Can Energy Drinks Powder Make You Dehydrated? (Truth)
Quick Answer: Yes, energy drink powders can dehydrate you!
Energy drinks are one of the most consumed drinks around the world, notably among teens or gamers. After all, what are they? And why are they so well-liked?
Energy powders include components such as guarana, caffeine, and taurine. Most of the time, they have high sugar content and make people feel energetic.
There are many benefits of energy drinks such as boosting energy, metabolism, and cognition. However, there are many research suggesting energy drinks can be dangerous to your health.
A quick answer to the question that whether energy drinks can be the cause of dehydration or not is, YES. Energy drinks can cause dehydration. However, there are certain factors that might reduce or increase the symptoms of dehydration.
Let’s search in-depth to what extent this statement is true.
Contents
Dehydration and its Symptoms
Dehydration is a condition that occurs when the body loses more fluids than it takes in. It can happen due to excessive sweating or vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. It can also happen when you don’t drink enough fluids or your body doesn’t absorb enough fluids.
The most common symptoms of dehydration are:
- If you are dehydrated, you will feel dryness in the mouth.
- As soon as you feel the thirst, you are likely to be dehydrated.
- Dehydration can also result in dizziness and nausea. This is the reason, that after heavy exercise and sweating, you are likely to feel dizzy.
- When you do not drink water for long, you will experience a headache.
- You need water for the muscles to work properly.
- Dehydration can cause fatigue.
- If you drink less water, then the signs of dehydration will appear on your skin as well.
This video explains further what is dehydration. Watch it!
Kids are mainly at risk for dehydration as they have a higher surface area-to-body weight ratio than adults and are more likely to become overheated or over-active in hot weather.
Consumption of energy drinks has been reported to cause dehydration as well, perhaps, the ingredients of energy drinks have something to do with it.
Let’s see the common ingredients of energy drinks and analyze if they really cause dehydration!
Common Ingredients in Energy Powders
A few common ingredients in energy powders are sugar, caffeine, minerals, vitamins, and taurine.
There are other ingredients as well, however, the mentioned ingredients are found almost in every energy drink.
Many people have been misled by the marketing of energy powdered drinks and think they are a healthier drink option. They are not!
Energy powders can cause dehydration and can be very dangerous to your health.
Caffeine
Caffeine is an ingredient that has been demonstrated to increase vigilance and energy levels. Energy drinks are often caffeinated and can contain as much caffeine as a cup of coffee or even more.
The presence of caffeine has been found to show a few negative side effects such as headache, dizziness, jitters, stomach cramps, and so on.
There are also a few studies showing that caffeine has something to do with causing dehydration.
Does Caffeine dehydrate you?
Caffeine in energy drinks can cause dehydration because it acts as a diuretic, which causes the kidneys to remove more water from the body than normal.
However, it is important to note that the effect of caffeine on the body will depend on many variables, such as level of intake, a person’s weight, and metabolism.
Sugar
Sugar is a source of unwanted additional calories and it does not provide any nutrition. It also causes dehydration and increases the risk of kidney stones by 50%.
In addition, sugar can cause obesity, diabetes, tooth decay, and other diseases. The side effects of sugar are very detrimental to your health and wellness.
Does Sugar in Energy Drinks Cause Dehydration?
The sugar that we consume is a carbohydrate, and it’s true that carbohydrates can cause us to lose water.
However, the fact that sugar is dehydrating isn’t because of the sugar itself. In fact, all carbohydrates will cause a person to lose water.
The reason why sugar can be dehydrating is that when we eat anything with sugar, our body tries to break down the sugars into glucose and fructose so they can be absorbed into our bloodstreams. This process causes an increase in urination and thirst as the body tries to rid itself of excess sugars.
It is recommended to drink at least 11 to 15 cups of water daily, as the body needs a sufficient amount of water to carry out these functions.
Vitamins
Vitamins are the most common micronutrients found in energy drinks. Most energy drinks contain vitamins like Vitamin C, E, D, B6, and B12.
These vitamins are necessary for various functions of the body. Following are a few benefits of vitamins that are commonly found in energy drinks:
| Vitamin B12 | Vitamin B12 reduces oxidative damage and is the most essential and beneficial vitamin in the vitamin B complexes. |
| Vitamin E | Vitamin E reduces oxidative stress, resulting in reduced fatigue. |
| Vitamin D | Vitamin D is an important vitamin that helps in the healthy development of bones. Moreover, it also helps in mineral absorption. |
| Vitamin C | Vitamin C is high in antioxidants and helps to protect the body from free radicals. |
Minerals
Minerals are another group of micronutrients that are responsible for many bodily functions. The most important functions of minerals are to keep your body fluid in regulation and to maintain your brain function.
The most common minerals found in energy drinks are sodium, potassium, and chloride.
Let’s see what benefits these minerals have in keeping you hydrated.
| Minerals | Benefits |
| Sodium | The consumption of sodium can replace the body fluid which you lose in sweating, urination, and vomiting. In this way, sodium can regulate your body fluids and keep you hydrated. |
| Potassium | Potassium also maintains the body’s fluid levels. Potassium and sodium assist you in maintaining homeostasis. |
| Chloride | Chloride plays an important role in hydration along with sodium and potassium. |
It is noteworthy that even when energy drinks contain minerals, they do not cause a significant amount of hydration.
The reason is that the number of minerals they contain is quite low. They can form a small part of your mineral requirement, but not a significant one.
Do Energy Drinks Cause Dehydration?
Energy drinks have been found to cause dehydration because they contain caffeine, sugar, and high levels of alcohol. All three ingredients are known to dehydrate the body and make you lose water which is essential for hydration.
Energy drinks also contain other ingredients such as taurine, guarana seed extract, inositol hexaphosphate, sodium citrate, potassium benzoate, potassium sorbate, and sucrose acetate isobutyrate. These ingredients are all linked to various health issues ranging from cancer to diabetes.
However, there are many energy drinks that are being sold in the market now, which are unlike conventional energy drinks. They do not contain tons of sugar or caffeine. A lesser amount of sugar and caffeine can prevent dehydration.
It is to be noted, that all energy drinks should be consumed within the limit recommended by the manufacturers.
Does an energy drink count as water intake?
They can be counted as your fluid intake, but not as your water intake.
Consumption of energy drinks has been reported to cause dehydration and it is unlikely for water to dehydrate you, so there is your answer!
Keep in mind that when you buy an energy drink, it can serve you other purposes such as boosting energy, or alerting your senses. However, it is not necessarily made to hydrate you.
Other Beverages for Hydration
A few other beverages which can hydrate you really well are mentioned below:
- water
- milk
- fruit-infused water
- fruit juices
- herbal teas
- coconut water
Is Drinking Water Better?
Definitely, drinking water for hydration is better than consuming any other drink.
However, it may shock you, but consumption of milk can hydrate you even better than water.
But in comparison to energy drinks, water is definitely a winner.
Is it Safe to Drink Energy Drinks Every day?
Gaming energy drinks are consumed by people almost daily in order to keep their minds active and alert, in short, it has become a necessity for most people. So the question arises if drinking energy drinks is okay or not?
The answer is that it is okay to drink energy powders daily. However, you should always opt for energy drinks that are low in calories, sugar, and caffeine.
Most energy drinks now use artificial sweeteners such as sucralose, acesulfame, and aspartame. Usage of these artificial sweeteners does not cause dehydration and other side effects which are observed in the case of sugar.
However, caffeine is still a problem as it is the main ingredient of many energy drinks. The good thing is, that most energy powders contain less caffeine than liquid energy drinks which makes them a better choice.
In general, drinking energy drinks in moderation is the key to achieving maximum benefits with minimal side effects.
Moreover, it is always better to increase your water intake if you consume energy drinks to cope with any symptoms of dehydration.
Bottom line
Even though energy drinks are a decent source of providing an energy boost, they can be bad for you.
The problem with energy drinks is that they may contain too much caffeine which you’re body may not handle. This can cause dehydration, which causes headaches, irritability, and even heart problems.
Energy drinks also contain sugar, which can cause diabetes, obesity, and tooth decay if consumed too often.
However, there are few energy drinks on the market, which contain safer ingredients, unlike conventional energy drink powders. So you can drink them in moderation.
If you want to know whether consuming energy powders is an effective way to get an energy boost or not, read this detailed article on energy drink effectiveness!
