The other day I was in the grocery store and took a stroll down the beverage aisle. I couldn’t believe how many “energy drinks” lined the shelves. These drinks promise increased performance, heightened energy, and better mental performance.

But a quick look at the nutrition label tells a different story.  Most of them are filled with caffeine and sugar. Both of these ingredients will give you a temporary boost, but there’s a price attached.

The caffeine in these drinks restricts blood flow to the brain and dehydrates the brain, both of which lower overall brain function. A decrease in brain function increases your odds of making bad decisions and engaging in unhealthy behaviors.

The other dirty secret with these energy drinks is the amount of sugar they contain. Many of them pack more than 50g of sugar into a single can! This amount of sugar causes your blood sugar to spike and then crash about 30 minutes later. Scientific evidence shows that low blood sugar levels reduce brain function and decrease self-control.

With optimal brain function, you can easily say no thanks to that piece of cheesecake, that cigarette, or that third glass of wine. But with decreased function, you may not be able to resist. Great, you gulp down that energy drink, and later in the day, you blow your diet, drink too much, and smoke too much, leaving you feeling sluggish the next day.

If you really want an energy boost, there are much healthier ways to get it. Green tea and the supplements rhodiola, ginseng, and Ashwagandha have been shown to increase energy and improve brain function. They are some of the ingredients in our Focus & Energy Optimizer formula.