What are energy drinks’ main benefits?

Some studies show that energy drinks can reduce feelings of sleepiness and fatigue,^[1][2][3] increase feelings of alertness,^[4][5] and improve some aspects of cognitive function, including mood,^[4] attention,^[6][7][4] memory,^[8][6][4] and reaction time.^{[9][10][11][5]} Energy drinks have also been shown to reduce ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) during exercise and enhance aerobic and anaerobic exercise performance.^{[9][12][13][14]} However, existing randomized controlled trials examining the effects of energy drinks are few in number, include small numbers of participants, and often lack a control group for each ingredient. Furthermore, existing trials have large variability in the types of participants, testing modalities, and product ingredients. Therefore, further high-quality research is needed to make firm conclusions.

It is also important to note that caffeine is the primary ingredient — and typically the sole stimulant — added to energy drinks.^[9][15] Consequently, it is very likely that caffeine is responsible for the above-described effects of energy drinks because ample evidence shows that all of these effects are also caused by caffeine in isolation.