10 Energy Drinks Not Worth The Sugar Rush

Countless studies have exposed the dangers associated with the regular consumption of energy drinks.

According to a recent report by the Associated Press, potential harms may include: irritability, high blood pressure, heart palpitations, seizures and strokes.

Late last year, the American Association of Poison Control Centers began tracking energy drink overdoses and side effects. Since the study began late last year, more than 1,000 such cases have been reported.

But Americans aren't about to stop consuming these popular, performance enhancing drinks. In fact, energy drinks are the fastest growing product on the U.S. beverage market, with 2011 sales expected to pass $9 billion.

While studies have focused on the effects of ingredients like caffeine, taurine and guarana (which contains roughly twice the caffeine found in coffee beans), they fail to highlight another important ingredient: sugar.

Many energy drinks come packed with more sugar than popular decadent dessert items -- from glazed donuts and chewy cookies to buttery croissants and crunchy chocolate bars.

The slideshow below showcases 10 popular energy drinks and their sugar equivalents.

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1 Red Eye = 24 Munchkins

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Red Eye (48.5 g sugar/11 fl. oz.) = 24 Dunkin’ Donuts plain cake munchkins

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Red Eye (48.5 g sugar/11 fl. oz.) = 24 Dunkin’ Donuts plain cake munchkins

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Rank #2  |  Average: 4

Not terrible Yikes!

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Comments

[Dresii]

03:44 PM on 06/24/2011

I've never had an energy drink as I've seen what they do to my friends. A friend from college used to drink one in the morning before chemistry lab, between the lab and our next lecture, and after the lecture. I know mondays are rough, but it wasn't necessary, and he became really addicted to them. Although I didn't go the energy drink route, at exam time I would drink far too much coffee to the point where I was so jittery I couldn't focus on studying. Even though I haven't had coffee since the end of April I still can't stand the thought of drinking it. Energy drinks are bad news bears, a little extra sleep is enough of an energy boost for me.

[OrwellianOne]

06:48 PM on 06/24/2011

Coffee and energy drinks, two sides of the same coin.

And nothing is wrong with energy drinks. I'm so sick of this nonsense.

[lhanderson86]

07:30 PM on 06/24/2011

There's nothing wrong with 46 grams of sugar?

[TarmagonTheDestroyer]

08:54 AM on 06/24/2011

this is an old article that i saw on yahoo one time. they pretty much took out it was only "teens" part that they traced back these complications. HOWEVER, and i do drink energy drinks, a friend of mine drank about 4-6 a day to stay away, he's a driver, and he did have heart palpitations. so he stopped. i'm no doctor, but i'd say if you drink 4-6 a day you should stop. one every so often? i'm sure it's fine in moderation just like coffee or drinking. as for me? i've stopped drinking the cans and went to a supplement that doesn't have the sugar and i can control my intake. i'm trying to cut it out totally. i've just become so dependent on it. kind of like how some people become dependent on coffee in the morning. in the end, i'd say it's just better not to drink the stuff.

[TarmagonTheDestroyer]

09:12 AM on 06/24/2011

*awake

[colinmeister]

07:28 AM on 06/24/2011

Oh well. I shall continue to drink my one 355 ml can of Red Bull every morning when I get to work. I like it, and I'm sure my modest consumption is not going to do too much damage.

[ECMayfield]

04:30 AM on 06/24/2011

I had a Red Bull once, curious to know what it would feel like to have "wings"...

all I ended up getting was gas, and heart palpitations. Never again...

[YoungerAndWiser]

11:26 PM on 06/23/2011

What the author is seriously missing out on is how much these energy drinks are helping me save on donuts.

[bhuggy]

08:16 AM on 06/24/2011

Good Answer

[dor ped]

09:08 PM on 06/23/2011

you guys really like to stretch it with the headlines.........

[gregoryA]

07:21 PM on 06/23/2011

Sorry, this is BS. It is an unfair indictment of energy drinks. The energy drinks I drink are primarily juice-based. They also contain 100% of four B vitamins which, as a vegetarian, are an important supplement. I have done the comparisons of these drinks with the coffee drinks that most Americans consume every morning and the energy drinks come out on top. More vitamins, less sugars, less expensive. So, if you are going to spend $4 on a morning pick-me-up choose an energy drink over the carmel macchiato you are getting at Starbucks. Yes, anything in excess is bad for you but drinking one energy drink a day is not going to significantly alter your health.

[Bruce Erickson]

11:42 PM on 06/23/2011

So maybe that is why Red Bull and drinks like them are not allowed in several countries in Europe. I guess that their findings that these drinks KILL has nothing to do with reason. WAKE UP AND READ ABOUT THE HARM THESE DRINKS DO TO YOUR BODY Read the AMA report and then make your comments. They not only speed up your heart but the contents also thicken your blood. WOW any sane human could come to the conclusion that at that time with thicken blood and a much higher heart rate YOU ARE ASKING FOR A STROKE WOW just what the AMA thought and said in their report and just what several countries also found in Europe. GET A GRIP GREGORY

[OrwellianOne]

01:45 AM on 06/24/2011

With the amount of sales people should be dieing left and right, but of course they're not because the "dangers" of these drinks are widely inflated. Caffeine is a drug and carries risk, but is a drug that is in a variety of products.

I searched for the Australian study and couldn't find it. All I found were articles which mentioned the small sample(30 people), and didn't explain at all what the doctors believes was causing the "stickiness". Most likely caffeine, perhaps the addition of taurine as well because of its effects on blood platelets, though it usually reduces clotting, not increases it.

But again, your claims are mostly ridiculous fear mongering balogna.

[MJinCanada]

11:48 PM on 06/23/2011

Depends on your health otherwise. Many people have undiagnosed heart murmurs. My son has benign atrial arrhythmia and discovered just half of one of those things will trigger palpitations and tachycardia that will leave him feeling wobbly for days.

[hannnnuh]

06:51 PM on 06/23/2011

Although this is a good article, I think it is a little misleading because personally my first thaught was, "So an energy drink equals 11 croissants?". There are many dangers of energy drinks but eating 11 croissants has enormous amounts of fat, calories, carbs and cholesterol. So they are very different, I think I would have just shown a pile of sugar, but I guess shock is what gets peoples attention.

[paraprajnameta1]

06:20 PM on 06/23/2011

mmmm...glazed donuts and croissants dripping with melted butter and chewy oatmeal cookies. Who'd want to drink those calories away?

[norby413]

05:47 PM on 06/23/2011

1 Cliff Bar, which gets an "A-" in their nutrition rating, has MORE sugars than one serving of Monster energy drink, and twice the calories....

[norby413]

05:45 PM on 06/23/2011

One SERVING of Monster = 2 granola bars....
Not quite as exciting, is it?

[Spleenz]

07:03 AM on 06/24/2011

Completely agree. 1 serving of Monster = 2 granola bars = 11.5 apple fritter donuts!!

Screw the granola bars give me the 11.5 apple fritter donuts!!! I'll burn off the calories by drinking an energy drink thanks. :)

[Heather Nicole Spiers]

05:23 PM on 06/23/2011

What about sugar free energy drinks? Most don't have more than 10-20 calories and 0carbs. Those are what I drink. This article seems a little alarmist to me.

[Mandy Johnson Combs]

07:19 PM on 06/23/2011

Agreed! People need to be proactive about their health. There is a little label titled NUTRITION FACTS....it actually tells you most of what you need to know! :) I like energy drinks, but I'm smart enough to choose a sugar free version. They have fewer sugars and calories than most sodas.

[gregstevens]

04:38 PM on 06/23/2011

The article says, "Late last year, the American Association of Poison Control Centers began tracking energy drink overdoses and side effects."

The phrase that the article, and many of the comments here, glosses over is "overdoses".

Most energy drink specifically say that they contain 2 or more servings per container. Yet people drink 2 or more containers at a time. And then it's the PRODUCT's fault when the consumer has problems?

BREAKING NEWS: CONSUMING RIDICULOUS AMOUNTS OF ANYTHING IS BAD FOR YOU!!


The problem isn't the product, it's the way people are using it.

[axl76]

06:07 PM on 06/23/2011

I could not agree more with your remark in capital letters!:)

[MJinCanada]

11:50 PM on 06/23/2011

One wonders why they would put two or more servings in cans with pop tabs.

[OrwellianOne]

01:47 AM on 06/24/2011

Yeah I don't know, what's next, 21 oz pops or 40z beers?

[Spleenz]

07:06 AM on 06/24/2011

Actually the new Monster energy drinks are starting to come with a resealable top that goes over the opening on the can. I think they are called Monster Import.

Here's a link to a picture of one, kind of cool IMO:

http://www.everyview.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/MonsterImportcap.jpg

[leighalittletyke]

02:11 PM on 06/23/2011

Before I became a health and workout nut I used to drink these all the time. But once you start eating healthy and cutting out processed foods you can actually taste the syrup and sugars in it and it makes your body feel awful!

[UtopiaMinor]

01:19 PM on 06/23/2011

Oh, America...if it isnt prozac, it's Red Bull.

[an]

02:37 PM on 06/23/2011

these drinks are very popular in europe too.

[Bruce Erickson]

11:45 PM on 06/23/2011

Not since they began to bann them due to the health risk but here in America profit means more than human life. Read the AMA report about these drinks and you will NEVER drink another.