Study Finds Most Energy Drinks with Same Punch as Coffee

A new study by Consumer Reports comparing the ingredients of 12 energy drinks found that the beverages – with names like “Full Throttle,” “Amp” and “Rush,” – mostly have about as much caffeine as coffee, Reuters reported.

The caffeine in in the energy drinks ranged from 50 to 145 milligrams, though most were in the 75- to 80- milligrams range. Results were rounded to the nearest 5 milligrams.

According to the news report, the drinks ranged from the low end with a fruit punch-flavored offering by Target Corp.’s private label Archer Farms, with 50 milligrams, while the opposite end of the spectrum was occupied by the lemon-lime flavored Celsius with 145 milligrams.

Market-leading Red Bull had 80 milligrams of caffeine. Sobe No Fear, owned by PepsiCo Inc., had 85 milligrams of caffeine. Amp had 75 milligrams , while Rush and Coca-Cola Co.’s Full Throttle both had 80 milligrams.

Meanwhile, according to the National Coffee Association, the caffeine in an 8-oz cup of brewed java by comparison can range from 65 to 120 milligrams, with an average of 85 milligrams.

Jamie Kopf Hirsh, associate editor at Consumer Reports and the report’s author, told Reuters the findings were “good news”, but said consumers should still be cautious. “You don’t have to be alarmed by this, you just have to account for it in your daily caffeine intake,” Hirsh advised.