Zoa Energy really delivers on its claims with the right fusion of caffeine, vitamins, and essential amino acids. If you take this drink in moderation, it can provide you with long-lasting energy and a mental boost.
But taking more than one serving of this drink might leave nasty effects on you. The effects can be as serious as increasing your heart rate or as mild as becoming a little anxious.
This article tells you if Zoa Energy actually works. Also, you’ll know if you can take it as a pre-workout and gaming supplement. Let’s get started!
Contents
Ingredients
First of all, let’s take a look at the ingredients:
- Sodium citrate
- Carbonated water
- Sugar
- Beta-Carotene
- Amino acids
- Turmeric extract
- Camu Camu extract
- Potassium citrate
- Folic Acid
- Natural caffeine
- Magnesium lactate
- Vitamins
If you like drinks with a large number and amounts of ingredients, you might find this drink suitable.
Except for caffeine, Zoa doesn’t contain any natural stimulant ingredients. Does natural caffeine make a difference? Well, not really. It comes with more or less the same merits and demerits as the synthetic version of caffeine. The only difference is that natural caffeine may last longer.
Despite containing added sugar, it comes with a high amount of carbohydrates. But the good news is that Zoa sugar-free drinks are an option for people with health problems.
Comparison of both variants of Zoa
This beverage is available in two variations; one with sugar, the other without. Let’s compare the contents in both variants.
| Ingredients | Amount in Original Flavor | Amount in Sugar-free Flavor |
| Sodium | 200mg | 200mg |
| Total Sugars | 23g | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 24g | 3g |
| Calories | 100 | 15 |
| Natural Caffeine | 160mg | 160mg |
Calories
You’ll find a great difference in the calorie content of both variants of Zoa. The original variant contains 100 calories, whereas the no-sugar variant contains only 15 calories.
As you can see, there are comparatively more calories in this drink than its other energy drink counterparts.
As you must know that approximately 2000 to 2500 calories are consumed daily by both men and women. A hundred-calorie drink of Zoa will contribute a significant portion of calories to your everyday intake.
Sugar
With the sugar-free flavors of Zoa, you get zero grams of sugar. Along with this, it is important to know that this beverage contains 23 grams of sugar in its original version. Undoubtedly, this factor makes Zoa unsuitable for those with sugar-sensitivities.
It is important to mention here that this level of sugar is still below the approved dosage. Generally, the suggested daily dosage of sugar for men is 36 while for women it’s 24.
If you take too much sugar, you might face these symptoms:
- Increase in weight
- Obesity
- Increase the risk of diabetes
- Acne
- Depression
- Crashes
In case you’re already dealing with any of the above problems, you should go for Zoa’s sugar-free flavors.
Carbohydrates
Sugar-free beverages from Zoa are not entirely sugar-free. Each serving still contains 3 grams of carbs.
The original variant of the beverage has a higher amount of 24 grams of carbs. Undoubtedly, carbs give you the ultimate energy to make it through the day. But you shouldn’t ignore the downsides to it. For example, it might raise your sugar level.
The safe option for diabetics would be a sugar-free variant of Zoa. Also, low-carb drinks or foods work well for those who want to lose weight quickly.
Caffeine levels of Zoa
When it comes to the caffeine level of Zoa, you get 160 mg in a 16 fl. oz serving. Also, there’s a natural form of caffeine that lasts longer and comes with fewer negative effects.
This amount of caffeine will surely work for those with high caffeine tolerance but for those who rarely take caffeine, it may cause serious problems such as:
- Foggy brain
- Dependence
- Headache
- Anxiety
- Dehydration
- Trouble sleeping
Therefore, the FDA recommends taking caffeine below 400mg each day. Teenagers or women who are pregnant or nursing shouldn’t consume this beverage or any drinks with caffeine.
BCAAs
You may not find any information regarding the number of amino acids on the label of Zoa drinks. The brand states on their official site that their energy beverages contain 250mg of BCAAs.
If you’re wondering about the benefits of these essential amino acids, let me answer this quickly.
Research shows that BCAAs help people in muscle development more than those who don’t take these. In the case of older people, these amino acids show more positive results. The brand also claims that their(amino acids) consumption will keep you hydrated. However, there’s no scientific backing to this claim.
Most of these acids help build proteins that your body is unable to build itself. Let’s take a look at the benefits they provide:
- Muscle building
- Reduce fatigue
- Decrease muscle soreness
What Do Vitamins Do To Your Body?
When it comes to vitamins in Zoa, I can assure you, there are plenty of them.
Taking any energy drink with a variety of vitamins might be a healthy choice. However, these vitamins can make energy drinks taste chalky and powdery, so you may feel an aftertaste to your tongue.
| Vitamins | Amount per serving | Recommended dosage (Women) | Recommended dosage (Men) |
| C | 90mg | 75mg | 90mg |
| D | 5mcg | 15mcg | 15mcg |
| B6 | 1.7mg | 1.5mg | 2mg |
| B12 | 2.4mcg | 3.78 | 5.94 |
| Riboflavin | 0.3mg | 1.8mg | 2.5mg |
| Thiamin | 0.3mg | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| Niacin | 16mg | 14mg | 16mg |
| Folate | 100mcg | 400mcg | 400mcg |
As you can see, this drink comes with larger amounts of vitamins than the recommended dosage for women. There are chances that these vitamins might cause you negative effects such as stomach issues, dry mouth, and nausea.
I wouldn’t recommend taking more than one serving of Zoa in a day to keep yourself from any severe health effects.
Side Effects of Zoa
Let’s have a look at the pros and cons of Zoa energy drink.
Pros
The best thing about Zoa is that it provides you with an instant boost that may last for several hours. Additionally, eight vitamins in the beverage help you with countless benefits such as reducing anxiety and stress.
As you can see, Zoa drink is a fusion of both nootropics and vitamins. However, I’d advise you to keep your intake to one serving a day.
Cons
There are high chances that you might end up getting sugar or caffeine crash with Zoa energy, considering the high doses of both components. It’s not necessary that you’ll get a crash with any specific amount of these ingredients.
Keep in mind, the risk of getting crashes increases as you take more amount of these ingredients than you’re used to.
Therefore, I would recommend checking the amounts of the ingredients in the drink carefully before adding them to your diet.
How long does it take Zoa to kick in?
The effects of Zoa begin to kick in after 15-30 minutes, like other energy and focus drinks. The energy you get from Zoa is enough to keep you going all day.
The advertisement claims to provide you with healthy and positive energy, which seems true to some extent. You may not find a fusion of natural caffeine, BCAA’s, vitamins, and electrolytes in any other energy drink.
There’s a possibility that taking a combination of these ingredients consistently may start affecting your health negatively. Therefore, you should never go beyond one serving.
Is Zoa a Pre-workout Drink?
The caffeine content of Zoa assures to provide you an energy boost that helps you crush the gym. Other essential ingredients are amino acids that you may find in every workout drink and supplement.
Meaning this drink will be equally essential for providing an energy boost, building muscles, and reducing workout fatigue.
Also, it comes with options of sugar-free and original variants, which makes it a suitable choice for many individuals.
Since the drink contains higher doses of all the ingredients, I’d recommend taking Zoa energy once a week.
Can You Take Zoa Before Gaming?
If you’re planning to take Zoa for overnight gaming to help you with focus and concentration, this might be the best fit for you.
Let me tell you that it contains magnesium and potassium electrolytes that are helpful in cognitive functions. The key here is to maintain them without ingesting too much of them.
With Zoa, you get the approved dosage of both electrolytes that won’t adversely affect your health.
This drink might cause serious health problems if you’re under 18. You may want to look for other safer options with fewer chemicals and lower caffeine levels.
Is Zoa Good For You?
I personally don’t prefer drinks with a never-ending list of synthetic ingredients. Especially when the ingredients are chemicals and additives that can do more harm than good.
It’s worth noting that everything in this drink is present in larger dosages. For example, you get 250 mg of BCCAs and 160 mg of caffeine. Taking this much of both ingredients can make your brain foggy, your body tired, and cause anxiety.
Additionally, there are 3 grams of carbs, which is a kind of sugar, in sugar-free flavors of Zoa. The original flavors come with 23g of sugar and 24g of carbs, so it may lead to severe sugar crashes and increase the risk of diabetes.
Due to all these factors, prolonged use of this drink might not be good for your mental and physical health. You can look for other options on the market that come with less harmful ingredients.
Does Zoa Energy Drink Actually Work?
Considering all the high stimulation ingredients, it’s evident that Zoa Energy does more than it claims. Interestingly, this drink will be more beneficial to those who take energy drinks regularly.
But the question is whether or not people with low caffeine tolerance should have this drink?
In my opinion, it entirely depends on your personal preference and tolerance. Another important factor that you need to consider is the amount of beverage you take.
It’s worth noting that excessive consumption of anything can affect you negatively. Therefore, it’s important to consume Zoa in moderation.
Final Thoughts
You may not find any other energy drink packed with vitamins, caffeine, BCCAs, electrolytes, and carbs to this extent. Zoa is one of the drinks that come with high stimulation.
If you look at the sugar content, you get 23mg of added sugar. You should keep in mind that consistent and long-term use of this drink may cause headaches and cause you to crave more sugar.
The caffeine content of Zoa, which is 160mg, might work for eSports enthusiasts and athletes with high caffeine tolerance. But I wouldn’t recommend Zoa to teenagers or pregnant women.
Another downside to this drink is its chalky taste. The presence of too many vitamins in any drink is the main cause of this chalkiness.
You should try it yourself since it might work differently for you.
Alternatives
Apart from Zoa Energy, there are countless other options of energy drinks that you may find suitable to your taste. Some notable mentions include