That "energy blend" may not be such a boost.
Looking for a caffeine boost? Both coffee and 5-Hour Energy produce the same perk, according to a new research presented at the annual meeting for the Association for Psychological Science.
In the study, students consumed either 5-Hour Energy, caffeine, or water before performing an attention task. Scientists found that the energy drink and caffeine both improved alertness better than the placebo, but there was no difference in brainwave responses between them.
The results suggest that the “energy blend” of B vitamins, taurine, tyrosine, and malic acid in 5-Hour Energy may not offer an advantage over plain caffeine, says lead researcher KatieAnn Skogsberg, Ph.D., an assistant professor at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky.
B vitamins are critical in regulating your energy, but there’s no evidence that consuming more than what you need (5-Hour contains over 8,000 percent the RDA of B12) gives you more energy, says Renee Clerkin, an R.D. in Chicago. In fact, some B vitamins, like folic acid, do have amounts that you shouldn’t exceed—and three 5-Hour Energy bottles puts you past the upper level intake, she adds.
The bottom line: Occasionally using 5-Hour Energy should be fine—it has four calories and about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee. But remember: “We don’t know the long term effects of consuming these drinks daily,” Clerkin says, who also notes that if you opt for the energy drink to stick with a half to one bottle a day, and never more than three. But know, too, that when your caffeine is delivered in the form of coffee or tea, you’ll also consume a healthy dose of polyphenols, which do everything from stave off cognitive decline to protect against diabetes.
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