinks aren’t inherently healthy, “some are better for you than others.” “As long as consumed in moderation, they can be part of a healthy diet and lifestyle,” Moskovitz tells Yahoo Life.
What ingredients should you look out for?
Experts say you should check a few key ingredients before cracking open an energy drink.
Sugar content: Excess sugar is linked to obesity and other chronic diseases and may even accelerate aging — and King says sugary beverages are the leading source of added sugars in American diets. Registered dietitian Roxana Ehsani recommends choosing an energy drink with either no added sugar or low added sugar — i.e., below 5 grams of sugar per serving.
Caffeine content: Even if an energy drink is low in calories or sugar, it may still contain unsafe levels of caffeine. “The major risk of drinking energy drinks is how easy it is to overconsume caffeine, which can be toxic in higher doses,” Moskovitz says. For most healthy adults, consuming more than 400 mg of caffeine per day is linked to elevated heart rates and blood pressure. King says you should aim for 150 mg or less per serving in an energy drink to allow for caffeine from other foods and beverages throughout the day. (For reference, one 8-ounce cup of brewed black coffee contains 96 mg of caffeine.)
While energy drinks aren’t nutritious, some contain more sugar and sodium than others. Here’s how some popular energy drinks stack up.
Red Bull Energy Drink
Red Bull does pretty well in the caffeine category; at 80 mg per serving (with one serving per can), it contains slightly less caffeine than a standard 8-ounce cup of coffee.
However, with 26 grams of added sugar per serving, just one can contains 53% of your daily recommended added sugar intake (which is 50 grams). It also has more calories (110) than many other energy drinks.
It’s also important to note that one can, or serving, is just 8.4 ounces — nearly half the size of other energy drinks, which contain 12 to 16 ounces per can.
Caffeine: 80 mg per (8.4 oz.) can
Calories: 110 calories per (8.4 oz.) can
Sugar: 26 grams per (8.4 oz.) can
Sodium: 105 mg per (8.4 oz.) can
- Moderate caffeine content
- Higher sugar content
- Higher calories
Celsius
Celsius touts that its product has seven essential vitamins, including vitamins C and B12, as well as “natural flavors.” Ehsani explains that natural flavors are natural essences or extractives that come from plants, such as a spice, fruit, vegetable, herb, root or leaf, or even from meat, seafood, eggs or dairy products.
“A lot of people may think that natural flavors are healthy, but just because it's listed on the label doesn’t make it healthy,” Ehsani says. “It’s just adding flavor [and has] no nutritional value.”
One serving of Celsius Original (or one 12-ounce can) contains 200 mg of caffeine — about the same as two cups of coffee — putting it on the higher end of the caffeine scale compared to other energy drinks. And, as one cardiologist told the Guardian, it also contains ingredients such as taurine and guarana extract, which enhance the effects of caffeine.
It has no added sugar, few calories and less sodium than many other options. But it does contain sucralose, an artificial sweetener.
“Low-calorie and zero-sugar energy drinks have an advantage over traditional versions, as they won’t contribute to rampant blood sugar spikes and crashes,” Moskovitz explains. “The drawback is that many of these brands use artificial sweeteners to lower the calorie and sugar content, which can be bothersome for some people who are sensitive to sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose.”
Caffeine: 200 mg per (12 oz.) can
Calories: 10 calories per (12 oz.) can
Sugar: 0 grams per (12 oz.) can
Sodium: 5 mg per (12 oz.) can
- No sugar
- Low in calories
- Lower sodium content
- Higher caffeine content
- Contains artificial sweeteners
Monster Energy
Monster Energy has one of the higher sodium contents of the bunch, at 370 mg per can — or 16% of your daily recommended intake. Too much sodium is bad for you, and the federal recommendation is that most adults and teens consume less than 2,300 mg of sodium a day.
It also contains more calories (230 calories per serving) than many other energy drinks and has a whopping 54 grams of sugar — in other words, more than your total daily recommended amount of sugar in one can.
The caffeine content is 160 mg per 16-ounce serving — the equivalent of about one and a half to two cups of coffee. That’s a bit higher than what experts recommend in a single energy drink, but slightly lower than many other energy drink products.
It’s also important to note that at 16 ounces per can, Monster Energy has the largest serving size compared to other energy drinks. One Monster Energy, for example, is the equivalent of nearly two Red Bulls.
Caffeine: 160 mg per (16 oz.) can
Calories: 230 calories per (16 oz.) can
Sugar: 54 grams per (16 oz.) can
Sodium: 370 mg per (16 oz.) can
- Moderate caffeine content
- Higher calories
- High sugar content
- Higher sodium content
Monster Energy Zero Sugar
Like its sugary counterpart, Monster Energy Zero Sugar also has higher sodium content, at 380 mg per 16-ounce can — or 17% of your daily recommended intake — and 160 mg of caffeine per serving.
It has fewer calories and no sugar, but like many other sugar-free options it does contain artificial sweeteners.
Caffeine: 160 mg per (16 oz.) can
Calories: 10 calories per (16 oz.) can
Sugar: 0 grams per (16 oz.) can
Sodium: 380 mg per (16 oz.) can
- No sugar
- Low in calories
- Moderate caffeine content
- Higher sodium content
- Contains artificial sweeteners
Prime Original Energy drink
With 200 mg of caffeine per serving, each 12-ounce can of Prime Original Energy Drink is on the higher end of the caffeine scale. Sen. Chuck Schumer even singled out the brand in a letter to the Food and Drug Administration last year.
It contains 70 mg of sodium — or 3% of your daily recommended intake — putting it somewhere in the middle of the sodium content scale compared to other energy drinks.
It’s low in calories and has zero sugar but does contain artificial sweeteners.
Caffeine: 200 mg per (12 oz.) can
Calories: 10 calories per (12 oz.) can
Sugar: 0 grams per (12 oz.) can
Sodium: 70 mg per (12 oz.) can
- Low in calories
- No sugar
- Higher caffeine content
- Moderate sodium content
- Contains artificial sweeteners
Alani Nu Energy Drink - Pink Slush
Unlike Prime and Monster Energy, which are marketed toward young men, Alani Nu has partnered with celebrities to make a slew of different energy drinks aimed at young women (like Kim Kardashian’s “Kimade,” featuring the reality star posing with dumbbells, workout gear and her trusty energy drink).
Alani Nu Energy Drink - Pink Slush, for example, is low in calories and has zero added sugar but does contain artificial sweeteners and 1 gram of sugar alcohol for sweetness.
Of the energy drinks we examined, this one contains higher sodium levels — second only to Monster Energy and Monster Energy Zero Sugar. It’s also on the high end of the caffeine scale, with 200 mg per 12-ounce can (the caffeine equivalent of about six cans of Coke).
Caffeine: 200 mg per (12 oz.) can
Calories: 5 calories per (12 oz.) can
Sugar: 0 grams per (12 oz.) can
Sodium: 180 mg per (12 oz.) can
- Low in calories
- No sugar
- Higher caffeine content
- Higher sodium content
- Contains artificial sweeteners
Gorgie Energy Drink
Gorgie Energy Drink is a relatively new entry on the market and is marketed toward young women as a healthier alternative to other energy drinks.
It has zero sugar and zero sodium, and at 5 calories is one of the lowest-calorie options we looked at. Unlike many other sugar-free options, this one doesn’t contain the artificial sweetener sucralose but is sweetened with a form of stevia. Experts point out that while stevia, a plant leaf extract, is a healthier sweetener option for weight management and diabetes risk, it “may trick the body into wanting more.”
At 150 mg of caffeine per 12-ounce can, Gorgie has moderate caffeine content compared to other energy drinks. The company touts that each beverage contains “green tea caffeine,” but you should still be cautious.
“A lot of energy drink companies are getting more creative by sourcing caffeine from teas, herbs and other natural ingredients,” Moskovitz says. “Just keep in mind, no matter where the caffeine is coming from, it can still have side effects if consumed in larger quantities.”
Caffeine: 150 mg per (12 oz.) can
Calories: 5 calories per (12 oz.) can
Sugar: 0 grams per (12 oz.) can
Sodium: 0 mg per (12 oz.) can
- Moderate caffeine content
- No sugar
- No sodium
- Low in calories
- Still contains sweeteners (albeit “cleaner” ones)
What to do when you want an energy boost — without the energy drink
If you’re in need of an energy boost, there are plenty of natural alternatives that are actually good for you.
Drink water. “When we underhydrate, we lose energy and feel more lethargic,” King says. “Our brains literally shrink when we are dehydrated, as water is pulled out of the brain to other parts of the body.”
Eat well. Make sure you get enough high-fiber and protein-rich foods, including lots of fruits and veggies. Ehsani recommends fueling up with a healthy snack, such as an apple and walnuts or Greek yogurt with berries.
Have a coffee or tea. It may sound boring, but sticking with classic, unsweetened caffeinated beverages — such as black coffee, black tea or green tea — will help you get your caffeine fix without needing to worry about any mystery ingredients. And unlike energy drinks, coffee and tea have proven health benefits when consumed in moderation, such as a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and certain cancers.
