5-Hour Energy

It seems like every time I turn on the TV, I see Cleveland Browns WR Braylon Edwards talking about how great 5-Hour Energy drinks. (Note: This is the same guy that was taking training advice from a certain Olympic swimmer, when his teams Strength and Conditioning coach is the great Tom Myslinski. Not judging, just saying..)

The million-dollar question is, of course, do the drinks work? Hmm.

After taking a quick look at the ingredients, I have got to say, no, it probably doesn't do much. Why? It literally provides no “energy”. By definition, energy has to come from the stored form of carbohydrate, fat or protein. The drink doesn’t have any of those macronutrients, hence, no energy.

It’s a bunch of vitamins, mainly B-vitamins, and other precursors to stimulatory neurotransmitters. It doesn’t say how much of each is in it, but at the right doses, some of those things can improve focus and overall well-being. I would guess they’re shorting you on those, otherwise they would have listed how much of each ingredient is in a bottle.

On an interesting, side-note, it contains Taurine. Taurine has been shown to actually, after a short, initial boost, to make you feel tired and lethargic. A lot of energy drinks have it so that, at first, you do feel good, but pretty soon, that dissipates, you crash and then, you have to go back and buy another one of their drinks. If it works for you, great. But for everyone else, I wouldn't waste your money on it.