When Jason Lee, a 41-year-old research analyst in Los Angeles, goes out for a night on the town, he wants to be able to dance until the wee hours. To rev up, Lee will drink three or four cans of Red Bull energy drink.
"It has more zing than a Diet Pepsi," Lee says. "I'm looking for something to help me stay up later, for more energy."
Energy -- that's what drinks such as Red Bull, Monster Energy, Rockstar, Amp, KMX, SoBe Adrenaline Rush and Shark promise. Red Bull, for example, boasts that it "vitalizes body and mind," "improves performance, especially during times of increased stress or strain, increases concentration and improves reaction speed" and "stimulates the metabolism."
The drinks contain caffeine and sweeteners, as well as various herbs, nutrients and other ingredients (guarana, ginseng, taurine, vitamins, minerals and amino acids). According to their manufacturers, these ingredients give energy.
Consumers seem to be buying the claim: The energy drink market increased by 44% between 2002 and 2003, from $454 million to $653 million, according to the Beverage Marketing Corp., a market research firm in New York. Red Bull is the leader in the energy drink market, the company says, and sells more than all of the other brands combined.
"Consumers are interested in the energy function," says John Sicher, editor of Beverage Digest, a beverage industry publication. "People like the product."
Young people in particular seem attracted to energy drinks, which are marketed heavily to them. The drinks have aggressive names and cool packaging, and many are linked to extreme sports events and musical acts.
The question, of course, is whether consumers are getting what they think from energy drinks. Does an 8.3-ounce can of sweetened, fortified carbonated water really provide energy? And if so, what price do you pay for your pick-me-up? The drinks' worth -- and risk -- varies by user.
Despite their long lists of ingredients, energy drinks get their stimulating effects from plain old caffeine, according to Gail Frank, a professor of nutrition at Cal State Long Beach and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Assn.
Ingredients such as taurine, an amino acid, are just for show, Frank says.
Amino acids -- which are sometimes given to ill people to help with tissue repair, cell structure maintenance and hormone production -- have not been shown to help healthy people.
