Energy drinks are everywhere. How dangerous are they?

Originally marketed squarely at young men, they’re now coming for women’s wallets. vox.com/culture CULTURE   Back when I was a medical resident, working stupidly long hours on stupidly little sleep, my go-to reviver was a Starbucks medium-roast Venti doused in half and half. The enormous cup — the biggest size they sold — went everywhere I did, subject to multiple reheatings over the course of a night shift. It wasn’t great, but alternatives never once entered my mind: I knew Red Bull and Monster Energy existed, but they were, so far as I could tell, for snowboarders and gamers with something to prove, not lady dorks like me. My impression of energy drinks was a consequence of marketing, and over the last few years, their manufacturers have shifted their sights. Celsius, Alani Nu, and countless other brands now target grown women with flavor profiles, packaging, and advertising coded more functional than fratty. That doesn’t mean they’re safer now than they were before: [Energy drinks are associated with a range of nasty side effects]( and have been [linked with 34 deaths]( between 2004 and 2014 — and the US doesn’t require manufacturers to prove they’re safe before selling them. Ironically, although men have always been their biggest consumers, women are biologically more susceptible to some of their most lethal side effects. But as I write in this story, [there’s more than one reason]( for all consumers to be wary of relying on these drinks to give you anything more than the jitters. —Keren Landman//link.vox.com/click/36104941.16470/aHR0cHM6Ly94LmNvbS9jb25zdGFuY2VncmFkeT91ZWlkPTNhNTA3ZmY1ZmYzNzViYTNjYWU5MjFkMzUzMTNiN2Nk/6094319a7418d377a33af3d5B6ec8533e MD, reporter P.S. Our friends at Vulture are bringing back their Beach Read Book Club. Learn more and [sign up to join here](. Energy drinks are everywhere. How dangerous are they? [a photo of multicolor energy drinks stocked on several grocery shelves]( Newscast/Universal Images Group via Getty Images If you believe the ads, energy drinks turn ordinary schnooks like you and me into lean, mean, git-her-done machines. They promise to give you wings, unleash the beast, make you the boss of time, and enable the crushing of your enemies. No wonder sales have boomed in recent years, growing by 73 percent from 2018 to 2023. Nearly half of consumers drink them multiple times a week. In addition to the offerings at retail and convenience stores, chains like Starbucks, Dunkin, and Caribou Coffee are adding energy drinks to their menus.[In the next five years, energy drink sales are on track to reach $30 billion in the US.]( The vast majority of the people who drink energy drinks — mostly teens and men aged 18 to 34 — don’t die as a result. Occasionally, though, some do. The Center for Science in the Public Interest counted 34 deaths linked to these products between 2004 and 2014. More recently, the families of a female college student and a 46-year-old man sued Panera over the deaths of their loved ones following consumption of its highly caffeinated Charged Lemonade drinks. A far larger chunk of people who consume energy drinks experience other unpleasant side effects as a result, ranging from sleeplessness to twitchiness to anxiety to gastrointestinal distress. Still, demand for these products is mounting, even outside of their sweaty core constituency. That’s not an accident: As the current male market has neared energy drink saturation, manufacturers have set their sights on adults beyond college age — especially women, according to a recent report from market analysis firm Mintel. They’re reaching these new mouths by capitalizing on a growing and somewhat whimsical demand that the liquids we drink not only quench our thirst, but also reduce our stress, focus our minds, and improve our physical performance. That’s why, despite [the persistent drip-drip of deaths that trails the industry](, energy drink manufacturers are bullish (sorry) about their future. [Read the full story »]( Revisiting Hillbilly Elegy, the book that made J.D. Vance The bestseller proves Trump’s VP pick has abiding disdain for absolutely everyone. [Read the full story »]( The summer of Glen Powell, explained The Twisters actor is figuring out how to be a movie star after Hollywood stopped making them. [Read the full story »](   [Become a Vox Member]( Support our journalism — become a Vox Member and you’ll get exclusive access to the newsroom with members-only perks including newsletters, bonus podcasts and videos, and more. 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