Putting latest energy drinks to the test
Dietitians, taste testers weigh beverages' claims
Can Eleuthero make you smarter? Is a "powershot" a good idea?
"With most of the drinks, they're basically sugar and water with some herbs and caffeine thrown in," says Lona Sandon, a registered dietitian.
To find out what's good for you — and what actually tastes good — we got expert opinions from Sandon and registered dietitian Keri Gans and assembled a panel of 10 taste-testers looking for an afternoon pick-me-up: an enthusiastic college student and harried journalists on deadline.
Brain Toniq
A "think drink" (isn't the IQ at the end cute?) that has no caffeine or processed sugar. The beverage maker claims mental focus comes from the Russian roots Rhodiola and Eleuthero and two "brain nutrients" — choline and DMAE. It's then sweetened with agave nectar and citrus extracts. The 8.4-ounce can has 80 calories and 20 grams of sugar.
THE DIETITIANS SAY: This drink does include a lot of natural ingredients: Sandon says agave nectar is basically "honey from a cactus." Choline is found in eggs and has been shown to benefit people with dementia, but there has been little research on whether it can help people whose memories are intact, she says. Rhodiola root and Eleuthro may help speed up the conversion of food to energy, but the studies are mixed.
Playboy Energy Drink
The "ultra-sexy" and "incredibly invigorating" Playboy Energy Drink contains horny goat weed extract (yes it's really an herb), ginseng, guarana and damiana leaf, and lots of sugar. An 8.4-ounce can has 120 calories and 30 grams of sugar. It also comes in sugar-free.
THE DIETITIANS SAY: This drink has too much sugar, Gans says. "All the other ingredients they say have health benefits are in small doses," she says. Horny goat weed is an herb for virility, Sandon says. Does it help? "My guess is no," she says. Gans says that studies suggest that high doses of icariin, which is found in horny goat weed, may be toxic to the kidney and liver. "So one should be careful how much they drink."
THE TESTERS SAY: A few testers compared the drink to candy: cotton candy, liquid Pez, Pixy Stix. Some found it sweet but refreshing.
Nos PowerShot
FUZE Beverage says the PowerShot packs "hours of horsepower" in a 2-ounce bottle, with the same amount of caffeine, B-vitamins and amino acids that are found in an 8-ounce serving of a regular NOS Energy Drink. It contains "elevated levels" of Vitamins B6 and B12. Each shot has 30 calories, no fat and 6 grams of sugar.
Recent comments
any testing cannot prove that energy drinks can make a man smart
arjun dulal | Oct. 2, 2008 at 10:23 a.m.
"Brain Toniq?" Give me a break! honestly, how is a can of water,…
Genius IQ score | Sept. 29, 2008 at 4:30 p.m.
