Ingredients are grouped by function. The Taste, Appearance, and Vitamin categories I won’t go into, but a search of the FDA’s food additive site says they are all common and found in many products at the grocery story. The “Marketables” as I call them is where the mystery behind the can lies.
(I made the breakdown so If anyone sees mistakes let me know)
What do you think of Energy Drinks? Are they Safe?
Taste
What do you think of Energy Drinks? Are they Safe?
Taste
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Citric Acid
Orange Juice
Natural Flavor
Color/ Appearance
Sodium Benzoate
Sodium Hexametaphosphate
Maltodextin
Gum Arabic
Calcium Disodium EDTA
Brominated Vegetable Oil
Yellow 5
Blue 1
Vitamins
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)
Niacinamide (Vitamin B3)
Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5)
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6)
Cyanocobalamin (B12)
Marketables
Guarana Seed Extract
Caffeine
Taurine
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
Source :
Sara M. Seifert, Judith L. Schaechter, Eugene R. Hershorin and Steven E. Lipshultz
Health Effects of Energy Drinks on Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults Pediatrics. Pediatrics Pediatrics 2011;127:511–528
| Ingredient | Description | Therapeutic Uses | Effect From EnergyDrinks | Adverse Effects |
| Caffeine | a central nervous system stimulant | used to treat apnea n bronchopulmonary dysplasia in premature infants | Increases exercise endurance and improves cognition and mood when fatigued or sleep-deprived | -Nervousness -irritability -anxiety -insomnia -tachycardia -palpitations -upset stomach, -vomiting -abdominal pain, -rigidity -hypokalemia -paralysis -hallucinations -increased intracranial pressure -cerebral edema -seizures -rhabdomyolysis -supraventricular and ventricular tachyarrhythmias |
| Guarana | A South American plant | None known | Stimulant, mainly through the effects of caffeine, and weight loss | Generally considered safe by the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition |
| Taurine | An abundant amino acid in the central nervous system; acts in neural growth and protection, cell metabolism, osmoregulation, antioxidation, and glycolysis; estimated daily intake is 400 mg | Infant formula has been supplemented with taurine since the 1980s because of evidence that it promotes healthy development; used to treat alcohol withdrawal,congestive heart failure, cystic fibrosis,palpitations /dysrhythmias, hypertension, diabetes, seizure disorders, hepatitis | Marketed to promote eye and biliary health and to prevent congestive heart failure by lowering blood pressure while improving cardiac contractility | Generally considered safe by the FDA |
| Ginseng | An East Asian herb | Believed to improve memory, increase stamina, and stimulate immune function | Improve physical performance | Reported symptoms of ginseng toxicity include diarrhea, vaginal bleeding, headache, vertigo, mania, hypertension, rashes, insomnia, irritability, Stevens- Johnson syndrome, and agranulocytosis; some of these symptoms may be related to contaminants, such as phenylbutazone and aminopyrine, used in its processing |