Choosing the right energy drink is one of those things that directly impact your health. You need to look at various components of the energy drink such as caffeine, sugar, and calories.
Also, you may wanna make sure whether the drink you’re gonna take daily contains any harmful ingredients or not.
The highest caffeinated drink, Bucked Up, comes with a banned ingredient such as Deer Antler Velvet which may leave you in a doubt about having side effects on your health. If that’s how you think, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, I’ll give you an overview of Deer Antler Velvet and other ingredients of Bucked Up. Let’s get into it!
Contents
Ingredients
Natural & artificial flavors
Carbonated Water
Beta-Alanine
Citric Acid
Vitamins
- Vitamin B6 (25mg)
- Vitamin B12 (500mcg)
Artificial Sugars
- Sucralose
- Acesulfame
Ingredients with stimulant effects
- Caffeine Anhydrous
- L-Theanine
- L-Tyrosine
- Korean Ginseng
- Taurine
As you can see, you get an adequate amount of vitamins, B6 and B12, in one serving of Bucked Up. They’re good for reducing depression and anxiety which makes Bucked Up a good focus and energy drink.
Let’s take a closer look at other ingredients in Bucked Up.
How much caffeine is in Bucked Up?
You can say, Bucked Up is one of the high caffeinated drinks on the market that may leave nasty after-effects such as crashes and jitters. You get 300mg of caffeine anhydrous from one serving of the drink.
Considering the recommended dose of caffeine intake, which is 400mg, you get a safe amount in one serving of Bucked Up.
Additionally, this drink contains caffeine Anhydrous instead of the caffeine you get in coffee. It’s a dehydrated form of caffeine that gives you the same stimulant effects that you get from regular caffeine.
Since you get a larger dose of caffeine from Bucked Up, I wouldn’t recommend taking more than one serving. Otherwise, you might face the following negative effects:
- Headache
- Disturbed Sleep
- Anxiety
- Crashes
There’s also a low-stim formula of Bucked Up that only contains 100mg of caffeine. If you don’t want to be a caffeine addict, you should definitely go for it instead of the original formula.
In case you’re taking the original formula of Bucked Up, restrict yourself from taking caffeine from other sources.
Sugar
If you like your energy drinks with no sugar, Bucked Up can be an ideal choice for you in that case. Since all flavors of this drink are sugar-free, those with diabetes or sugar sensitivity are recommended to take it.
In most cases, energy drinks contain higher doses of sugar that make it hard to have them for people with health issues.
Additionally, it contains two calorie-free artificial sweeteners, Sucralose and Acesulfame. Since they’re FDA-approved, most sugar-free energy drinks and supplements contain these.
They might substitute regular sugar but are still safe to consume.
You might find drinks containing artificial sweeteners a little sweeter as they substitute the regular sugar.
There’s also 1 gram of total carbohydrates which further turns into glucose. However, you only get four calories from this little amount of carbs.
Interestingly, artificial sugars contain no calories, so we can say this energy drink will not make you gain weight.
Korean Red Ginseng
Bucked Up contains an ingredient rich in herbal properties that comes in two variants, Korean Ginseng and Asian Ginseng. They both have similar energy-boosting properties.
It may surprise you that most supplements and drinks use Korean Ginseng which has a reddish-brown color. There’s an adequate amount of Korean Ginseng in Bucked Up drinks.
The supplement is not just good for improving focus, but also for increasing energy levels.
Through its herbal properties, Ginseng provides you with a defense against infections and relieves stress.
It has been shown that a safe dosage of Ginseng is 200 milligrams. Since there’s no detail of the amount of Ginseng in one serving of Bucked Up, you shouldn’t go beyond one can of this energy drink.
It’s important to note that if you take this herbal ingredient for six months straight, you might face side effects like disturbed sleep. Therefore, you shouldn’t take any energy drink with Ginseng for a longer period.
Alpha GPC
The component Alpha GPC also improves your athletic performance, which is why it is typically found in dietary supplements. Bucked Up contains this ingredient as well, though you don’t get details regarding how much is in each serving.
Interestingly, this is not only good for your body but also for your cognitive functions.
The effects of this herbal ingredient kick in after about 20 minutes of consumption if taken by mouth. Moreover, you’ll experience long-term benefits from Alpha GPC when you use it long-term. For best results, you’re recommended to use it for at least six months.
However, no proper research has been conducted to back up these facts. There are many benefits to using Alpha GPC, but there are side effects as well.
- Make you feel tired
- Headache
- Heartburn
- Insomnia
- Fatigue
- Nervousness
There have been reports that some individuals may not feel any improvement in focus and thinking. Meaning it might work differently for everyone. You should give Bucked Up a try yourself to see how it would work for you.
Huperzine-A
Taking a look at Bucked Up’s ingredients, one thing I noticed is that it is more of a focus drink than an energy drink.
It’s important to know that there is a huge difference between energy and focus drinks. In an energy drink, you will find ingredients that will increase your physical performance while in a focus drink, the ingredients boost your mental performance.
Taking Huperzine in a Bucked Up drink gives you the mental focus and clarity you need for studying and gaming. Chinese traditional medicine has a history of using this ingredient. Huperzine-A is not yet regulated by the FDA in dietary supplements.
You may face the following side effects with the use of Huperzine-A:
- Constipation
- Trouble sleeping
- Fatigue
- Dehydration
- Upset Stomach
- Vomit
Bucked Up’s label does not indicate the amount of Huperzine-A in each serving, so you should limit your intake to one serving to avoid any of the above consequences.
Theacrine
Bucked Up contains a natural ingredient called theacrine, which is found in Chinese tea. My personal favorite ingredients are those that have a history with Chinese medications or teas.
The effects of caffeine are similar to this herb, however, it won’t adversely affect your blood pressure. In other words, it’s a natural version of caffeine that won’t cause you any crashes or jitters.
In addition to getting you started on an energetic note, it also keeps you awake when you need it. For instance, you can take it before exercising or working out.
There’s nothing better than finding something natural that has the same stimulant effects as a cup of coffee.
It is considered safe to take 300mg of Theacrine or Teacrine – whichever you name it. When it comes to caffeine, you shouldn’t take more than 400mg a day.
There is evidence to suggest that Theacrine works better when taken with caffeine. Therefore, Bucked Up might be worth considering since it combines both ingredients.
Taurine
Another ingredient in Bucked Up is taurine, but there are no details on how much taurine is in one serving. An Amino Acid that’s considered to be a brain support ingredient.
It’s a must-have for brain supplements and energy drinks. The brain cells associated with memory become smaller and weaker as you age.
However, the right amount of Taurine allows your brain to replace those damaged cells with new ones.
The amount of Taurine you should consume daily should not exceed 3000 if you don’t want to suffer any side effects. When you consume this amino acid in higher dosages, you may experience the following side effects:
- Anxiety
- Nausea
- Trouble in walking
- Headache
Make sure you’re not taking more than one serving of Bucked Up each day. When consumed in moderation, energy drinks can help keep you from experiencing nasty side effects.
Does Bucked Up contain Deer Antler Velvet?
It becomes controversial when it comes to Deer Antler Velvet in Bucked Up. You might have heard that Bucked Up is banned since it contains Deer Antler. The reason behind the ban on Deer Antler Extract supplements is IGF-1.
Some sports leagues, like the NFL, do not allow their players to use products containing this ingredient. With the use of IGF-1, you may suffer from mild side effects such as headaches to serious conditions such as cancer.
However, the brand claims that all of its ingredients are FDA approved which is true. The FDA regulates the use of this controversial ingredient in supplements.
Since Deer Antler Velvet is derived from an animal, I would not recommend this drink for vegans.
You can watch this video to learn more about this ingredient.
Who shouldn’t Drink Bucked Up?
If you’re sensitive to caffeine, pregnant, or nursing, I would not recommend taking Bucked Up.
You may also become addicted to this drink due to its high caffeine content. If you consume a drink with high levels of caffeine, you might become psychologically dependent.
To feel the stimulation in your body, you will need the same dose or a higher dose every time. Therefore, you shouldn’t take more than one serving of high caffeinated energy drinks such as Bucked Up.
Is Bucked Up a Gaming Drink?
Considering the high dosage of caffeine and the presence of other ingredients with stimulant effects in bucked Up, I personally won’t use this drink for gaming.
For gaming, all you need is a focus, which you can get from other drinks and supplements with lower caffeine doses.
Bucked Up will leave you exhausted if you use it for gaming or studying. You may not be able to finish your game due to jitters and crashes.
Also, this high-caffeine drink contains Beta-Alanine, which makes your body tingle. Taking this drink solely to improve focus is not a good idea.
You might find better options for a focus drink on the market.
Final Thoughts
The most high-caffeinated drink, Bucked Up, is sugar-free – therefore, you get zero calories in all flavors. You can try their low-stim formula if you prefer a low dose of caffeine.
With low-stim flavor, you only get 100mg of caffeine, which is much lower than the original flavor. Additionally, it contains Korean Ginseng, which has the same stimulant effects as caffeine.
Amino acids such as Taurine and L-Tyrosine are also useful for improving memory and cognitive functions.
You may experience tingling in any part of your body due to the presence of Beta-Alanine in Bucked Up, which you might mistake for an allergy. But that’s not the case!
Aside from this, Beta-Alanine has no adverse effects. It’s a good ingredient for your physical and mental performance.
Overall, Bucked Up is an ideal energy drink for people who have a high tolerance for caffeine. However, I wouldn’t recommend it to people with low caffeine tolerance or any other related sensitivity.