Need that crack! Err... 5-hour energy
March 17, 2012 8:04 AM Subscribe
I'm a healthy female in my late 20's. Every once in a while I need an extra "wake the f up" boost. Are there severe health risks in consuming a 5-hour energy once every week? What should I be looking out for if it becomes a problem?
If you're worried, you could just take caffeine tablets instead. One of their energy shots has just over 200mg of caffeine, which is the same as a couple cups of coffee.
My philosophy is that anything consumed that widely can't be harmful in moderation.
posted by katrielalex at 8:08 AM on March 17, 2012
My philosophy is that anything consumed that widely can't be harmful in moderation.
posted by katrielalex at 8:08 AM on March 17, 2012
What is the rest of your caffeine intake like? On its own this certainly isn't a big health risk.
posted by J. Wilson at 8:13 AM on March 17, 2012
posted by J. Wilson at 8:13 AM on March 17, 2012
5-hour energy is essentially just a mixture of caffeine and the cheapest of the various B vitamins, which are incidentally completely irrelevant to consumers in the developed world. The Mayo Clinic recommends daily caffeine intake remain below 200-300 mg (One bottle) a day and suggests that consumption over 500-600 mg (Three Bottles) a day can lead to nervousness, restlessness, irregular heartbeats and insomnia.
The amount of caffeine contained within bottle of '5-hour energy' is actually on the upper end of what has been show to provide measurable benefits when taken as coffee once a day. I would recommend moving towards that, not necessarily because it would be healthier or more effective, but because a cup of drip coffee is a much more financially sustainable and pleasurable habit.
posted by Blasdelb at 8:46 AM on March 17, 2012 [3 favorites]
The amount of caffeine contained within bottle of '5-hour energy' is actually on the upper end of what has been show to provide measurable benefits when taken as coffee once a day. I would recommend moving towards that, not necessarily because it would be healthier or more effective, but because a cup of drip coffee is a much more financially sustainable and pleasurable habit.
posted by Blasdelb at 8:46 AM on March 17, 2012 [3 favorites]
5 Hour Energy is snake oil. The National Institutes of Health say that Vitamin B supplementation has never been proven to give an 'energy boost' in the absence of a nutritional deficiency: "However, vitamin B12 supplementation appears to have no beneficial effect on performance in the absence of a nutritional deficit" from http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitaminb12/
Don't waste your money on these liar products. They're just as bad as so-called 'natural male enhancement' supplements like Enzyte.
posted by imagineerit at 9:06 AM on March 17, 2012 [2 favorites]
Don't waste your money on these liar products. They're just as bad as so-called 'natural male enhancement' supplements like Enzyte.
posted by imagineerit at 9:06 AM on March 17, 2012 [2 favorites]
Also, I'd like to add that unless it causes insomnia, you should not fear coffee or caffeine. There is absolutely no evidence that either of them are bad for you unless taken to extreme amounts. In fact, heavy coffee consumption is correlated with quite a few health benefits (decaf included).
The idea that caffeine is bad for your heart or other parts of your body is based on myth and speculation -- studies show this not to be the case.
Caffeine is only bad if it prevents you from sleeping when you need to -- or you become hopelessly addicted and can't afford to keep up your habit -- otherwise, drink up!
posted by imagineerit at 9:13 AM on March 17, 2012 [3 favorites]
The idea that caffeine is bad for your heart or other parts of your body is based on myth and speculation -- studies show this not to be the case.
Caffeine is only bad if it prevents you from sleeping when you need to -- or you become hopelessly addicted and can't afford to keep up your habit -- otherwise, drink up!
posted by imagineerit at 9:13 AM on March 17, 2012 [3 favorites]
Yeah, energy drinks are a bit of a scam. Remember they're not FDA approved treatments for lazy, they're cans of soda which is categorized as junk food. Coffee on the other hand has a huge body of research and has found a number of health benefits when consumed in moderation.
If you're really concerned about the health effects you're better off figuring out why you needs the pick-me-up in the first place and changing that. (Unless it's just code for a hangover cure, then ignore this and drink more water when you drink.) Do you fade out the same time of day each time? Same day of the week, month? After a big meal? When work/significant other/traffic is bothering you? On sunny days? Rainy days? Keep a journal and try to find and eliminate/mitigate the cause.
posted by Ookseer at 9:17 AM on March 17, 2012
If you're really concerned about the health effects you're better off figuring out why you needs the pick-me-up in the first place and changing that. (Unless it's just code for a hangover cure, then ignore this and drink more water when you drink.) Do you fade out the same time of day each time? Same day of the week, month? After a big meal? When work/significant other/traffic is bothering you? On sunny days? Rainy days? Keep a journal and try to find and eliminate/mitigate the cause.
posted by Ookseer at 9:17 AM on March 17, 2012
I've started drinking the Costco Kirkland-brand 5-hour-energy things in lieu of coffee in the morning to see if it helps with the nasty breath that coffee seems to give me. It's basically the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee [110mg or so] with some vitamins. If you would have no qualms washing down a one-a-day vitamin with a cup of coffee, you shouldn't have any qualms about these things.
That said, if you decide to drink them in any quantity, buy them at Costco. They're 60 cents each rather than $3.
posted by chazlarson at 9:51 AM on March 17, 2012
That said, if you decide to drink them in any quantity, buy them at Costco. They're 60 cents each rather than $3.
posted by chazlarson at 9:51 AM on March 17, 2012
You will Get a better jolt with a cup of coffee paired with oatmeal in the morning. If you make sure the coffee is good coffee like from a local roaster even better. This will give you a better wake up then any energy drink will and wont wear off.
posted by majortom1981 at 10:50 AM on March 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by majortom1981 at 10:50 AM on March 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
The only thing that isn't mentioned is that for some women who are sensitive to caffeine, too much can cause lumps in the breasts. They go away when you decrease or cut out the caffeine so if you notice changes in your breasts decrease the caffeine intake. It's not the caffeine specifically contained in energy drinks...it's any caffeine (and can really freak you out if you have no idea it can happen).
posted by MultiFaceted at 10:51 AM on March 17, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by MultiFaceted at 10:51 AM on March 17, 2012 [2 favorites]
I think it would be smarter to look at your diet, because if you're getting a high glycemic load (anything that's high carb/sugar, like a bagel or muffin or bread, or just anything with added sugar) then your body tries to regulate all that sugar, and the uptick in your glucagon is what can make people feel ultra tired and sluggish. If you try to eat protein any time you eat carbs, it will help balance out the effects of the sugar on your insulin system and you might notice that you don't need to "wake the f up" as much.
posted by so_gracefully at 12:39 PM on March 17, 2012
posted by so_gracefully at 12:39 PM on March 17, 2012
To piggyback on what MultiFaceted said: threshold for this can be pretty low. I have fibrocystic breasts, and with anything more than 2 cups of tea/day I notice more lumps/pain. But I do love the caffeine. YMMV.
posted by fiercecupcake at 1:18 PM on March 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by fiercecupcake at 1:18 PM on March 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
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posted by modernnomad at 8:06 AM on March 17, 2012 [1 favorite]