Increasingly, people are looking for it in a can with revved-up names like AMP, Full Throttle, Adrenaline Rush, Socko! and Wired. "Energy drinks" are supposed to fuel a hectic lifestyle with quick bursts of energy.
High school and college students sip their way through all-night study sessions. At nightclubs, "Red Bull and vodka" has become almost as well-known as "rum and Coke." The tag line of Rockstar energy drink is "Party like a rock star."
"Generation Y — the skateboard, dirt-bike, X-Games set — has adopted these drinks as their own," says a 2005 report by the Food Marketing Institute, ACNielsen and the Lempert Report.
But while these gulp-and-go cocktails deliver nearly the same caffeine buzz as a cup of coffee, they're a poor substitute for proper rest and nutrition, according to Stacie Wing-Gaia, a University of Utah professor and sports dietitian, and Leslie Bonci, director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's sports-nutrition department.
In an article for the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, Bonci concluded, "Being optimally 'energized' requires a suitable level of physical activity, adequate sleep, effective fueling and hydration strategies, and probably other unknown factors that affect neurochemicals in the brain. An energy drink alone will never make up for all of these elements."
Energy drinks are banned in France due to food-safety concerns. But in the rest of the world, the energy-drink category had grown by 55 percent last year as of Oct. 30, according to Information Resources Inc. in Chicago. The five best-sellers were Red Bull (with 2.5 billion cans sold in 2005) , Monster Energy, Rockstar, Full Throttle and SoBe Adrenaline Rush.
What's the attraction? Kent Prewett, a Davis High School senior in Kaysville, drank two cans of Rockstar a day for a few months before quitting four weeks ago. "I thought they tasted good, and they woke me up, and they were on sale," he said. "They gave you short spurts of energy, but they drained you even more after. I quit to see how long I can go without any caffeine. I had a headache for about a week, but now I've been sleeping a lot better."
They may be an acquired taste. First-time drinkers might wonder if they mistakenly picked up a can of antifreeze, considering the potent flavors and the neon colors of many of these beverages. Red Bull has been described as "medicinal Mountain Dew."
Some say Tab Energy tastes like a watermelon-flavored Jolly Rancher, not the expected cola flavor of its Tab namesake.
"Most are simply high-carbohydrate, caffeinated drinks with some herbs mixed in," said Wing-Gaia. "These products walk a fine line between dietary supplements and foods."
Because they contain vitamins, minerals, herbals or amino acids, they are classified as "dietary supplements" and not subject to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's regulations for either food or drugs.
Some are super-fortified with vitamins — for instance, a 16-ounce can of Wired 3000 boasts 3,000 percent of the recommended daily value for vitamin B-12, and Red Bull contains 250 percent of the recommended daily value of vitamin B-6. They typically contain exotic-sounding compounds such as taurine, carnitine, inositol, guarana, gingko and ginseng — even amino acids secreted by hornet larvae, which is touted by VAAM-Energy.
While some of these ingredients have beneficial properties, the drinks often contain too small of an amount to offer any real effect, said Wing-Gaia. On the other hand, some could be dangerous, especially if taken with prescribed medications.
The product labels make interesting claims, such as:"Rockstar is scientifically formulated to speed the recovery time of those who lead active and exhausting lifestyles — from athletes to rock stars."
SoBe's Adrenaline Rush offers "Sustained Energy for Non-Stop Living."
Red Bull "improves performance, especially during times of increased stress or strain; increases concentration and improves reaction speed; stimulates the metabolism."
When asked about these claims, Red Bull's spokesman, Patrice Radden, said nine studies done in Germany, Austria and England, involving athletic performance and sleepy drivers, support them.
When asked if the claimed metabolism increase comes from the high amount of caffeine, Radden said, "Red Bull's blend of ingredients provides energy. We don't associate specific ingredients with specific benefits."
But it's hard to find any energy drink label that lists the exact amount of caffeine. Red Bull contains 80 milligrams of caffeine, said Radden, and an 8-ounce can of Rockstar contains 75 milligrams of caffeine, according to www.rockstar69.com, Rockstar's Web site. (If you've got one of the popular 16- or 24-ounce cans, it's double or triple that amount.)
In comparison, the caffeine content in a cup of coffee is 80-150 milligrams, and cola soft drinks contain 35-50 milligrams per 12-ounce can.
On the ingredients label of energy drinks, the caffeine might also be listed as guarana, coffee bean or kola nut.
Radden said Red Bull doesn't list caffeine content because it's not required by the FDA. "And if the stimulant occurs naturally in a product — as it does, say, in a coffee bean — it doesn't have to be listed as an ingredient."
Caffeine "perks up your central nervous system and makes you feel more alert, energetic and cheery," writes Marion Nestle, a New York University nutrition professor in her book, "What To Eat." "Take in more than your personal limit, however, and you may feel nervous, shaky and sleepless. The more caffeine you drink, the more you become accustomed to it, and the harder it is to give up."
"For NCAA athletes, there is always the possibility of a positive doping test, as caffeine is still on the list of banned substances," Wing-Gaia added.
Wing-Gaia said energy drinks are a poor choice before or during strenuous exercise, because their high carbohydrate content slows fluid absorption and delays hydration of the body. Sports drinks such as Gatorade or Powerade are only 6-8 percent carbohydrate, with electrolytes added to enhance hydration. Energy drinks typically contain 20-25 percent carbohydrate, although there are sugar-free versions such as Tab Energy, Diet Rockstar and Red Bull Sugar-Free.
"For recovery following exercise, energy drinks actually do not have enough carbohydrate to refill muscles with glycogen and again can slow rehydration," said Wing-Gaia. "Generally, we recommend a sports drink with food."
"We are not aware of any concerns regarding carbohydrates in energy drinks and exercise," said Radden. "Red Bull is a functional drink and not a thirst-quencher. Thus, individuals should make sure that they drink lots of water when engaging in physical activity and drinking Red Bull."
E-mail: vphillips@desnews.com