Can You Drink Energy Drinks on an Empty Stomach? (Questions)
With the increasing demand for energy drinks, various brands offered their unique formula of different energy drinks.
Each of these energy drinks has its formula and combination of ingredients. Some energy drinks are sugar-free, while some are without caffeine. If you want to enhance your focus and performance, drinking a can of energy drink is appreciable.
Have you ever wondered if it’s okay to drink energy drinks on an empty stomach? If so, keep reading. In this article, I’ll discuss whether an energy drink should be consumed on an empty stomach or not, and what are the effects of an energy drink.
Let’s get started.
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Effects of Energy Drinks on an Empty Stomach
Energy drinks aren’t safe to consume on an empty stomach. Your proper meal shouldn’t replace energy drinks, and consuming them on an empty stomach severely damages your health.
It’s important to have a proper meal first before drinking an energy drink. Consuming them without eating anything damages your stomach lining and affects your digestion.
Drinking them too often also causes anxiety and increases your stress level. You might face difficulty in concentrating and focusing on your task. Also, you might experience heartburn after drinking an excessive amount of energy drinks.
Nothing replaces a proper meal in providing proper nutrients to your body. It’s best if you have a proper meal first, then drink an energy drink. You can also combine it with proper exercise to get the best results.
Loss of Appetite
Energy drinks are famous for their appetite suppressing abilities. People who are trying to lose weight commonly use energy drinks to decreased their hunger, which causes a calorie deficit.
Drinking energy drinks on an empty stomach might make you lose your appetite. It’ll make you skip your meals since you’ll be feeling less hungry. Skipping meals results in malnutrition, since you won’t get enough nutrients that are important for your health.
Whenever you’re drinking any energy drink, remember that it doesn’t contain enough nutrients. You can’t replace your meal with energy drinks. The nutrients you get from a proper meal are pretty important for your health. Even if you’re on a diet, your health should be your priority.
Is It Safe to Consume Caffeine on an Empty Stomach?
Caffeine plays an important role in providing energy to your body by boosting your energy and enhancing your performance, but consuming it on an empty stomach might not give you the same results.
Before consuming caffeine from any source, eat something first to protect your stomach. Consuming it on an empty stomach can damage your digestive tract and can also affect your appetite. Caffeine can also result in dehydration so make sure you keep track of your water intake.
Apart from that, caffeine can also lead to some other health issues, such as:
- Irregular heart rate
- Anxiousness
- High blood pressure
- Addiction
- Dizziness
- Shakiness
- Insomnia
- Headaches
To avoid these negative effects, always have a proper meal with your energy drink and monitor your caffeine intake. According to Food and Drug Authority (FDA) guidelines, a person can have up to 400mg of caffeine in a day. So make you consume caffeine accordingly.
Effects of Sugar on an Empty Stomach
Sugar is one of the primary ingredients of an energy drink. Although some brands have replaced regular sugar with artificial sweeteners, sugar is still commonly used in most energy drinks.
In context, a woman’s sugar intake shouldn’t be more than 24g of sugar in a day. On the other hand, a man’s sugar intake shouldn’t be more than 36g of sugar in a day.
Consuming sugar on an empty stomach can be harmful to you and can decrease your insulin level. Your body won’t produce enough insulin which will increase your blood sugar levels and you can end up having diabetes.
Apart from that, sugar consumption can have the following side effects:
- Diabetes
- Tooth decay
- Acne
- Skin aging
- Depression
- Low energy
It doesn’t matter whether you’ve eaten anything before consuming sugar or not, the side effects of sugar remain the same. It’s best to consume sugar in moderation to avoid any adverse effects.
Is It Safe to Consume B Vitamins on an Empty Stomach?
B-vitamins are one of the most common ingredients in energy drinks. They’re found in several energy drinks and are essential for the proper functions of your body.
B-vitamins on an empty stomach might be more effective and achieve your desired result. B-vitamins are absorbed faster when you consume them on an empty stomach. Consuming them without eating anything can be more beneficial for you.
Can You Drink Monster Energy on an Empty Stomach?
Monster Energy is a popular energy drink. It has 210 calories in a single serving. Also, it has 160mg of caffeine and 27g of sugar in a single serving. The calorie and sugar content of Monster is quite high compared to other energy drinks.
Although, the high caffeine content spikes up your energy levels and makes you feel more active. But for that, you need to eat something before drinking it. Make sure, you have a proper meal before drinking a can of Monster energy.
Can You Drink Red Bull on an Empty Stomach?
Red Bull is the most famous energy drink in the market. It has ranked top among energy drinks. It contains 80mg of caffeine and 27g of sugar. It has 110 calories in a single 8.4 fl. oz can.
With 80mg of caffeine and 27g of sugar, Red Bull surely boosts your energy and makes you more alert. It improves your focus and enhances your performance since it has a decent amount of caffeine, but drinking it on an empty stomach isn’t a good idea.
Drinking Red Bull on an empty stomach messes up your metabolism and affects your digestive system. It’s best to eat something before drinking Red Bull. A proper meal before drinking this energy drink improves your functions and makes you more active and energetic.
Side Effects of Energy Drinks
Energy drinks work best when you consume them in a controlled amount. To get the most out of an energy drink, you need to drink it responsibly.
Excessive consumption of energy drinks can lead to some serious side effects. Whether you’ve eaten anything before drinking it, the side effects are present.
You need to consume caffeine according to the recommended maximum intake. Consuming too much caffeine and drinking energy drinks too often have the following side effects:
- Heart and blood vessel problems
- Rapid heart rate
- High blood pressure
- Diarrhea
- Migraines
- Anxiety
- Digestive issues
- Dehydration
Drinks to Avoid on an Empty Stomach
Keeping your body hydrated is one of the most important and beneficial things to do for your body. And to do that, there are a few beverages that you should avoid drinking on an empty stomach.
Soda
Most sodas contain a high amount of sugar that causes sugar crashes and jitters. It affects your concentration and disrupts your metabolism as well. Consuming a high amount of sugar on an empty stomach makes you feel lazy throughout the day and surely affects your productivity level.
Energy Drinks
Energy drinks contain a high amount of caffeine and sugar. Drinking them on an empty stomach affects your mood and decreases your productivity. It also causes dehydration and makes you feel weak. To get the benefits of energy drinks, you need to have a proper meal first.
Although, even if you’ve eaten something before drinking an energy drink, you should still drink energy drinks in moderation to avoid any potential side effects caused by excessive consumption of energy drinks.
Alcohol
Alcohol shouldn’t be consumed on an empty stomach. It causes dehydration, which is dangerous for your health. Apart from that, alcohol damages your liver and metabolism. It’s best if you eat something before consuming alcohol.
Drinks You Can Consume on an Empty Stomach
There are several energy drinks that you can have on an empty stomach. The best drink to have on an empty stomach is water. It makes you hydrated and energetic, without causing any damage to your health.
Water
Water is great for boosting your metabolism. Drinking enough water in a day makes you feel hydrated and helps you get rid of all the toxins in your body.
Water also makes you energized and makes you feel refreshed. It’s a necessary drink for your body and it’s a must to stay hydrated always.
Vegetable Juice
Vegetable juice is great to reduce fatigue and stress. It has enough nutrients to improve your overall health and iron, which increases your productivity and concentration.
Conclusion
I wouldn’t suggest you have energy drinks without eating anything. The high amount of caffeine present in the energy drinks damages your stomach lining surrounding the gut wall and stimulates stomach acid, causing serious health issues.
On the other hand, some particular ingredients can be consumed on an empty stomach. But still, energy drinks aren’t a substitute for proper meals because these energy drinks aren’t nutritious or healthy.
It’s a thought of some people that consuming energy drinks can neutralize the effects of alcohol. Despite this, having energy drinks on an empty stomach affects the stomach badly as these aren’t an alternative to meals.