Last Updated On September 19, 2023
Few energy drink brands have taken the world by storm like Bang energy drink.
Bang energy drinks contain essential amino acids and Super Creatine, which has made them appealing not only to the average person but especially to fitness enthusiasts.
Creatine is crucial for energy production, muscle contraction, cell signaling, and more. However, just how much is in a Bang energy drink?
How Much Creatine Is Really In A Can Of Bang?
Most energy drinks on the market today contain a pretty insignificant amount of creatine - around 0.84 to 1.21 mg.
So, how much creatine is in Bang, then? It looks like the amount could range anywhere from 4 to 32 mg.
If we look at the high end of this range, it's still a relatively low dosage and well under the recommended daily max for creatine supplements.
Studies have shown that the best way to supplement with creating is to have a "loading phase of 20-25 grams per day for up to a week, followed by a maintenance phase of 3-5 grams per day.[1]
We would even say that the creatine in a can of Bang is negligible and that you should look elsewhere for creatine supplementation.
Learn More - What Foods Have The Best Creatine Sources
This is a positive in the sense that Bang isn't likely to cause any liver or kidney damage, or even kidney failure.
Not only that, but some studies suggest that the combination of creatine supplementation with caffeine could actually increase protein-building efficacy.
This could lead to an easier time putting on muscle mass.
Remember that if you're consuming more than a can of Bang energy drinks, you're also consuming more Super Creatine.
Creatine affects how our muscle cells manage water, which could increase water weight, or you may note a more bloated appearance.
Bang Energy Drinks (Overview & Benefits Explained)
Bang Energy Drink sure exploded onto the scene, immediately attracting consumers with its brightly-colored cans and the fact that it contains zero sugar, zero calories, and zero carbohydrates.
Instead, it comes packed with caffeine, creating, and BCAAs to boost athletic performance ad mental concentration.
It's also found in a wide array of unique flavors (Blue & Yellow Limoncello, Candy Apple Crisp, Cotton Candy, Sour Heads, Birthday Cake Bash, Black Cherry Vanilla, and tons more).
You may be wondering how Bang drinks can taste so good if they are sugar-free.
Bang has an arguably more palatable flavor than most other energy drinks, which just seem to taste "off" sometimes, primarily due to the taste of additives that just can't be completely covered.
Bang energy drinks contain sucralose, which is an artificial sweetener up to a thousand times sweeter than table sugar.[2]
It's also found to be one of the safest artificial sweeteners out there and is most commonly known for its inclusion in Splenda.
With the addition of antioxidants, they may be able to help keep the body safe from free radicals, which can lead to inflammation.
The inclusion of B vitamins could also help boost energy levels, increase metabolism, and improve nerve function.
Does all of this make Bang energy drink healthy? It's a lot more complex than that, but we're going to get more in-depth regarding the subject in just a moment.
However, two benefits we can say that most consumers experience are consistently higher energy levels and increased brain function (it can enhance mental focus)
What Is Super Creatine? (How It Differs)
While “standard” creatine or natural creatine already offers an array of benefits like improving muscle strength and mass and shortening recovery time, what does Bang’s potent lab-created “Super Creatine” do for consumers?[3]
First, let's get into what "Super Creatine" actually is. Also known as "Creatyl-L-Leucine," it isn't pure creatine monohydrate.
Learn About - How Creatine HCL & Monohydrate Compare
Rather, Vital Pharmaceuticals (VPX), the creator of Bang, works to produce creatine that binds with L-Leucine: one of the branched-chain amino acids vital in protein synthesis in our bodies.
Pure creatine also isn't stable in water, with a gritty texture when mixed. In contrast, Super Creatine is supposedly water-soluble, which allows it to cross the blood-brain barrier.
By crossing the blood-brain barrier, it allows the creatine to travel from the bloodstream and into the brain.[4]
This ability was important to the brand in order for their formula to help boost mental focus and clarity and produce energy.
Taking creatine like the Super Creatine found in Bang energy drink is alleged to help improve mental focus, increase lean muscle mass, help with recovery of muscle tissue after vigorous exercise, and other health benefits.
However, it's important to note that Super Creatine isn't FDA-verified, so take that with a grain of salt with how it may boost exercise performance.
Not only that, but because it is a proprietary blend, it isn't specified how much of which exact compounds it is comprised of. So how much Super Creatine is in Bang energy drink, specifically?
It's hard to give a specific number of how much creatine is in Bang energy drinks, but we'll detail that a bit more in our next section.
What Other Ingredients Are In Bang Energy Drinks?
Bang energy drink ingredients aren't exactly a common selection when we look at other popular energy drinks on the market today.
While caffeine may be expected, the Bang Super Creatine and L-Leucine/BCAAs are not as typical.
Caffeine
As you've probably already guessed by now, as Bang is an energy drink, it does contain caffeine.
That's not to say all energy drinks have to contain caffeine to be categorized as such, but it's an essential ingredient.
The caffeine in Bang energy drinks comes from both caffeine anhydrous and guarana seed extract.
The former is absorbed almost immediately into the bloodstream, and the latter offers a more even, slow release which can help reduce the chance of crashing later on.
With 300 mg of caffeine per 16 ounces, Bang is designed to boost energy levels, amounting to the caffeine content of about 3 cups of coffee.
However, drinking 400 mg is the maximum caffeine consumption for daily safety purposes.[5]
Also, drinking an entire can of 300mg is likely going to give you the jitters or make you feel uneasy, unless you’re a daily espresso drinker.
Related Article - Does Creatine Have Caffeine Or Not?
BCAAS
Aside from the amino acid L-Leucine, there are other amino acids that Bang energy drink contains.
As we mentioned, Leucine is important for muscle growth. However, Isoleucine and Valine are also crucial for muscle growth and reducing exercise-induced muscle soreness.
This means that instead of feeling too sore to go to the gym again, you may feel more restored and motivated and make more gains.
See More - BCAAs Vs Creatine (How They Are Different)
Bang Energy Drinks Super Creatine Lawsuit
In 2018, a sports nutrition and supplement manufacturer named Thermolife International, LLC, filed a lawsuit against VPX.
The main complaint was that Bang energy drinks' Super Creatine was falsely advertised in that it wasn't actually a bioavailable form of creatine.
Rather, what was found was a covalently-bonded creatine dipeptide, or a creatine bonded synthetically.
Moreover, Thermolife added that their Super Creatine doesn't convert into actual creatine once consumed.
Instead, it converts to creatinine which is a waste product resulting from regular wear and tear on the muscles of the body.
In 2022, rival energy drink company “Monster Energy Co” convinced a jury to award them $293 million in damages from Bang in a lawsuit alleging that they falsely advertised both ingredients and health benefits from their products.
The jury found that the Super Creatine didn’t contain any regular creatine in Bang, which was the top of the news in the supplement industry.
Common Questions About Bang Energy Drinks
It's really not a good idea. To stay within the recommended 400mg caffeine limit per day for optimal human health, you should drink a maximum of one and one-third cans. When it comes to many energy drinks, it's really important to limit consumption to, at most, a can per day. There's simply too much caffeine to safely consume more. Then, when you consider that Bang is one of the strongest energy drinks out there, we highly recommend against drinking two a day.
Drinking Bang most likely won't cause you to gain weight. While creatine monohydrate can affect how the body handles water, you'd still have to consume enough creatine for that to happen, which you won't find in a single can.
No, they do not. In fact, the subject of creatine in Bang energy drinks have been involved in multiple lawsuits. The courts found that the creatine content in the drinks is essentially zero, making it virtually no different than any other energy drink out there.
First, consider what you're looking for. If you'd like a healthy alternative, you could go with green tea, green juices and smoothies, or whole foods that provide you with a wide array of nutrients and proper protein intake. This, on its own, could supply you with more energy and better results in the gym than with Bang. If you'd like creatine energy drinks, you could always buy a creatine powder to add to your smoothies/shakes. However, if you’re looking for high-octane energy drinks, Redline Xtreme, Raze, G Fuel, and Reign Energy are all popular.
Conclusion
While Bang was certainly a popular supplement for a while, they may just fall to the wayside of other energy drink brands due to their false allegations over their Super Creatine and the fact that it did not form creatine in the body when consumed.
They definitely taste good and can boost energy with the amount of caffeine each can includes, but other brands offer the same.
References:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5545206/
- https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/additional-information-about-high-intensity-sweeteners-permitted-use-food-united-states
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-creatine/art-20347591
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306452216001780?via%3Dihub
- https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/caffeine/
