Work, sport, studies, leisure: energy drinks have increasingly entered people’s daily lives. Generally used to give an energy boost, these drinks do not necessarily have only taurine and caffeine, which are the best known in the market. Far from it: there are a multitude of specific – and natural – ingredients that give the necessary energy to those who need it. 

Here we list 7 main ingredients used as stimulators in energy drinks:

CAFFEINE

As the name implies, caffeine, a substance present in coffee, has a high stimulant power. In addition to the energy boost, caffeine is also good for keeping attention high and improving the performance of athletes. But beware: there is a daily limit (400mg) of intake and excess can cause health problems.

TAURINE

Another well-known substance among energy drink connoisseurs is taurine. The amino acid is heavily present in several products of the kind. As with caffeine, there is a daily limit (3000mg) of intake that must be respected so as not to cause health problems.

SUGAR

Guess who also appears on the list of ingredients that can give an energy boost? Yes, sugar. Many energy drinks use this ingredient as a supplement – which can also cause health problems, as the dose used in the drinks is high (about 62g).

GREEN TEA EXTRACT

Green teaalso contains an amount of caffeine, altough much less when compared to black tea. The level of caffeine found in green tea is low and causes its delivery to be slower than when directly ingesting it.

GUARANA

The extract is already known in Brazil, which consumes guarana in different ways: in soft drinks, powder, capsules, etc. Now, the energy drink industry is also using the plant as one of the main ingredients, as there are stimulant properties in it.

GREEN COFFEE EXTRACT

Green coffee is nothing more than the grain when it has not been roasted – which makes it lose its characteristic flavor. But that doesn’t mean it loses its main substance, caffeine. In fact, because it doesn’t go through the roasting process, it contains more caffeine than roasted coffee.

GINKGO BILOBA

Ginkgo’s extract has also been used by the industry as an active ingredient in energy drinks.This ancient medicinal plant from China is very famous for helping with focus and concentration, as its powerful antioxidants aid with blood microcirculation, transporting oxygen inside the body. Because of this, Ginkgo gives a feeling of greater disposition to those who consume it.