Top 10 Worst Soda and Energy Drinks for Your Health

We have to assume they were having an “opposite day” at the office on the day they were tasked to come up with a name for this soda. Because why else would you call something mellow that has as much caffeine as Mello Yello does? Which for the record is about 50 mg per 12 oz can. And we haven’t got to the sugar and calorie numbers yet. Along with the caffeine hit, one can of Mello Yello also hits you with 170 calories and 47 grams of sugar. And in case you’re wondering - yes, all three of those numbers are higher than what you’d find in a similarly-sized can of Coke.

Get yourself a 20 ounce bottle of Sunkist Fruit Punch soda and the one thing you won’t be ingesting much of - if any - is fruit. Looking at the ingredients, there isn’t one fruit listed. Maybe the “natural and artificial flavors” contain some fruit essence, but we don’t know. What we do know is that downing just one bottle of the stuff will mean a 300 calorie hit and 80 grams of sugar. To provide some context for that number - the American Heart Association recommends no more than 36 grams of added sugar per day for men and 25 grams for women. There’s no caffeine here, but that’s a small comfort.

Did you know that the recommended serving of a 5-hour Energy drink is just half the tiny 2-ounce bottle? We’re going to assume that, given how small the shot is, most people down the whole thing (if not two at a time). However, in one bottle you’re getting around 200 mg of caffeine, which is about as much as two 8 oz cups of coffee. So, please don’t do multiple shots of the stuff. 5-hour Energy, like many other energy drinks, contains B vitamins. However, the levels per bottle of, say, B12 are 20,000% times the daily recommended numbers. Not to mention that back in 2012 the FDA did investigate "potentially link[s]" between the drink and 20 consumer deaths.

Don’t be fooled by the fruit in the name. While we’re sure that pineapples have nutritional value and positive health benefits - we also feel confident saying that Crush Pineapple soda doesn’t! Taking a standard 20 oz bottle as our starting point (something we can all easily down in one sitting), you’re looking at 320 calories and a surprising 110 mg of sodium. But it’s the sugar that really gets this one on our list - we’re talking 85 grams of the stuff. And don’t think you can just go with the Crush Peach instead, because those numbers are all just minimally lower. Again, no caffeine here, but the other factors override that.

Hey now, you’re drinking Rockstar, you’re intaking a lot of caffeine and sugars today. Okay, so we may not be on Weird Al’s level when it comes to song parodies, and we’re pretty sure Smash Mouth wouldn’t be impressed. But at least it gets the facts across about why the Rockstar energy drink is one of the most unhealthy choices you can make. Given that it's an energy drink you’re obviously getting a good amount of caffeine - 160 mg in a 16 oz can to be exact. But you’re also getting 260 calories and 63 grams of sugar - which is crazy high. And while their Xdurance skew is sugar free - it has 300 mg of caffeine.

We understand why you might be confused as to why Reign made the list given that a 16 oz can is only 10 calories and has zero sugar. But anyone who's tried a Reign energy drink knows that they are sweet - with flavors like “white gummy bear” and “orange dreamsicle” how could they not be, right? So where does that sweetness come from? Unfortunately it’s not from natural sweeteners, but artificial ones like sucralose. There are 200 mg of sodium per can - which seems a little high to us. But by far the number that stands out the most is the 300 mg of caffeine! That’s about 3 cups of coffee, or 75% of the recommended daily intake in one can.

Bang has a profile very similar to that of Reign. Again we’re looking at no sugar and low calorie - in this case zero calories per can. However, like Reign, Bang also sweetens their beverages with sucralose. Which, while generally considered safe, is hundreds of times sweeter than table sugar, can lead to gut health issues, and should be consumed in moderation. And as for caffeine levels, we’re again looking at 300 mg, which will certainly provide the “bang” you want - but is it the “bang” you actually need? You decide.

Before you go and “Do the Dew” let us walk you through what it is you’ll actually be doing to your body. Spoiler Alert: it isn’t anything good. Starting with the 290 calories in a 20 oz bottle - which would take the average person about 30 minutes of running to burn off (is a bottle of Dew worth a 30 minute jog?). What about the sugar? Well, as some of you might already know Mountain Dew is one of the higher sugarized soda’s out there - with that one 20 oz bottle containing 77 grams of the stuff. And they don’t skimp on the caffeine either. Going back to that 20 oz bottle, there are 91 mg of caffeine - that’s almost one cup of coffee’s worth.

We aren’t scared of monsters, but we are a little afraid of drinking too much Monster Energy drink. Look at the ingredient list on the side of a can of Monster Energy and you’ll notice that the second and third ingredients are: Sugar and Glucose. Given that, it might not surprise you to know that each can contains 54 grams of sugar. In that can you’ll also find 166 mg of caffeine, 210 calories and 370 mg of sodium (which means you’re drinking 15% of your daily recommended sodium intake). And yes there are B6 and B12 vitamins, but at 220% and 590% of the DRV. And that much more than recommended isn’t necessarily a good thing either. Especially with any kind of frequency.

There are lots of people who, if they had one wish, would wish that they could fly. However, while Red Bull might “give you wings,” these aren’t the type of wings you or your body really need. Your body doesn’t need the 75 mg of caffeine or the 27 grams of sugar found in just a small 8 ounce can of Red Bull. And sure, if you can have one small can every now and then it shouldn’t be too bad. However, moderation isn’t always easy. And then there’s the fact that many folks like to combine Red Bull with alcohol - which can increase high-risk behavior as Red Bull can make you feel less drunk than you are.

Who needs soda or energy drinks when you have WatchMojo comments? Are we right? Let us know in the comments below.