High Caffeine Tea and Health: Separating Fact from Fiction
Tea with a high caffeine content - it's what we're known for! But if you're already familiar with Zest functional beverages, you've probably heard some myths regarding highly caffeinated drinks too. From natural sources of caffeine like coffee and tea, to artificial energy boost drinks with crazy flavors like strawberry cream and tropical punch. You are spoilt for choice in the energy drink market.
This guide explores how many mg of caffeine are in these drinks and how bad they are for your health - if they are bad at all.
Tea, Soda, Coffee and Energy Drinks
There are many sources of energy, but for most energy drinks, it comes from caffeine. This popular stimulant works by blocking sleepy feelings, leaving you alert and awake. We measure caffeine in milligrams (mg).
- Coca Cola (340ml) - 34mg
- Red Bull (250ml) - 80mg
- Starbucks Latte (Tall) - 75mg
- Green Tea - 35mg
- Black Tea - 50mg
- Zest Hot Tea - 135mg to 150mg
- Zest Carbonated Energy Tea - 120mg to 150mg
Whether your caffeinated drinks are hot, cold, carbonated, in bottles or cans, coffee-based, tea-based or chemical-based, the mg of caffeine is the quickest way to discover how powerful it is. Pay attention to other flavors and ingredients too - sugar and certain amino acids can change the energy-boosting-properties. Learn more about caffeine interactions in Which Tea Has the Most Caffeine?
True or False?
Whether your poison is Monster or Zest, here's the truth about caffeinated drinks and your health.
Energy Drinks Harm Sleep Quality
True Caffeine can impact your sleep duration and quality.
Caffeine keeps you awake, so any kind of caffeinated beverage before bed (especially in large doses) will impact your ability to fall asleep and your sleep quality. Additionally, even if a drink has low caffeine, added sugar can make sleep difficult according to a sleep review.
Caffeinated energy drinks should be consumed earlier in the day, so all the caffeine is out of your system by bedtime. If you like a drink before bed, try a sleep tea with 0mg of caffeine.
P.S. did you know that the L-Theanine in tea can help you sleep?
Energy Drinks Cause Dehydration
False Caffeine is only a mild diuretic.
Caffeine will only make you expel as much as you drink - not more. So, it doesn't dehydrate you. Annoyingly, you'll be just as hydrated as before you consumed your energy drink!
One study exploring the diuretic effects of caffeine concluded that: "Concerns regarding unwanted fluid loss associated with caffeine consumption are unwarranted".
If you are worried about hydration, focus less on your daily caffeine intake and more on the ingredients list. Ingredients that are known diuretics (or have a laxative effect) include sugar, artificial sweeteners and other nutrients like taurine.
To get more hydration into your body without cutting out caffeine, try a caffeinated electrolyte powder instead.
Energy Drinks Are Bad for Heart Health
False They are only bad when consumed excessively or in combination with alcohol, drugs, and other pharmaceuticals.
Like many things in life, you can have too much of a good thing. Excessively consuming caffeine can be a health risk to your heart. Drinking too many caffeinated energy drinks can actually cause heart palpitations (though not in healthy individuals). We recommend you follow the FDA's advice - no more than 400mg of caffeine per day for your energy boost.
A high caffeine content alone is not the end of the story, however. Other energy drink ingredients impact your heart health. For example, one review found that caffeine plus taurine put significant strain on the cardiovascular system, while caffeine alone seemed to have little effect. The review concluded that these "drinks may be relatively safe when consumed moderately and separately" from other drugs and alcoholic beverages.
As tea drinkers, we will begrudgingly admit that coffee is actually beneficial for your heart health too. It's thought that drinking two to four cups per day is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
Energy Drinks Improve Your Workouts
True Energy drinks can be a good way to improve your workout performance.
It is well documented that caffeine has a positive impact on athletic performance - a single dose of caffeine via an energy drink (like Zest, Spike Hardcore Energy, or other drink of your choice) roughly 60-minutes before your workout can greatly improve your aerobic endurance according to a review by the International Society of Sports Nutrition.
While the convenience of caffeine in a bottle or cans is tempting before a workout, a liquid diet should always be complemented with food. Your body needs energy in the form of carbohydrates, as it can only store so much glycogen. Without some carbs in your diet, you won't be able to workout for as long (or see the results you are aiming for).
That's why we include a small amount of sugar in our Energy & Hydration Electrolyte Powder.
Energy Drinks Are Good for Studying
True An energy drink can help you study, especially when your caffeine is mitigated with other ingredients like L-Theanine.
Caffeine does more than boost energy - we know from studies and reviews that caffeine can contribute to "alertness, vigilance, attention, reaction time and attention." Adults consume their favorite brand of caffeinated drink around the world to get through the 9 to 5. It's not news!
However, while high levels of caffeine might go off with a bang (energy that takes you to the moon), they also come with jitters and an inevitable crash. That's why we recommend drinking tea for cognitive performance. As well as having more mg of caffeine than coffee, Zest Tea is full of L-Theanine for a sense of focus. There's even some evidence that L-Theanine reduces anxiety.
P.S. L-Theanine is only found in caffeinated tea, not other tea types like yerba mate!
Energy Drinks Helps Weight Loss
True But only if you put in the effort!
Switching from cans of sugary soda to an energy drink with fewer calories can contribute to weight loss. Caffeine intake also boosts your energy levels, so you'll be able to workout for longer and potentially burn more calories. But there's no evidence that caffeine itself can significantly burn fat or help you lose weight.
Should You Consume the Energy Drink with Most Caffeine?
Rather than choosing the most hardcore energy beverages you can find, think carefully about what goes in your cup and how it will impact your health. While most of the health concerns we've addressed are myths, caffeine can be dangerous if you go overboard.
So, look for other energy drinks with a reasonable amount of sugar (or none at all) and watch the calories too. More caffeine is great, but having other natural ingredients like L-Theanine ensures that caffeine's powerful punch can be used with focus and control, rather than jitters.
Learn more about what Zest does to make energy tea with more caffeine than coffee, and grab a few cans to try out yourself, at LiveZesty.com.
FAQs
Which energy drink has the highest caffeine content?
From Juice Monster to Pipeline Punch to Red Bull, each energy drink has a different amount of caffeine. The beverage with the most caffeine is actually coffee - there are some gourmet coffee brands claiming to provide over 1000mg of caffeine per cup.
Is 150mg of caffeine a lot?
150mg in a single dose is a high amount of caffeine in an energy drink, but not a dangerous amount. If you are sensitive to caffeine you might find that it goes to your head! Your daily caffeine intake shouldn't exceed 400mg of caffeine.
What is the highest legal amount of caffeine in an energy drink?
For cola, the FDA states there should be no more than 200 parts per million. Their general advice is to consume no more than 400mg of caffeine per day. You'll find drinks on the market with varying levels of caffeine - it's up to you to consume below the recommended amount.
How much caffeine can you drink each day?
The FDA recommends no more than 400mg mg per day. Consuming more can be a health risk. Thankfully, even beverages with the most caffeine at Zest are below this limit.
How much caffeine in Monster Energy Drinks?
There's around 160mg of caffeine in a 16 fluid ounce can of Monster - but it may depend on the flavor. This is way more than Red Bull and coffee, but only slightly more than Zest energy tea.