5-Hour Energy: The portable & safer energy drink for athletes
Posted April 5th, 2007 at 10:25 AM by Paul Petersen
Section: Nutrition, Supplements, Product Reviews
Recently I participated in Relay Del Sol, an overnight team relay race that traverses nearly 190 miles through central Arizona. As if running and managing team logistics isn’t exhausting enough, I decided to punish myself even further by acting as a vendor and selling souvenirs all day at the finish line. That meant that while other participants had the privilege to go home, take a shower, and dive into the realm of slumber, I had to remain in the land of the living.
Naturally, I expected myself to be dragging a bit (to say the least), and searched for a convenient, portable energy drink to keep me going while I hawked merchandise. I preferred to stay away from some of the other rather noxious, sugar-laden drinks I’ve tried in the past, and coffee (although a favorite) just doesn’t pack well during an adventure race.
Then I found 5-Hour Energy, which comes in a convenient 2-oz, re-sealable bottle and claims to boost energy without sugar or a ridiculous amount of caffeine. It seemed like a good choice - so I decided to give it a try for the relay.
Its moniker says it all: “5-Hour Energy increases energy and alertness for several hours”. The main ingredient for this task is caffeine; an amount equivalent to one cup of coffee. Being a two-cup-a-day guy, this quantity of caffeine seemed reasonable; unlike the amounts found in Cocaine Energy Drink (which claims to contain 350% the energy content of “The Bull”). Better yet, the drink contains a heavy dose of B-Vitamins, enzymes, and amino acids, while containing zero sugars and carbs.
The product also contains Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, Taurine, Malic Acid, and Glucuronolactone, which are known to aid in producing energy and aiding nervous system functionality. The complete nutritional information is pictured above.
But does it work? After supplementing 17 miles of running over the last 20 hours with only two hours of sleep, I put 5-Hour Energy to the test. I found the taste to be tolerable, but nothing I’d drink recreationally. However, there is only 2-oz of liquid and I was more interested in the effects anyway.
Almost instantly I could feel it kick in, and to be frank, it made me rather jittery for about 15 minutes or so. However, the nervousness wore off, and I soon had a good, stable baseline of energy. I drank another 2-oz vial of the elixr about three hours later, which induced similar effects. I ended up making it through the day without a crash.
The lack of a crash makes sense to me. After all, the drink contains no sugar and is basically the equivalent of a cup of coffee plus a few other ingredients. Coffee doesn’t make me crash, so why would 5-Hour Energy?
And true, 5-Hour Energy has some extra vitamins that you wouldn’t get with coffee, but in my opinion its main benefits are portability and convenience. The fact that they weigh only 2-ounces and come in re-sealable bottles allows enables them to be easily stored and brought along for workouts, training runs, and other adventures.
I am wary, however, of taking any caffeine supplement (even coffee, for that matter) immediately before running or other exercise. Although caffeine has been shown to enhance performance, it can also have some negative side-effects, and thus remains a controversial subject among runners and other endurance athletes.
In addition, and when I do drink caffeine, it tends to be in moderate quantities (1-2 cups) and with plenty of water to offset caffeine’s diuretic effects.
However, if you are looking for an extra boost, whether it is before a workout or even afterwards to help you get through the day, 5-Hour Energy is a suitable option. In addition to being the most convenient and portable product in the energy drink market, it is also probably one of the safest. 
The caffeine content, like coffee, is also comparable to the many caffeine-enhanced energy gels (such as the “Double Espresso” flavored Clif SHOT) that have become extremely popular among runners and other endurance athletes.
Overall, 5-Hour Energy definitely works as advertised - it will keep you awake without causing you to crash later on. Just remember that if you choose to incorporate it into your exercise routine, you should employ personal discretion and drink plenty of water - just as you would with any caffeinated beverage.
For more information about 5-Hour Energy, please visit: http://5hourenergy.com/
Note: Although the review is authored by just one of TFS’s team members, it reflects the cumulative results of the entire groups’ trials.
***Note: We encourage EVERYONE to see a doctor before altering their diet, taking a supplement and/or performing athletic, fitness or other strenuous physical activity. It is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any information, instruction, opinion or advice contained in the content. Please also see our complete disclaimer.***
Tags: 5 Hour Energy, alert, caffeine, chaser, cocaine energy drink, coffee, diuretic, energy, energy drinks, pump up, relay, supplements, taurine
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April 5th, 2007 at 1:12 pmI live in the uk and was wondering where I could purchase the 5-hour energy drink from either by importing from the states or buying from a retailers in the uk This is for my personal use not for resale purposes.
April 11th, 2007 at 6:29 pmDude i wouldn’t recommend doing that. Two shots. caffeine has a half life of 5 hours. and they arnt sure if this drink contains 50mg of it or 300 found in some crazy coffee from places like Caribou. 300mg can cause a overdose in a healthy adult. Which could cause a irregular heart rate. so if you just pumped 600mg into your veins who knows. Also alot of the other ingredients are iffy at best and this has not be been checked by the food and drug administration yet. So all I’m gonna say is don’t take this drink lightly.
September 15th, 2007 at 3:14 pmI’ve been taking this drink for a while now. I’m still a little nervous. I highly recommend NOT taking the whole bottle, that’s absolutely nuts. The caffeine is merely a transporter for the main ingredients to become absorbed by your body. There is not enough to see the effects. It’s most likely between 80mg to 100mg if you take the entire bottle. Most surely not 300mg as Nick suggests, that would require a dangerous warning label. I don’t take the full 2oz. I actually have been taking only. .5oz and some time I only take .25oz and I actually feel the results. But I’m still a little nervous of it, because I have notice it speed my heart rate up. I’m out of shape, but I experienced a 96 bpm heart rate while resting. I suggest taking 1/4 the recommended dose. NEVER the whole bottle, and don’t take it everyday. The amount of B-vitamins can be dangerous. You can overdose on B-vitamins and can cause nerve damage. So just be smart and talk to your doctor!
November 4th, 2007 at 1:26 pmHi Curt, it seems you are a little nervous about taking a whole bottle of 5-Hour Energy because of the elevated levels of vitamins B6 and B12?
You’ll be glad to know that according to the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, “No toxic or adverse effects have been associated with large intakes of vitamin B12 from food or supplements in healthy people.” As a result, no upper intake limit was established by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine. Doses as high as 1,000mcg have been given to anemia patients with no side effects. 5-Hour Energy contains 500mcg of B12.
Vitamin B6 consumed in amounts of 200 to 1,000mg per day can trigger sensory neuropathy in some people. The Food and Nutrition Board established a tolerable upper intake level of 100mg per day. However, 5-Hour Energy contains only 40mg of vitamin B6. Amounts of vitamins B12 and B6 in 5-Hour Energy, although well above the recommended daily allowance (the minimum amount), are well within safe levels.
January 11th, 2008 at 3:53 pmNick: The FDA categorizes products like 5-Hour Energy as “dietary supplements.” Government rules for supplements differ from those established for synthetic medicines. All vitamins supplements must comply with DSHEA (Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act) regulations for labeling, manufacturing practices and use of ingredients the FDA categorizes as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe).
The FDA does not test and approve dietary supplements because their ingredients are already established as safe. 5-Hour Energy contains safe levels of vitamins and amino acids as well as ingredients that are readily available in food or manufactured by your body. More information can be found at www.5hourenergy.com/ingredients.asp
January 11th, 2008 at 3:57 pmI would like to know more about energy drink for Track runners .
January 16th, 2008 at 11:37 amHow to get faster while drinking an energy drink ?
Pk so i have a friend who took this drink.
February 15th, 2008 at 6:39 pmHe overdosed on it and was sent to the hospital.
He has been there for the past 3 days.
Ok so i have a friend who took this drink.
February 15th, 2008 at 6:39 pmHe overdosed on it and was sent to the hospital.
He has been there for the past 3 days.
I’ve been taking the 5-hour for a few weeks now, and I would say it does have better results then other energy drinks or coffee for that matter. I don’t have the crash, but my stomach does feel weird after I drink, it, even if I just ate. it’s tolerable though. If your an athlete, I would say regulate it on the days that you train, I’m a kickboxer, and I drunk 2oz about 2hours before I trained, and I did experience some heart racing. They do state that on the bottle though. As for Amber, I’m curious to know how many bottles your friend took in order to overdose? Some people are very sensitive to caffeine, also, he may have been allergic to something in it. On the other hand, if he drunk like 5 bottles or more within a few hours then I could see why that happened hope he’s better. As for Curt, the body can suffer withdrawal symtoms from caffeine, like bad headaches so i would suggest having at least some amount of caffeine per day rather than every other day.
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April 22nd, 2008 at 9:41 pm