28 Black aims to make a difference by being different.
That might have sounded a bit wacky, but bear with me, alright? 28 Black is an energy drink that seeks to make a mark on the energy drink market, and it does so by being a good fit for all lifestyles, as it is vegan, lactose-free, gluten-free, and halal.
An 8.4 ounce can of 28 Black contains 80 milligrams of caffeine, 107-140 calories (depending on variant), and 25-35 grams of sugar (also depending on the variant). 28 Black also has several sugar-free versions, which are also low in calories.
At first glance, it seems that 28 Black is a relatively healthy energy drink, but some people are wondering if that is the case. Some questions are floating around regarding 28 Black, and one such question is:
“Is 28 Black bad for you?”
In short, 28 Black is quite a safe energy drink if you consume it responsibly with a healthy diet and an active lifestyle,
For more details as well as answers to other FAQs, be sure to read this article to its end.
Let’s begin…
28 Black’s Nutritional Values
Arguably the most important aspect of any food or beverage is how much it contributes to your daily nutritional requirements.
Here’s what 28 Black has in store for you:
| Nutrient/Macronutrient | Amount per 3.3 fl. oz |
| Energy | 43-56 calories |
| Energy (for sugar-free versions) | 7 calories |
| Fat (of which saturated) | 0g 0g |
| Carbohydrates (of which sugars) | 12-16g 10-14g |
| Carbohydrates (for sugar-free versions) (of which sugars) | 8g 0g |
| Fibers | 0g |
| Proteins | 0g |
| Salt | 0.01g |
| Sodium | 0.004g |
| Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) | 24mg |
| Vitamin B3 (Niacin) | 5mg |
| Vitamin B5 (Panthothenic acid) | 1.8mg |
| Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) | 0.05mg |
| Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) | 0.8µg |
The table above shows that the standard versions of 28 Black add around 107-140 calories and 25-35 grams of sugar to your diet. If you want to avoid extra calories and sugar, then you should drink the sugar-free versions.
28 Black Ingredients
We can’t answer the question at hand without taking a look at 28 Black’s ingredients, so here’s a simple list for you:
- Carbonated Water
- Caffeine
- Lactic Acid
- Citric Acid
- Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
- Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)
- Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
- Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)
- Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid)
- Inositol
- Acai Extract
- Acesulfame Potassium
- Guarana Extract
- Steviol Glycoside
- Sucralose
As you may have noticed, there aren’t many chemical additives in 28 Black’s blend, which is a great quality for an energy drink to have. Not only that, but it also has a bunch of vitamins and extracts which are good for you.
Here are brief overviews of the interesting ones:
Vitamins
28 Black contains 5 essential vitamins. Below is a table showing some of their benefits:
| Vitamins | Benefits |
| Vitamin B3 | Helps improve blood fat levels, boosts brain function, is good for skin, etc. |
| Vitamin B5 | Helps with the formation of red blood cells, converting food into energy, etc. |
| Vitamin B6 | Help reduce symptoms of depression, promotes brain health, etc. |
| Vitamin B12 | Is important for a healthy pregnancy, it promotes skin, hair and nails health, etc |
| Vitamin C | Is a powerful antioxidant, helps reduce blood pressure and the risk of heart problems, etc. |
Acai Extract
Acai Berries are a fruit found in Central and North American rainforests. They are referred to as a “superfruit” and are a staple in the Amazonian region. The reason for their popularity is that they are packed with nutrients and have many health benefits.
Some of these benefits are:
- They are dense in antioxidants
- They might have anti-cancer properties
- Acai berries might improve cholestrol
- They could be beneficial to brain function.
Gurana Extract
Guarana is a Brazilian plant that shares many properties with the coffee berry. The Guarana extract is made not from the fruit, but from its seeds. Here are some of the health benefits of Guarana extract:
- Similar to coffee, it can reduce fatigue levels, and help with focus
- It might boost your metabolism, which makes it easier to burn fat when at rest
- May be good for treating diarrhea and constipation
- Due to being high in antioxidants, it could be good for your skin
Caffeine in 28 Black
Caffeine is a psychoactive drug and a central nervous system stimulant. It is because of its performance-boosting capabilities that caffeine is the main ingredient in energy drinks.
28 Black contains 80 milligrams of caffeine per 8.4 fl. oz. It is the same amount of caffeine as the market leader Red Bull.
This amount of caffeine is just right, in my opinion, if you need a nice buzz to get you up and running, and even for other things like studying or pulling a night reading session (which I do often). It is neither too high nor too low.
Caffeine, you see, is a double-edged sword as it is great for your productivity in the right amounts, but it can have counter-productive effects if you consume too much of it. First, we’ll look at the advantages of caffeine:
- Reduces fatigue
- Helps you stay alert and maintain focus
- Heightens physical performance
- Promotion of weight loss
- Improves brain function and helps with preventing diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
- Could reduce chances of Type 2 Diabetes and more
But if consumed irresponsibly and in amounts larger than the recommended 400 mg, the caffeine in energy drinks like 28 Black could add up with caffeine from other sources to push you over the limit, which can cause you to feel these side effects:
- Feeling jittery or shaky
- Headaches
- Anxiety
- Insomia
- Trouble with concentration
- Diarrhea
- Irregular heartbeat
- Dependance on caffeine
But 28 Black has very moderate caffeine content, and if it’s the only source of caffeine during your day, then it’s going to take 5 cans to overdose on caffeine. Which I’m sure you will not do…right?
On the other hand, if you drink two-three cups of coffee or tea in a day, then you shouldn’t be drinking more than one or two cans of 28 Black, otherwise, you’ll go into a caffeine overload.
Sugar In 28 Black
28 Black’s standard versions contain 25-35 (depending on flavor) grams of sugar per 8.4 fl. oz can.
I’ll say this right off the bat: Don’t drink the standard versions if you’ve got the sugar-free versions available
The AHA recommends the upper limit of sugar intake to be 36 grams for men and 25 grams for women. Taking this into consideration, I’m sure you will understand that it’s better to avoid a sugary energy drink if you already have a diet with sweet food and beverages in it.
Since many of us get the recommended amount of sugar from our diets alone, adding an energy drink with this much sugar isn’t the wisest of things to do, because excessive consumption of sugar can be bad for your health.
Not only that, but a sugary energy drink might cause you to experience a sugar crash after its boost runs out, which will leave you more fatigued and less energetic than before drinking said energy drink.
Here’s what happens to your body when you go through a sugar crash or overload:
- Fatigue
- Difficulty with concentrating or focus
- Headaches
- Hunger
- Blaoting
- Shakiness or jitters
- Being irritable
These are just the short-term side effects, some health hazards could manifest later on in your life if you let your sugar intake run wild. These long term effects are:
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Brain fog, and an overall decline in energy
- Cravings and subsequent weight gain.
- Sleep problems
- Heart diseases
- Mood disorders
- Skin issues
- Teeth decay
So, you should do the smart thing and try out the sugar-free versions of 28 Black, and avoid all of the problems that I mentioned above.
Artificial Sweeteners
Instead of sugar, the sugar-free 28 Black contains Sucralose and Steviol Glycoside as sweeteners.
Sucralose is a low-calorie sweetener that is several hundreds of times sweeter than regular sugar while being much safer than it and is, therefore, a great alternative to normal sugar.
Steviol Glycosides are found in the leaves of the Stevia plant and are used as low-calorie sweeteners around the globe.
Both sweeteners are safe for diabetic people and are approved by the FDA to be consumer-friendly.
Calories in 28 Black
A can of 28 Black gives you around 107-140 calories, while the sugar-free versions only have less than 10 calories.
Calories are the energy that our bodies get from consuming food and beverages. On average, a man needs about 2500 calories, while a woman requires 2000 calories in a day to function properly.
This requirement varies a lot from individual to individual, depending on age, height, and whether their lifestyle is active or sedentary.
Similarly, if someone has an active lifestyle, then they can safely consume the standard versions of 28 Black, as they would be able to burn off any excess calories. Although a said person would still have to watch their sugar intake.
And if a person has a sedentary lifestyle, possibly due to a job that requires them to sit at a desk for the majority of the day, then they would be better off without any extra calories, and should therefore opt for the sugar-free version.
Another reason why the sugar-free version might be more appealing to some is if they are on the way to losing weight, in which case they would need to be in a caloric deficit.
What I mean to say is, whichever variant of 28 Black you choose, I would like you to first take your lifestyle and diet into consideration so that you can reap the rewards without worrying about the possible problems.
Another thing you should note is that the calories in energy drinks are mostly from sugar, and are empty calories, meaning they don’t have any real nutritional impact and are only consumed as energy, and stored as fats if not used up.
Is 28 Black bad for you?
Now that we have gone over 28 Black’s details, I feel it’s safe to tackle this question.
28 Black is safe to consume energy drink if you’re drinking it responsibly and with control over your sugar and caffeine intake. But for further safety, I would recommend the sugar-free version.
You see, while it isn’t as much as in brands like Rockstar and Monster, 28 Black still has a significant amount of sugar and calories in it, so you would have to make adjustments to your diet to drink it safely.
But the sugar-free version is pretty hassle-free, and you can drink it whether you have any lifestyle, as the company claims.
One more thing, while it is safe to drink it daily, I wouldn’t recommend making a habit out of drinking 28 Black or any other energy drink. You should only consume energy drinks when you badly need an extra burst of energy, and by drinking them daily, you are risking becoming dependent on caffeine.
How many 28 Blacks can I have in a day?
As for how many cans of 28 Black you can have in a day, I would say that you can only drink one can per day of the standard versions, while you can drink two to three cans of the sugar-free versions daily.
While the caffeine content throughout the 28 Black lineup is the same, it is their sugar and calories that make the difference here.
With up to 35 grams of sugar in one 8.4 ounce can, 28 Black can’t be drunk more than once a day, as two cans would amount to 50-70 grams of sugar.
As for the sugar-free versions, they might not have sugar or calories, but they still have as much caffeine as a cup of filter coffee, so it isn’t a good idea to drink more than three servings in a day.
Does 28 Black have alcohol in it?
28 Black doesn’t have any alcohol in it.
I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to include alcohol in a caffeinated beverage, and this is because both have opposite effects on the human brain, and mixing caffeine and alcohol produces a seemingly paradoxical effect.
Known as “Wide-awake drunk”, in this state the person who has drunk the energy drink-alcohol mixture will feel significantly less intoxicated than he is, and would consequently drink even more alcohol.
This is very dangerous because not only is it really bad for health, but also because wide-awake drunk people tend to drive themselves some, thinking that they are pretty sober when they aren’t, and this could lead to death by a road accident.
But there’s no need to worry about 28 Black having any alcohol in it.
28 Black’s Flavors
Here are the normal versions of 28 Black:
- 28 Black Açaí
- 28 Black Classic
- 28 Black Pink Grapefruit-Mint
- 28 Black Sour Cherry
- 28 Black Sour Mango-Kiwi
These three are sugar-free:
- 28 Black Classic Zero
- 28 Black Açaí Zero
- 28 Black Absolute Zero Guava-Passion Fruit
28 Black believes that energy drinks shouldn’t have “to taste like gummy bears”, so their line of flavors is mostly fruity, except for the classic one, which kind of has a Red Bull-ish flavor, but it does have its distinct flavor profile…or something.
Anyways, if you want to know what each flavor tastes like, then here’s a video for you: (Spoiler: Sour cherry tastes like sour cherry)
Alternatives To 28 Black
Here are some other energy drinks that you can check out:
- Red Bull (similar to 28 Black in serving size, caffeine and sugar)
- Guru Organic Energy (All natural beverage, but with more caffeine than 28 Black)
- Adrenaline Shoc (very high caffeine, but no sugar and calories)
- Musashi Energy (twice as much caffeine as 28 Black, but also with a 2x serving size)
Conclusion
28 Black is a healthy and great-tasting energy drink, and only a cause for concern if not consumed moderately.
The sugar-free version, specifically, is great for people of all lifestyles, and due to its moderate caffeine content, it doesn’t make you jittery and restless and instead provides you a nice buzz so that you can stay alert longer and focus on the task at hand.
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