Energy drinks are just about as popular as sports drinks and vitamin-enhanced waters. In fact, you can’t walk into a convenience store or gas station without rubbing elbows with energy-boosting pills and potions as you pay for your newspaper, soda or slushie.
DietsInReview.com compared two of the best-selling energy drinks on the market: FRS and 5-Hour Energy drink.
Here is a look at how each of them stacks up.
FRS
Claims: Strongly promoted and supported by Lance Armstrong, FRS Healthy Energy, which stands for “free radical scavenger,” contains antioxidants rather than sugar and caffeine to give you a surge in energy. Most notably is its addition of the antioxidant quercetin, which is found in the skins of apples, berries and grapes. According to FRS, quercetin works by naturally triggering the body’s ability to produce more real energy. FRS also contains green tea and vitamins C and E. The product claims to help enhance physical performance, aid in muscle recovery and provide sustained energy and concentration.
Ingredients: FRS cans contain water, organic evaporated cane juice, white grape juice concentrate, inulin, lemon juice concentrate, natural lime flavor, quercetin, citric acid, ascorbic acid, gum arabic, locust bean gum, green tea extract, vitamin E, caffeine, vitamin B3, B6, B1, B2 and B12, and natural lemon flavor.
Cost: One can of FRS costs $2.50. One bag of FRS soft chews costs $14.99 to $16.99.
Caffeine Equivalent: A can of FRS contains 48mg of caffeine, equivalent to approximately a cup of tea or half a cup (4oz) of regular coffee. The powdered drink mixes and soft chews have less caffeine per serving.
Styles: FRS is available in a liquid concentrate, powdered drink mixes, soft chews and single-serve cans. Each of these forms come in a variety of flavors. Low-cal forms of the cans and concentrate are also available.
Cautions: The green tea plus added caffeine may produce a serious energy buzz, particularly for those who are caffeine sensitive.
Here is DietsInReview.com’s complete review of FRS.
5-Hour Energy drink
Claims: 5-Hour Energy drinks are more like shots than drinks. The best-selling energy product in the country, 5-Hour Energy are small two-ounce bottles that contain a blend of vitamins, amino acids and caffeine. They promise to deliver a five-hour sustained energy boost without the stomach-dropping crash that is synonymous with most energy or sugar drinks. In addition, these small shots don’t contain any sugar or herbal stimulants and pack four calories per two-ounce serving. This veritable vitamin and amino acid cocktail contains sky-high amounts vitamin B12 (try 8,000 percent of the RDA) and vitamin B6 (2,000 percent).
Ingredients: They contain vitamins B12, B6, B3, and B9, citicoline, phenylalanine, taurine, tyrosine, malic acid, glucuronolactone and caffeine.
Cost: One two-ounce bottle costs $2.99 and can be purchased in packs of six or more.
Caffeine equivalent: One bottle of 5-Hour Energy drink contains as much caffeine as one cup of a leading premium coffee. The Extra Strength contains as much as a 12-ounce serving of premium coffee.
Styles: 5-Hour Energy drink come in three kinds: Regular Strength, Extra Strength and Decaf. Regular Strength comes in lemon-lime, grape, orange, berry, and pomegranate flavors. Extra Strength comes in very berry flavor and Decaf comes in citrus flavor.
Cautions: Aside from the obvious jittery effects that can come from consuming a single bottle or exceeding the recommended dosage, because of the large amounts of niacin, consumers are warned that they might experience a niacin flush in their face as blood circulation increases.
Here is DietsInReview.com’s complete review of 5-Hour Energy drinks.