What caffeine drink is superior?

I believe that energy drinks have more detrimental effects on the human body in young people than coffee. 

While some may argue that drinking coffee is the same as drinking energy drinks, coffee tends to have lower caffeine content.

For example, Keurig: K-Cup Pods have 75 to 150 milligrams of caffeine whereas a 12 oz CELSIUS has 200 milligrams of caffeine, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest website. 

I prefer matcha or coffee because of the lower caffeine content and I never liked the taste of energy drinks like Monster Energy, nor can I tolerate the amount of caffeine content.

When I drink matcha or coffee, I tend to feel the caffeine more calmly without feeling too jittery.

Once when I had a Monster drink, I could not sit still and I experienced anxiety because I was not used to the amount of caffeine from energy drinks. 

There are additional ingredients in energy drinks like taurine, guarana and sugar, according to a March 10, 2022 study published by the European Journal of Nutrition. 

I think the additives in energy drinks are worse than simple syrup or espresso because they are purposely added as additional energy boosters. 

Espresso is made from coffee beans and a one ounce espresso shot has a caffeine content of 63 milligrams, according to the Mayo Clinic webpage.

I also think getting coffee from a local coffee shop also seems to be a better experience than drinking energy drinks because you can get coffee made by a trained barista. 

Energy drinks seem to have a chokehold on Gen Z because of the lack of energy the generation is having, according to a 2025 report from Innova Market Insights.

I understand the struggle of getting a good quality of sleep while also needing caffeine to get through my day but I don’t think the effect on your sleep quality is worth it. 

There is a positive association between the use of energy drinks and sleep disturbances in young adult females, published on July 29, 2020 from Public Health Nutrition. 

The one time I had a Monster Energy drink, I also was not able to sleep until past 1 a.m. when I was living in Humboldt at the time. I was also so anxious, trying to figure out why I could not sleep when I did not know how much caffeine is in Monster.
Nutritionally, energy drinks don’t offer much positives. 

Taurine and guarana are ingredients often used in energy drinks such as Red Bull and CELSIUS.

Taurine is an amino acid in proteins that are used for energy production and guarana is a native plant from the Amazon containing caffeine. 

The production of industrialized guarana is produced in an unsustainable way with large-scale production that can lead to deforestation in the Amazon forest, according to an article by Mahta.

It would be better to consume coffee or tea for energy consumption because taurine or guarana is not in them and they have a lower caffeine content. 

I also find it hard to fully believe energy drinks that claim to be “sugar-free” are exactly as sugar-free as they claim to be. 

Red Bull Sugarfree also claims to be “sugar-free” but contains sucralose as an ingredient.

Sucralose is often used as a sugar substitution that is often used as a zero calorie artificial sweetener, according to a Healthline article. 

It is used in energy drinks to add sweetness without adding calories.

Also it is used to help mitigate glycemic peaks in patients with diabetes or obesity, according Feb. 29, 2024 study published by Life (Basel)

Sucralose, despite being safe for consumption, is possibly associated with metabolic diseases, changes to gut microbiota and liver damage, according to a the same study. 

Despite energy drinks that are sugar-free have lower sugar intake in the human body, it was found that it may develop insulin resistance, dyslipidemia (meaning higher levels of lipids in the bloodstream) and inflammation similar to how regular sugary energy drinks are when consumed, according to a April 6, 2021 study published by Nutrients. 

The fact that I see so many people my age consuming energy drinks daily is concerning.

We don’t know the long term effects of the consumption of energy drinks, but what is known are the effects of ingredients found within these drinks.

I think people my age need to rethink their consumption habits when consuming energy drinks, as we do not know the long term effects of them on the human body.

But also, the additives like sucralose, taurine and guarana are added into energy drinks when we really do not need them in our bodies.