Let’s talk about some recent studies that link energy drinks to blood pressure rising and heart attacks. Most of them agree that the problem can be traced back to how certain ingredients work together.

They also tend to agree that caffeine is not the problem – more studies are needed, but they suspect that taurine might be the culprit.

Finally, they don’t say cut out the drink entirely, just drink it in moderation.

Despite this, these studies tend to make headlines that induce panic and send people on a frenzied mission to rid their fridges of all things energy drink-related.

Truth be told, often the simple reason that energy drinks aren’t good for you can be summed up in two words – user error.

People tend to overdo things.

Downing caffeine-enriched drinks five or six times a day is guaranteed to send even the most healthy heart into overdrive, and health experts recommend limiting yourself to a maximum of two per day.

It also matters which energy drink you choose to drink. When you go to the shop for bread, you don’t just grab the first loaf off the shelf. People will claw each other’s eyes out to get their hands on the last gluten-free, vegan-friendly seed loaf at Woolies, but when it comes to energy drinks, they’ll often opt for the most recognisable brand.

It also matters what you drink your energy drink with. If it’s alcohol, be careful: taurine and alcohol do not mix well. A recent study found that if you mix energy drinks that contain taurine with alcohol, you may experience reduced sociability skills, increased aggressiveness, and memory loss.

Not ideal, and there’s the fact that taurine is the reason that so many energy drinks taste the same.

Thankfully, not all energy drinks contain taurine, and there are also sugar-free options, or options with less caffeine than your average cup of coffee.

Take 28 Black, for example. They created a taurine-free energy drink with a unique range of flavours, that gets its energy from natural arabica coffee and natural raw sugar.

28 Black comes in at only 10 milligrams of caffeine per ounce, which is enough to keep you energised, but not enough to make you feel weird. It’s also less caffeine than you’ll find in an average cup of coffee.

It’s also vegan-friendly, gluten and lactose-free, and contains no artificial preservatives. For those who like to be a bit more adventurous with the flavours, you’ll find flavours like Açai Berries, Açai Berries Zero (which has zero sugar and calories), and Pink Grapefruit-Mint, along with the Classic.

Yep…an energy drink that isn’t full of all the nasties that are causing people to freak out.

Winning.

If you would like to stock up on some energy, you can find a list of the retailers that stock 28 Black here.