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Living Essentials

Year Founded: 2001

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Living Essentials 5-hour Energy

5-hour Energy is different than other energy products because of its size. In fact, the company calls 5-hour Energy an energy shot, not an energy drink.

You can drink this product in halves for a temporary or moderate boost to your workout or you can drink the whole bottle for 5 hours of energy.

Living Essentials products are sold virtually everywhere you can imagine. You will find them in your local gas stations, Wal-Mart, Target, grocery stores and more. You can sometimes find discounts online, especially if you purchase them by the case.

Living Essentials Products

Living Essentials has three categories of 5-hour Energy drinks. They are:

  • Original
  • Extra Strength
  • Decaf

5-hour Energy drinks have no sugar and four calories. According to Living Essentials, you get an instant energy boost that will not give you the jitters.

Living Essentials original formula is available in five flavors:

  • Berry
  • Lemon-Lime
  • Orange
  • Pomegranate
  • Grape

If you purchase them directly from their website, they are available in 2oz six packs for $14.99.

Extra Strength 5-hour Energy offers some extra vitamins, amino acids and nutrients in addition to the ingredients found in the original formula. It costs $15.99 to purchase a six pack directly from Living Essentials.

Decaf 5-hour Energy is available in a citrus flavor. Despite the name, Decaf 5-hour Energy is not a decaffeinated drink.

Decaf 5-hour Energy has 6 mg of caffeine. It costs $14.99 to purchase this product from Living Essentials.

Living Essentials Accessories

Living Essentials also sells 5-hour Gear for you diehard fans out there to wear.

In the Gear section of this website are tee shirts, hats, fleece, headbands and beanies. The products are fairly inexpensive with a beanie costing around $7, caps and tee shirts around $9 and the fleece around $50.

Living Essentials Product Ingredients

There are several healthy ingredients found in 5-hour Energy. Of course, there is caffeine as well, which may boost energy but has negative associations with your health.

Here is a list of ingredients that you will find in 5-hour Energy Original:

Living Essentials 5-hour Energy Ingredients At Work

Caffeine is said to provide energy and a small amount of focus. According to Living Essentials, you will get the caffeine equivalent to drinking a full cup of premium coffee.

Citicoline is supposed to help the body transmit messages from the brain.

Glucuronalactone is a sleep inhibitor.

Malic Acid is essentially what the body produces when creating energy from carbohydrates. In this case, rather than getting your malic acid from food you get it directly from the drink.

Phenylalanine is an amino acid that supposedly acts as a sleep inhibitor. However, if you have the genetic disorder phenylketonuria, you cannot drink 5-hour Energy.

Taurine is important to the digestive system and help the body absorb things like potassium, calcium and sodium and distribute them correctly through the body.

Tyrosine is another product that is supposed to help the brain send and receive messages to and from the body.

Vitamin B3, which is niacin, aids in energy production by using the foods you eat to create that energy. Niacin is also a heart healthy product.

Vitamin B6 has a number of functions in the body but the major component here is its ability to help the body produce amino acids, which are essential to life.

Vitamin B9, which is folic acid, aids in healthy cell production and maintenance.

Vitamin B12 also aids in the product of amino acids.

Living Essentials 5-hour Energy Additional Ingredients

The ingredients that aren’t focused on by Living Essentials are:

  • Purified water
  • Natural and artificial flavors
  • Sucralose
  • Potassium sorbate
  • Sodium benzoate
  • EDTA

While 5-hour Energy doesn’t contain any sugar, it does contain an artificial sweetener called sucralose. Sucralose doesn’t break down in the human body, which is why the calories are so low in this drink.

Sucralose is much sweeter than sugar so less is used to provide a sweet flavor. Too much sucralose has been shown to have ill effects on the human body including low birth weight in newborns; there are ongoing clinical studies to determine its safety.

Potassium sorbate is essentially an ingredient that prevents 5-hour Energy from going bad and growing bacteria or mold while it is sitting on the shelf. Once the product is opened, potassium sorbate has no benefit.

Sodium benzoate is salt. There is a total of 18mg of sodium in 5-hour Energy.

EDTA is much like potassium sorbate, and designed to keep your drink fresh until it is opened.

Living Essentials 5-hour Energy Extra Strength Formula

In the 5-hour Energy Extra Strength Formula, you will find all of the ingredients found in the original formula as well as:

  • Glucuronic acid
  • N-Acteyl L-Tyrosine
  • L-Phenylalanine

Glucuronic acid is linked to the metabolic system of animals and may also have a similar benefit to humans.

N-Acteyl L-Tyrosine is supposedly an advanced form of tyrosine and is supposed to have higher absorption capabilities.

L-Phenylalanine is converted into tyrosine in the body and again provides the same, yet stronger benefits of tyrosine.

Living Essentials Safety

Living Essentials is often confronted with accusations that their products aren’t safe. While 5-hour Energy isn’t an FDA approved product, it is regulated by the FDA under U.S. law. These supplements would not be available for sale if there were any major safety issues.

  • Some ingredients may cause people harm, but this isn’t directly related to the product, but people having enough information about their health to know if they have a problem tolerating certain things.
  • 5-hour Energy is a caffeine-based drink; if you are intolerant of caffeine, this is not the product for you. Women who are pregnant and nursing should not use 5-hour Energy.
  • It is also recommended that if you are taking medication or have any medical conditions that you should first talk to your doctor before using 5-hour Energy or any energy products. This is particularly true for people with a heart condition.

To compare Living Essentials products with other energy shots, use the supplement finder now!

Living Essentials