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Product Review:B Vitamin Supplements and Energy Drinks (Including B Complexes, Niacin, B-6, B-12, Biotin, Thiamin, and Folic Acid)
Posted: 9/23/12 Updated: 12/14/13
Tests Show Many B-Complex Supplements and "Energy" Drinks Contain Wrong Amounts of Vitamins
Find Out Now If Yours Passed!
B vitamin supplements and energy drinks in this review (including B-complexes, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, biotin, folate, and pantothenic acid supplements):
Our tests and quality ratings of B vitamin supplements, including B-complexes and energy drinks/shots, revealed problems with the quality of 7 out of 23 products selected for review. These products came up short on listed vitamins, containing only 31% to 87% of the claimed amounts, and/or contained far more ingredient than claimed, ranging from 182% to 230% of what was expected. Among B vitamin supplements, the most problematic were B complexes.
Testing also revealed the actual amounts of caffeine in the popular energy drinks/shots 5-Hour Energy, Monster Energy M-3, and Red Bull. Just a single small bottle of either of two of these products contained more than twice the caffeine you would expect from a regular cup of coffee. Following the serving suggestions of one product could lead you to ingest an extremely high amount of caffeine -- over 600 mg per day.
In this comprehensive report, you'll get quality ratings and reviews of 37 B vitamin supplements and fortified energy drinks: 23 products selected by ConsumerLab.com and 14 others that passed voluntary certification testing. You'll also get information about two supplements similar to one that passed testing. Tested products include B-complexes, energy shots, and single-B vitamin supplements with thiamin, niacin, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, biotin, folate (folic acid), or pantothenic acid.
In this comprehensive report, you'll discover:
Which B vitamin supplements and energy drinks Iailed testing and which passed
Direct comparisons and quality ratings of B vitamin supplements and energy drinks
Information on what B vitamin supplements and energy drinks can and cannot do for you -- some may reduce memory decline!
Important differences between forms of B vitamins, such as those of niacin: nicotinic acid, niacinamide, inositol hexanicotinate, and delayed-release formulations.
Usage and dosage information for the B vitamins thiamin, niacin, vitamin B-6, B-12, biotin, folate (folic acid), and pantothenic acid.
Side effects and potential drug interactions with B vitamins
Safety concerns about energy drinks and how to use them more safely, including concern over ingredients such as L-carnitine
