Energy Drink
Food · Drink · Food, Typed Supps
A coffee’s worth of caffeine, a cola’s worth of sugar, and B vitamins for show.
Stage by stage
- Caffeine (Adenosine receptors): Roughly 80 mg per can blocks adenosine — this is what produces the alertness.
- Sugar (Circulation): About 11 g per 100 g gives a brief lift and a corresponding fall.
- B vitamins (Metabolic cofactors): They help release energy from food already eaten; they do not supply any.
- Taurine (Poorly characterised): Present at around 1 g per can, well above dietary norms, with unclear human effect.
Timing
Same afternoon-caffeine caution as coffee. Mixing with alcohol masks how drunk you feel without making you less impaired — the documented risk here.
Time to effect
- 30–60 min: Alertness rises with plasma caffeine.
- —: No benefit accrues from the B vitamins if you are not deficient.
Allergens
None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.
Eating patterns
Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Low-FODMAP.
Satiety
Not scored: the satiety index is measured on 240 kcal servings, and nobody eats a 240 kcal serving of this. The question does not apply rather than the answer being unknown.
Cost band
Cheap — roughly £2.5 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.
Key nutrients
Nutrition per 100g
- Calories: 43
- Protein: 0.1g
- Carbohydrate: 10.8g
- of which sugars: 10.8g
- Sodium: 71mg
Food vs. supplement
Coffee and an energy drink deliver comparable caffeine. The drink adds around 11 g of sugar per 100 g that the coffee does not need.
Kitchen tip
If it is the alertness you want, coffee delivers the same caffeine without the sugar — and lets you control the dose more precisely.
Common myth
“The B vitamins are what give you energy.” In reality: B vitamins are coenzymes — they help release energy from food you have already eaten. Adding more than you need does nothing; the surplus is water-soluble and excreted. The alertness in the can is the caffeine, and you can get that from coffee without the sugar.
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