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There are many different types of energy drink available on the market today. Frequently they are a mixture of many different substances that are believed in some way to be stimulating. Energy drinks should be used with caution, as the substances they contain may not have been scientifically evaluated, especially in the combinations provided. Energy drinks often contain carbohydrate, but the specific types of carbohydrate and the concentration used may not be appropriate to athletic events. The caffeine content of energy drinks is often 200-300mg per can<ref name="CaffDatabase"/>, which is quite high, but lower than a Starbucks Venti brewed coffee which typically has 400+mg<ref name="CaffStarbucks"/>.
==Red Bull ($3-6/100mg)==
I've tried a few different energy drinks, and the only one I use now is Red Bull. Red Bull is only lightly carbonated, is not too sweet for my taste, and while the mixture of glucose and sucrose is not great for sports drink, it's better than many of the alternatives. I'm not sure if One study has shown that the added Taurine and , B vitamins are beneficialand other ingredients do not add any benefit over the just taking the caffeine<ref name="Pettitt-2012"/>. However, but I like the combination seems to work well for metaste, and my expectation of a benefit provides a useful placebo. Red Bull contains about 80mg of caffeine per 8oz can<ref name="CaffRedBull"/>, which is slightly less than the equivalent volume of coffee.
==Energy Shots==
Energy shots are more convenient than energy drinks due to their small size and portability. However, they concentrated form can easily cause stomach upsets in addition to the problems noted in energy drinks above.
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<ref name="Pettitt-2012"> {{Cite journal | last1 = Pettitt | first1 = RW. | last2 = Niemeyer | first2 = JD. | last3 = Sexton | first3 = PJ. | last4 = Lipetzky | first4 = A. | last5 = Murray | first5 = SR. | title = Do the non-caffeine ingredients of energy drinks affect metabolic responses to heavy exercise? | journal = J Strength Cond Res | volume = | issue = | pages = | month = Oct | year = 2012 | doi = 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3182736e31 | PMID = 23037611 }}</ref>
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