ROCKSTAR® ENERGY DRINK is not your run of the mill energy drink. In fact the can claims to be “the most powerful energy drink available.” The drink has also registered the slogan “party like a rockstar®.” Let’s find out what’s different about this energy drink.
Who’s Who of Rock and Roll Fame
True to the product’s name, the ROCKSTAR® company website at www.rockstar69.com reads like a Who’s Who of Rock and Roll Fame. The instant you open the site you’re greeted with streaming audio from Alice In Chains (you can click directly on the video to order tickets to their latest concert), as well as photos of Rod Stewart, Fernando Vargas, and Snoop Dogg. As you navigate through the site, celebrity photos are at almost every click.
When you click the company tab, you get a message from the company’s founder, Russell Weiner. The message is mostly about his parent’s herbalist background, to which he attributes some of the success of the ROCKSTAR® product. (Incidentally, according to the Wikipedia article about RockStar®, Russell’s father is the radio talk show host, Michael Savage. You can read about Michael Savage here.)
Distribution and Products
With all of the heavy marketing for this product, you’d think that the marketing would have drawn me to try this product. Call me a skeptic, but I was somewhat unimpressed with the hype. In my case, the reason I tried it was a little less exciting. I tried the product to write this article. That’s right, I was about to reach into the freezer case and select your run-of-the-mill cola when the thought struck me, “I should buy one of those energy drinks and review it for Associated Content.” So I grabbed a ROCKSTAR® ENERGY DRINK and here is my review.
According to Wikipedia, ROCKSTAR® is distributed by Coca-Cola enterprises. Probably because of their distribution you can buy it just about anywhere. I bought mine at Kroger for $1.79.
I tried the original ROCKSTAR® ENERGY DRINK in the black and gold can. My can was 16 oz (two servings according to the back of the can). The company website indicates that there are three sizes: 24 oz, 16 oz, and 8.4 oz. In addition the product I bought, ROCKSTAR® also comes in the following varieties: SUGAR FREE (24 oz, 16 oz, 8.4 oz), GUAVA JUICED (24 oz, 16 oz), JUICED (24 oz, 16 oz), and ZERO CARB (24 oz, 16 oz).
Not Recommended for Those Who are Sensitive to Caffeine
This product comes with a warning that is it is “not recommended for children, pregnant or nursing women, or those sensitive to caffeine.” I think they mean it.
My first impression of the drink is that is that it has an odd flavor, maybe a little bit on the sour side. I can’t determine what it is. After a few sips, I tasted the sweetness and fruity taste.
I deliberately drank this at mid-morning (in case I was sensitive to caffeine). My mistakes were: a) I drank it on an empty stomach b) I drank the entire 16 oz can even though the can was clearly marked as two servings. I must be a bit sensitive to caffeine because after about an hour I felt a bit jittery. I ate something and that made me feel a little better, but I found myself wishing that I’d had a little less than the whole can.
What’s in a ROCKSTAR® ENERGY DRINK? What makes it different? I’m not a doctor, but I wanted to know.
I checked the ingredients list on the can. In addition to the usual cola-type ingredients such as corn syrup and caramel color, I found the following unfamiliar ingredients: Taurine, Guarana Seed Extract, Milk Thistle Extract, and Gingko Biloba Leaf Extract.
Let’s look the ingredients and try to find out from a layman’s perspective what benefits they might add to the drink.
According to Wikipedia, Taurine is a derivative of an amino acid, cysteine. There is some evidence that Taurine reduces blood pressure in adults. It is also being considered as therapy for a wide variety conditions ranging from Alzheimer’s disease to macular degeneration. I felt fairly good about it when Wikipedia said that it’s often added to infant’s formulas.
Wikipedia says that Guarana is a shrub or small tree that can be found in Venezuela or Brazil. Guarana contains caffeine. According to the article, it is often promoted as a weight loss product. While there have been no Food and Drug Administration Studies, some studies indicate that it may have benefits that reduce strokes and heart attacks, help increase memory retention, and improve physical endurance.
My only familiarity with the next ingredient, Milk Thistle, is as something the caterpillars of Monarch Butterflies eat. From the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, NCCAM (http://nccam.nih.gov/health/), I learned that it is believed to provide protection for the liver and combat liver cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis (liver inflammation), and gallbladder disorders. From the same source, other treatment claims include lowering cholesterol, reducing insulin resistance, and reducing the growth of certain cancer cells. It’s important to note that there has not been a large amount testing done on this substance.
I also checked with NCCAM to see what it had to say about the next ingredient, Gingko Biloba Leaf Extract. Apparently there have been conflicting studies about whether or not this substance can prevent dementia such as that from Alzheimer’s disease, and also whether or not it can slow down cognitive impairment. Other studies of the ingredient include studies to determine if it can be effective for the treatment of asthma, multiple sclerosis, vascular conditions, and insulin resistance.
Conclusion
I probably won’t drink this again. Although I don’t know how I would have felt if I had been really tired when I drank it, this drink gave me the jitters when I tried it. Personally, I don’t enjoy the feeling. Quite possibly this drink would be tolerated well by those who are accustomed to lots of caffeine. Personally, though, I’m going to leave ROCKSTAR® ENERGY DRINK for the rock stars and find something else to drink.
