Is Celsius Energy Drink Bad for You? 5 Reasons Not To Worry

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Celsius is a popular blend of caffeine, vitamins, and other stimulants marketed as a performance energy drink. With no added sugar, artificial preservatives, or additives, Celsius is made with key healthy ingredients. A favorite with the fitness crowd, Celsius is a sparkling energy drink that can help boost your metabolism and burn body fat for increased energy, concentration, and athletic performance.

While Celsius contains a variety of micronutrients, it also contains a sizable dose of caffeine. This can cause concerns about whether Celsius can cause health problems or if it’s a good choice for an active lifestyle. Packed with ginger root, green tea, calcium, and B vitamins, Celsius is best consumed responsibly, like any energy drink.

Is Celsius energy drink bad for you?

1.    It Has Moderate Caffeine Levels

Unlike other energy drink brands, Celsius doesn’t contain sky-high levels of caffeine. Instead, one can of Celsius has 200-300 mg of caffeine. While that is three times the amount in a normal cup of coffee or green tea and twice the level in a Red Bull, this is still under the recommended 400 mg limit that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends for adults per day.

This means that Celsius contains a moderate level of caffeine. Two cans of Celsius will put you at the FDA’s recommended daily caffeine intake limit.

According to the Celsius brand, the energy drink derives its caffeinated ingredients from green coffee beans and guarana, a climbing vine with reddish-brown that grows in the Brazilian rainforests. These two caffeine powerhouses work together to increase energy, alertness, focus, and performance.

Keep in mind that some people are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine, such as migraines, jitters, or racing hearts, so if you’re sensitive or have cardiac issues, it’s advised to go easy on the caffeine.

For teenagers, it’s best to stick with 100mg or less of caffeine daily, while this amount falls to 60-80mg of caffeine per day for children.

Since 400 mg is based on total caffeine consumption for the day, it’s a good idea to stick to no more than one can of Celsius per day and monitor your other caffeine intake levels to ensure that you’re not ingesting too much.

Start by taking one or two sips of Celsius to test how your body responds to the energy drink before downing a can. That way, you won’t need to worry about whether consuming Celsius is bad for you.

2.    It Has Zero Sugar

Packed with plenty of essential vitamins and nutrients, Celsius is also a vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, kosher, and non-GMO energy drink that appeals to a wide range of consumers.

Because it contains zero sugar, aspartame, high fructose corn syrup, artificial preservatives, colorings, and flavors, Celsius is also a healthier choice compared to many other energy drinks. 

Instead, Celsius’ special blend gives you a fast energy boost that’s reputed to boost metabolic function and help burn fat. Without processed sugar to pack on the pounds, Celsius isn’t a bad idea for a workout drink.

The Celsius energy drink has different varieties with a range of sweeteners, including stevia and sucralose. Sucralose is an artificial, zero-calorie sweetener 400-700 times stronger than sugar.

While it’s a usual ingredient in many energy drinks, this potent artificial sweetener isn’t something that you’d want to consume regularly. If you’re looking for the healthiest Celsius drink, consider opting for the Celsius-Stevia blend.

As long as you drink energy drinks like Celsius in moderation, you don’t need to really worry about it.

3.    Its Proprietary Blend Contains Essential Micronutrients

Another reason why you don’t need to worry about Celsius energy drink is bad for you is the fact that it doesn’t contain many harmful ingredients. At the same time, it’s stuffed with vital micronutrients designed to boost your body’s function and athletic performance.

Because Celsius protects its proprietary blend with a patent from competitors, the brand hasn’t disclosed how much of each ingredient exists in a can of the beverage. The company does list each drink’s ingredients and states that the blend’s total amount comes to 1.18 grams. It’s just unknown exactly how much B vitamins, guarana, or taurine, for example, are present in each drink.

We do know that the MetaPlus® proprietary caffeinated blend has caffeine, guarana, ginger, taurine, glucuronolactone, and extract from green tea leaves. Each one of these proprietary blend ingredients is derived from a natural source.

Celsius also contains vital vitamins and minerals like Vitamin C, B, riboflavin, sodium, chromium, and calcium. These essential vitamins give Celsius its healthy boost since these micronutrients play important roles in supporting brain function, protein-building, regulating metabolism, and immune health.

According to research, Celsius contains a wider range of these ingredients than many other energy drinks. They also throw in a lot of green, fruit, and vegetables to supercharge the health content in every can.

According to US News, everyone’s tolerance for different levels of each ingredient may vary. That’s why it’s a good idea to test small amounts of Celsius (or any energy drink) before gradually increasing your consumption to ensure that you don’t experience any side effects.

While it’s unlikely that there are any harmful levels of each ingredient in Celsius beverages, different people have different reactions to ingredients in energy drink products.

Here’s a rundown that shows the micronutrient amounts present in the original Celsius, Celsius Heat, and Celsius-Stevia energy drinks:

IngredientsOriginal CelsiusCelsius HeatCelsius-Stevia
Size of serving12 oz. can16 oz. can12 oz. can
Calories10 calories15 calories15 calories
Caffeine levels200mg300mg200mg
Carbs1 gram2 grams10 grams
Vitamin C60mg60mg60mg
Vitamin B62mg2mg2mg
Niacin20mg20mg20mg
Riboflavin1.7mg1.7mg1.7mg
Biotin300mcg300mcg300mcg
Vitamin B126mcg6mcg6mcg
Pantothenic Acid10mg10mg12mg
Sodium0 grams0 grams0 grams
Chromium50mcg50mcg50mcg
Citrulline0 grams2 grams0 grams
Calcium50mg50mg50mg
MetaPlus Blend1.81 grams1.81 grams1.81 grams

4.    It Has Thermogenic Properties

Celsius contains comparatively moderate levels of caffeine combined with essential vitamins and minerals, and the company’s special MetaPlus Blend has a superpower, according to the Celsius website.

Since Celsius energy drinks contain a potent cocktail of naturally derived caffeine sources, this triggers a thermogenetic reaction in the body when you drink a can of Celsius. Thermogenesis refers to a process where energy is released through heat production and disperses through the body to burn away brown fat or adipose tissue.

When you drink a can of Celsius, the caffeine, guarana, green tea, and other ingredients increase your temperature slightly to create a warming or thermogenic effect.

Celsius states that its caffeinated blend activates your body’s metabolism to help burn unused calories and extra fat. Combined with exercise, Celsius energy drinks work to help you lose weight by ditching excess fats and calories.

More research still needs to be done, according to Healthline, to determine the extent to which Celsius’s proprietary blend can help burn fat on its own, but consumers’ reports about using the drink to boost their workout sessions have promising results.

We know that green tea extract in Celsius contains both caffeine and a compound known as epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG. EGCG works with caffeine to break down adrenaline in a slower way. This helps extend energy levels that are increased by adrenaline in the body.

According to a 2011 study, green tea supplements can activate your metabolic system and increase your fat-burning rate for up to 24 hours after intake. Just like caffeine, green tea doesn’t burn many calories, so you’d need to keep up your regular exercise routine and consume Celsius energy drinks to meet your weight loss goals.

5.    It’s Safe to Consume in Responsible Levels

The bottom line is that you don’t need to worry about Celsius being bad for you if you consume it responsibly. Made from natural ingredients, apart from sucralose, it doesn’t have super high caffeine levels, any sugar, or artificial preservatives to bring down your mental or physical performance. 

Drunk in moderation; a can of Celsius can even do you some good if you’re trying to engage in more intense workout sessions or are trying to kickstart your metabolism to help you lose weight. 

Moderation is the key here. Yes, drinking too much Celsius could make you sick, just like drinking too much water can cause water intoxication. 

When you stick with the FDA guidelines for caffeine intake, you won’t need to worry about harmful side effects from drinking Celsius energy drinks. At the same time, if you’re pounding can after can of Celsius, this could become a bad thing since you would overdose on caffeine which can be dangerous for cardiac health.

Trying a new energy drink is something that you’ll want to decide for yourself. Before consuming any beverages, check out the guidelines printed on the Celsius can. These recommendations include: 

•    Don’t exceed 2 servings (or two cans) per day.
•    Celsius isn’t recommended for children under age 18, caffeine-sensitive people, or pregnant or nursing women.

As long as you follow the guidelines and drink Celsius as intended, Celsius energy drinks aren’t bad for you and can offer important health and performance support. 

Final Thoughts

Celsius is a popular energy drink that’s becoming a favorite among fitness experts. This sparkling energy drink harnesses some of the most powerful natural compounds on earth, such as green coffee beans, green tea, and guarana extract, to sharpen your brain and support healthy muscle function. The brand’s propriety blend is also reputed to rev up your metabolism and burn fat through thermogenesis.

As a bonus, extracts like ginger root act as an analgesic to reduce inflammation and pain after a workout session. It’s also a potent fat burner and one of the key ingredients in the thermogenetic process. Packed with antioxidants and minerals, Celsius contains many more healthy ingredients than some of its competitors.

Celsius isn’t bad for you when consumed in responsible amounts and may even improve your mental and physical well-being. While you may not wish to consume Celsius every day, it’s a generally healthy drink that can give you an extra boost when needed.

Jeff Carpenter

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