Best Energy Drink Powders For IBS (Are they safe?)
Have you ever felt very uncomfortable and even found yourself in a painful situation? No one really wants to go through all that, but IBS is a difficult foe.
There are lots of symptoms IBS has, including fatigue. Luckily, energy drink powders are made to help you get that extra boost and a whole lot more, such as improving your cognitive functions.
So, what are the brands that can help with IBS? For quick readers, the best energy drink powders for IBS are Zipfizz, Advocare Spark Energy, and Gamersupps GG.
If you’re curious to know how an energy drink can help out with IBS, then stick around to find out!
Contents
What is IBS?
IBS, also known as irritable bowel syndrome, is a disorder that impacts a person’s digestive system. The symptoms involve constipation, diarrhea, gas, stomachache, and bloating.
Irritable bowel syndrome is a chronic disorder, thus cannot be cured, but treated in order to prevent any of its symptoms from worsening. For starters, medicines and avoiding any foods and beverages which trigger it assist in decreasing its recurrence of attacks.
The exact cause of occurrence of IBS is unknown, but these factors may be the trigger:
- Inflammation
- Infection from bacteria in the intestines
- Poor coordination of signals between your nerves and brain in the intestinal tract
There are also some ingredients that may cause an abrupt effect on IBS, which includes:
- Gluten
- Dairy
- Fried foods
How will you know if you’re experiencing IBS? Watch this video to find out:
Can you consume caffeine if you have IBS?
Yes, you may consume a small amount of caffeine if you have IBS. Studies show that small doses don’t cause any side effects and can provide you with energy to get rid of the fatigue.
Caffeine is known to have stimulating impacts on intestines increasing gut motility, therefore I’d only recommend caffeine intake for those IBS patients who have high caffeine tolerance. On the other hand, if you cannot tolerate caffeine but consume energy drinks, I’d suggest trying decaffeinated beverages or resorting to caffeine-free brands in the meantime.
In general, a moderate quantity of caffeine can have many benefits:
- Lessens risk of heart diseases
- Helps with weight loss
- Increases alertness
- Decreases risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease
- Improves cognitive functions
- Reduces fatigue
- Improves your athletic performance
As per FDA, the suitable amount of caffeine for a healthy adult is up to 400 mg per day. However, it’s best to know your caffeine tolerance and consume it according to what you can bear.
Excessive amounts of caffeine in the body can cause:
- Anxiety
- Restlessness
- Insomnia
- Diarrhea
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Dehydration
- Abnormal heart rhythm
Can you consume sugar if you have IBS?
Not all kinds of sugars trigger IBS, although cutting off certain types such as Sucrose, Fructose, and Lactose from your diet may help reduce the severity of the symptoms. Lessening sugar consumption until your condition improves is also one way to lessen the occurrence of any IBS symptoms.
This happens because when you consume sugar, enzymes are let out by your small intestine to assist the process of its digestion. The deficiency of these enzymes appears to provoke the symptoms of IBS.
On another note, the AHA suggests that the suitable amount of sugar for most men is 36g and for most women 24g per day. Excessive sugar consumption may lead to:
- Weight gain
- Heart disorders
- Type 2 diabetes
- Cancer
- Mental health disorder
- Skin problems
- Dental problems
Can you ingest Artificial Sweeteners if you have IBS?
Artificial sweeteners, otherwise known as sugar substitutes, are utilized by the food industry in place for natural sugar as a healthier option.
What sets these elements apart from natural sweeteners is they can be ingested by diabetics and individuals who need to watch their sugar intake without disrupting blood sugar levels in the process. Moreover, using them in small amounts can go a long way, thereby no need to use large amounts to achieve certain sweetness quality.
On the other hand, the industry also recognizes sugar alcohols as another alternative to table sugar. Though they also occur naturally, they contain half the calories as their counterpart.
There is still much research to conclude whether sugar substitutes are safe for IBS patients or not. However, initial findings concluded that combining artificial and natural sweeteners have laxative effects.
Moreover, FDA has approved five sugar sweeteners that can be utilized. Personally, I recommend cutting off large portions of both natural and artificial sweeteners until any signs of IBS disperses.
Are energy drinks safe for IBS?
Unfortunately, energy drinks can be unsafe for IBS patients, especially if the product in question is loaded with caffeine, sugar, and other ingredients that can trigger or worsen any symptom sooner than later.
Furthermore, energy drinks are not safe for individuals with diarrhea as they can be diuretic, which can lead to dehydration or worse health conditions. Other journals also suggest that energy drinks can cause gastrointestinal problems if consumed regularly by an individual with a poor lifestyle.
If you are prone to experiencing diarrhea, you can check out this article where I discuss the best energy drink powders for diarrhea.
On the other hand, you can still consume small to medium amounts of energy drinks as long as they contain little to no ingredients that can trigger your disorder.
What foods trigger IBS?
Just like with checking the contents of your desired energy drink, there are also food and other nutrients that can aggravate your bowels and further disrupt your health.
Thus, I personally think that avoiding these foods may help with the symptoms of IBS:
Triggers for IBS constipation:
- Coffee, alcohol, and carbonated beverages.
- Processed foods like cookies and chips.
- Bread and cereals
- Dairy products
Triggers for IBS diarrhea:
- Dairy products
- Excessive fiber, significantly the insoluble type.
- Food and beverages containing caffeine, fructose, chocolate, alcohol, or sorbitol
- Wheat foods
What are the beverages that help with IBS?
According to some studies, people with IBS can drink peppermint tea to decrease the extremity of pain and decrease bowel spasms. The essential oil of peppermint is also considered as a treatment for IBS, it’s either breathed in through diffusers or a base oil dilutes it then is smeared over the skin.
Ginger tea is also often consumed to treat a troubled digestive system. There are not many pieces of research about ginger tea and IBS, but it is believed to assist in reducing inflammation, strengthening the stomach wall, and helping with activity in the intestines.
There is also no better time to drink more water than you initially do as it can clean your intestines and help to flush out any bacteria that may be affecting your health.
Best energy drink powders for IBS
Now that we’ve established the effects of energy drink powders in an IBS patient’s life, let’s now take a look at some of the brands that may just be a good pair for people who still wants to consume energy drink despite the circumstances.
Zipfizz
Zipfizz is widely known by American households as a healthier option versus brands that are loaded with sugar and caffeine. It’s also capable of increasing your energy levels as well as enhancing your mental performance.
It contains 100 mg of caffeine, 0g sugar, and only 20 calories per serving. This beverage can be a good fit for someone with IBS due to the absence of sugar and low amount of caffeine, while making sure that your body is still receiving nourishments that you have been losing.
On their official website, a pack of 20 tubes of Zipfizz costs only $37.99. It’s also good to know that Zipfizz lets you pick your favorite variation with its 14 flavors.
Advocare Spark Energy
Advocare Spark, marketed as a supplement of vitamins and amino acids, claims to improve your power to focus and stay alert along with enhancing your athletic performance.
One serving of Spark Energy holds only 15 calories, 120 mg of caffeine, and no sugar. Even though it contains more than 100 mg of caffeine, I still think it’s a good product as it has zero grams of table sugar.
They offer a total of 10 varying flavors and a tub of 42 servings costs $54.99 when purchased from their official site.
Gamersupps GG
Gamersupps GG targets gamers and athletes as their major customers. However, lots of individuals outside their industry have been fascinated by its prowess to provide energy and nutrients to its consumers.
It carries no sugar, carbs, or calories at all. One serving of Gamersupps holds only 100 mg of caffeine and also boasts of a number of vitamins to help with the functioning of your body as well as a blend of antioxidants to ensure you’re getting enough supplements in your system.
A 100-serving tub of Gamersupps only costs $35.99 which you can alternate between its 13 flavors.
Conclusion
Even though most, if not all, energy drinks are known to have vitamins, amino acids, and other nutrients to help your body improve, they may not be safe for IBS patients if you can’t tolerate high amounts of caffeine or are experiencing complicated symptoms of the ailment.
For people with irritable bowel syndrome, I’d recommend energy drinks that hold very low amounts of caffeine and sugar as they both can be a trigger for the symptoms. On the other hand, Ginger and Peppermint tea as well as water, can all be helpful with calming down the symptoms of IBS attacks.
The energy drinks powders I’ve suggested, in general, are safe for consumption however drinking too much of them may result in several health problems. Thus, it’s still important to ingest small quantities of energy drinks if you have severe IBS or are currently receiving treatment to ease your conditions.
