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ENERGY DRINKS MARKETING CLAIMS vs. MEDICAL EVIDENCE
ENERGY DRINKS MARKETING CLAIMS vs. MEDICAL EVIDENCE
Energy drinks are heavily marketed as a way to improve focus, energy, and performance. However, the medical evidence shows that regular energy drink use is associated with worse academic performance and emotional well-being among college students and is not recommended for college student-athletes. Additionally, the health evidence associated with coffee should not be assumed to apply to energy drinks, as energy drinks are actually associated with cardiovascular harm.
Academics
Academics
"While students perceive energy drinks as academic aids, their use is associated with worse — not better — academic outcomes. Any short-term alertness benefit from caffeine does not translate into improved academic performance and comes with significant health risks. Healthier strategies for academic performance include adequate sleep, regular meals (particularly breakfast), and effective study habits."
Emotional Well-being
Emotional Well-being
"Despite being marketed as boosters of mental and physical performance, the available evidence consistently indicates that energy drink consumption is associated with worse, not better, emotional well-being among college-aged students and young adults. The preponderance of evidence points toward associations with increased depression, anxiety, stress, and psychological distress, particularly with regular or heavy use..."
Athletics
Athletics
Energy drinks aren't sport drinks — and your heart can feel the difference. In a controlled study of healthy adults (average age 22), a single large energy drink raised blood pressure, disrupted the heart's electrical rhythm , and reduced the body's ability to handle blood sugar — changes that weren't explained by caffeine alone. Energy drinks are stimulant products, not hydration or athletic performance aids. Elite-sports branding doesn't make them safe or good for performance (Basrai et al., 2019).
"Regular energy drink use is not recommended for college student-athletes, given the combination of cardiovascular health risks, NCAA regulatory concerns, and the availability of safer alternatives for caffeine supplementation. ... Regular energy drink consumption in young adults has been associated with significant adverse cardiovascular and metabolic effects."
Coffee vs. Energy Drinks
Coffee vs. Energy Drinks
The American Heart Association (July 2026) cautions that the potential health benefits of coffee should not be assumed to apply to synthetic or high-dose caffeine found in energy drinks and energy shots.
"Although data on energy drinks are limited, available studies generally suggest cardiovascular harm."
PROMOTING HEALTHY, LASTING ENERGY
PROMOTING HEALTHY, LASTING ENERGY
College athletics has tremendous influence on how young people understand health, performance, and success. That influence can encourage evidence-based lifestyle practices that support healthy, lasting energy rather than reliance on energy drinks.
Sleep: Prioritizing 7–9 hours of quality sleep and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule improve energy, cognitive performance, and recovery.
Physical activity: Regular moderate exercise reduces fatigue and improves energy, vitality, mood, and sleep quality.
Nutrition: A diet rich in whole foods—including fruits, vegetables, and protein—while limiting ultraprocessed foods and added sugars supports sustained energy and reduces fatigue.
Mindfulness and stress management: Practices such as meditation, mindfulness-based stress reduction, and relaxation techniques reduce fatigue, improve emotional well-being, and support healthier sleep patterns.
Who's In Control—You, or Your Energy Drink?
Who's In Control—You, or Your Energy Drink?
Perform at your best on your own terms—not by depending on a daily dose of concentrated caffeine and other stimulants just to function.
Highly caffeinated energy drinks don't give you energy—they just mask fatigue that comes back when the effect wears off.
Do you really want to be chained to a can—hit with a splitting headache, fatigue, bad mood, and brain fog every time you skip a day?
Build healthy, lasting energy instead—and perform at your best without letting a can dictate how you feel.
Energy Drinks: What Healthy Adults Should Know
Energy Drinks: What Healthy Adults Should Know
If you are a healthy adult, an occasional energy drink is unlikely to harm you.
Keep total caffeine from all sources under 400 mg a day and under 200 mg at one time. (A strong coffee is roughly 100–150 mg; energy drinks range from about 80–300 mg per container.)
Never mix energy drinks with alcohol.
Don't use them with exercise, in the heat, or habitually to stay awake.
Frequent or heavy use can raise blood pressure and trigger heart rhythm problems.
Energy drinks are not for children, teens, pregnant or breastfeeding women, or anyone with heart, metabolic, liver, kidney, or neurologic conditions.
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