In fact, most people should avoid these beverages or limit their intake. Instead, try to consider healthier alternatives like coffee or tea to boost your energy levels. Summary

Because of these downsides, children, pregnant women, and those with heart problems or sensitivities to caffeine should avoid energy drinks.An 8-ounce (240-ml) serving of Red Bull or Monster provides only slightly less caffeine than the same amount of coffee. Energy drinks are also high in sugar, which is associated with obesity, dental problems, and type 2 diabetes. For optimal health, added sugars, such as those in energy drinks, should be limited to no more than 5% of your daily calorie intake ( 14, 15, 16, 17). In addition, more research is needed to fully understand the risks and benefits of consuming large amounts of some of the other energy-boosting components in energy drinks, such as taurine ( 11).

Up to 400 mg of caffeine per day is generally safe. Still, drinking more than four, 8-ounce (240-ml) servings of energy drinks per day — or two, 16-ounce (480-ml) cans of Monster — may cause negative effects due to excess caffeine, such as headache or insomnia ( 9, 10).

Unintended consequence

Monster contains 28 grams of sugar per 8.4-ounce (248-ml) can, which is comparable to Red Bull. Drinking just one of these energy drinks daily can cause you to consume too much added sugar, which is bad for your overall health ( 2).