A large majority of Americans wake up every morning to a nice “cup ‘o Joe”, while a smaller, but still significant, minority of people rely heavily on their instant energy drinks. In the past decade, the energy drink industry has evolved into a multi-billion-dollar industry with no intentions of shrinking. This sudden spur of popularity has brought about many unanswered questions pertaining to the contents and effects of energy drinks. People want to know what the “best” solution is for their sleep deprived mornings and nights. Some consumers demand healthiness in their diet, while others simply need an effective enhancer for brain function; in either case, coffee is by far a better solution. Not only is coffee a more effective enhancer of brain function, it is also thought to prevent Parkinson’s disease, supply a daily source of antioxidants, and even help prevent Type 2 Diabetes. Coffee is what Jessi Lane Adams said, “smells like freshly ground heaven” and what Alexander King referred to as, “the basic need of the human heart in nearly every great crisis. ” It’s no wonder coffee is the fourth most consumed beverage next to water, tea, and beer; its highly efficient and can be made almost any way and flavor one desires. Not to mention its ability to be served warm for the cold harsh winters and iced for the grueling hot summers. It’s the reason America runs on Dunkin, and why everyone knows that the green mermaid, named after captain Ahab’s first mate Starbuck, is the key to one’s salvation. Its addicting, and yet personal, like it’s made just for the individual. No matter how much of a “slave” someone may be to his or her career, family, bills, medication, or just social conventions, when they order that “cup ‘o Joe”, they choose how much milk and sugar goes in it.

Though coffee is a dominant beverage when waking up tired eyes, the rising popularity of energy drinks is not without reason. Like soda, energy drinks have a precise formula, which makes them consistent and reliable. They are very sweet, can come without sugar, and are generally low in calories. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that energy drinks have become so widely used; they’re “cool”, quick, and consistent. In fact, some speculation labels them as healthy because they contain nearly half as much caffeine as coffee and generally have “natural” ingredients such as vitamin B, ginseng, taurine, or juice. Less caffeine and more “healthy” ingredients must make energy drinks healthier than coffee, at least, that’s what many young adults say. As nice as this “healthy and effective” idea of an energy drink sounds, there is no depth to it and far less evidence backing it.

The “Natural” content in the average energy drink has not been proven to be healthy or even effective in stimulating the brain, but rather adds a zingy flavor to the energy drink. As licensed nutritionist Monica Reinagel put it, “there’s no evidence that those huge doses have any impact on mental functioning or energy”. Also, the juice content is generally very insignificant, such as in Amp, which contains a mere five percent juice. The sweet flavor and carbonation places the energy drink under the category of “party drink”. This not only entails being consumed at a much greater rate than coffee, but can easily lead to being mixed dangerously with alcohol. This heavy intake of sugar, alcohol, and caffeine is how many people have ended up in the hospital or even dead.