“One of my mates once said it was basically an addiction that helped me get through things … everyone has their own way of coping with the things they’re exposed to and dealing with the stresses of life,” he says.
“It got to the stage where I was having a 500ml bottle … when I started work [at 10pm], another around midnight, another around 4am, and depending on the night, one more before going to bed in the morning.”
Supermarket checkout operators would regularly ask if Josh was a dairy owner stocking up.
Registered nutritionist Claire Turnbull says fatigue has become normalised, so we reach for pick-me-ups like energy drinks to get through the day instead of addressing the root cause of tiredness.
“We are biased to wanting to solve a problem now, rather than what’s in the future,” she says.
“The marketing of these products really plays into that, because even though a lot of people do know that sleeping better and eating better would be helpful, in the moment people are tired and they need a quick fix.”
According to the New Zealand Beverage Council, every year New Zealand households spend $20 million on energy drinks, compared with $284m on soft drinks and $143m on fruit and vegetable juices.
What energy drinks do to our health
The health impacts of energy drinks depend on how often we’re having them, as well as what’s on the label.
“Obviously there’s the sugar factor … [that can cause] dental decay, it can encourage weight gain, a rapid rise in your blood sugar levels,” Turnbull says.
Most energy drinks contain caffeine or guarana, a natural source of the stimulant.
“Caffeine increases your alertness, concentration, but the potential downsides [are that] it can make you feel anxious, can make you feel restless, can cause difficulty sleeping, can increase your heart rate. If people are inconsistent with their caffeine, they can get headaches.”
All energy drinks sold in New Zealand must comply with the Australia and New Zealand Food Standards Code. And by law, energy drinks cannot contain more than 32mg of caffeine per 100ml.
So how does the caffeine in an energy drink compare to a cup of coffee? A single shot of coffee contains up to 100mg, while there’s roughly 80mg in a 250ml can of energy drink – though many of them come in larger sizes.
“Tea and coffee naturally have some antioxidants, some polyphenols, some positive health benefits, because you are having the plant with the tea leaves and the coffee beans.”
Many energy drinks have added taurine – an amino acid naturally found in the body and in animal food products – and B vitamins, also found in meat, seafood, dairy, eggs and some vegetables.
“You can absolutely get B vitamins from your food … there’s definitely better ways to get them.”
Turnbull says the age and size of the person consuming energy drinks matters, as we metabolise caffeine differently.
“We know that teenagers need more sleep, their brains are going through a massive reformation.
“When you have too much caffeine, it can increase your feelings of being anxious. With young people who are now living in a world with social media, with sleep deprivation, it’s just another layer to add to something that’s going to impact their sleep and their rest and recovery.”
But as Turnbull notes, it’s not just the caffeine that can be an issue in energy drinks – it’s the form it comes in, as carbonated drinks aren’t good for your teeth.
Dr Ali Hill, registered nutritionist and senior professional practice fellow at Otago University, says while there are no specific guidelines for how many energy drinks are safe to consume, there are limits for their ingredients.
Food Standards Australia and New Zealand recommends that adults have no more than 400mg of caffeine per day – no more than 200mg per serving.
The recommended caffeine limit for children is no more than 3mg per kilogram of body weight in one sitting. As for sugar, the World Health Organisation advises limiting added sugars to 5% of your total energy intake – about 6-8 teaspoons per day for the average adult.
“The long-term effects of caffeine are still being studied, but high sugar intake is well established as a risk factor for weight gain, type 2 diabetes and tooth decay,” Hill says.
“While sugar and caffeine are the main concerns, other ingredients may also have cumulative effects over time, particularly when consumed regularly in large amounts.”
You can become dependent on the ingredients in energy drinks
At two litres a day, Josh was consuming more than the recommended amount of energy drinks – he says that volume meant he would struggle to keep food down.
“So basically you don’t eat – you just drink more energy drinks.”
He had constant headaches that painkillers couldn’t touch, and the only solution was to have another energy drink.
“Looking back, I had become heavily reliant on it and struggled to function normally without it … it got to the point where an energy drink was like water.”
He recently went to his GP and was prescribed lansoprazole, a medication for reflux that helps reduce your stomach acid.
“I decided it was time to seriously cut back on the energy drinks.”
He’s since cut down to just a few sips of energy drink a day, with the goal of quitting them completely and drinking water instead.
“Now that I’ve reduced my intake significantly, I’ve noticed my eating has improved a lot. My appetite feels more normal again, and I’m able to manage food properly compared to before.”
Turnbull says consuming large amounts of energy drink can affect your digestive system.
“[Caffeine] can make this move more quickly, can stimulate your stomach to produce more acid and contribute to reflux. Also, some people find caffeine temporarily suppresses your appetite.
“It becomes a vicious cycle where you require these stimulants to keep you going. You adapt to them and then you need that baseline to function.
“That’s where people get used to having two or three energy drinks a day. They would need four or five to actually get to feel that lift [in energy], by which point, anxiety’s kicking in.”
It’s not just the high levels of caffeine that can affect your gut – the sugar also has an impact.
“Diets high in sugar can affect the integrity of the gut lining, potentially increasing permeability,” Hill says.
“This may allow substances that would normally stay within the gut to pass into surrounding tissues, potentially triggering inflammation and disrupting the balance of the gut microbiome.
“Consuming large amounts of sugar can have a double impact on health. It may displace more nutrient-dense foods – particularly if it leaves you feeling too full to eat balanced meals – and it can also significantly increase overall calorie intake, contributing to unwanted weight gain over time.”
If you no longer enjoy them as an occasional treat, that could be a red flag, Turnbull adds.
“The question to ask yourself is, ‘Do I feel like I need these drinks to function? Am I feeling like I’m choosing to drink this and I’m in control of the decision?’
“There’s absolutely room for that in our lives, to have some foods and drinks that don’t have to be nourishing, but they’re just part of what makes you enjoy your life.”
What to do instead to increase your energy
It all starts with your sleep.
“If you sort your sleep out, then it’s easier to eat well, it’s easier to be active and you don’t require the caffeine,” Turnbull says.
“That means boundaries around technology at night, being consistent with your wake and your sleep times, dimming your lights in your house and then getting that morning light exposure.”
This increases your serotonin in the morning and helps you produce more melatonin at night to help you sleep.
Some of us get morning light exposure from working outside, but for those who don’t, Turnbull suggests parking further away from work or getting off the bus a couple of stops earlier and walking the rest of the way.
If you can, eat breakfast or have your morning coffee, tea or a glass of water outside first thing in the morning.
“If you’ve got a 15-minute break, go outside – don’t just sit in the office or break room. That is the biggest thing that people can do in terms of their free energy.”
Keeping well hydrated, staying active and eating a healthy diet with plenty of protein and wholegrain carbohydrates will also help your energy levels.
“Often, maintaining good hydration and a balanced diet is enough to support energy levels,” Hill adds.
“Water, milk and other low-sugar drinks are good options.
“For those wanting caffeine, tea or coffee can provide a similar boost without the high sugar content found in many energy drinks.”
She says “clean”, “natural” or sugar-free energy drinks aren’t necessarily a better choice, as these terms don’t guarantee a product is healthy.
“Natural doesn’t automatically mean safe or beneficial. Sugar-free can be a healthier alternative to drinks containing sugar, but this wouldn’t remove the health impacts of any other ingredients.”
Bethany Reitsma is a lifestyle writer who has been with the NZ Herald since 2019. She specialises in all things health and wellbeing and is passionate about telling Kiwis’ real-life stories.
*Name has been changed.