Irn Bru is one of the oldest brands of energy drink, it was launched in 1901 in Scotland, and now it’s sold all over the world. Irn Bru is more like a carbonated soft drink than an energy drink, considering the ingredients of its recipe.
Irn Bru contains 106 mg of caffeine, 1320 mg of taurine, low content of sugar, and some essential vitamins per 330 ml of serving.
Irn Bru comes in two versions, No Sugar and Original. The original version of Irn Bru contains 36 g of sugar which is extremely high, however, no sugar version has less than 0.5 g of sugar so I would recommend this version to you.
In my opinion, the taurine content is high for a 330 ml serving, so consume Irn Bru in moderation.
Irn Bru comes in 32 flavors, but truth be told, it’s quite sweet for my tastebuds. Nonetheless, if you combine it with other flavors like lemonade or ginger ale, you’ll create your unique soda.
The ingredients present in Irn Bru are simple, yet health beneficial, so if you want to know more about them, keep on reading.
Let’s get started!
Contents
Nutritional Facts Of Irn Bru
To know a drink, you must check its nutritional facts as it tells you what the drink contains.
Check out the nutritional facts of Irn Bru below:
| Nutrients | Irn Bru No Sugar Energy 330 ml serving | Irn Bru No Sugar Energy 100 ml serving |
| Energy | 36 kJ | 11 kJ |
| Protein | 0.5 g | Less than 0.5 g |
| Fat | 0.5 g | Less than 0.5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 0.5 g | Less than 0.5 g |
| Sugar | 0.5 g | Less than 0.5 g |
| Caffeine | 106 mg | 32 mg |
| Sodium | 106 mg | 32 mg |
| Niacin (vitamin B3) | 15.8 mg | 4.8 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 1.4 mg | 0.42 mg |
| Vitamin B12 | 2. 5 μg | 0.75 μg |
| Taurine | 1320 mg | 400 mg |
Ingredients In Irn Bru
Ingredients are a crucial factor in creating a recipe, you must carefully select ingredients for your recipe because they determine if the food/beverage is healthy or not.
Here’s a list of ingredients that are present in Irn Bru:
- Carbonated Water.
- Sugar.
- Acid (Citric Acid).
- Flavorings (Including Caffeine, Ammonium Ferric Citrate & Quinine).
- Sweeteners (Aspartame, Acesulfame K).
- Preservative (E211).
- Colors (Sunset Yellow FCF, Ponceau 4R).
- Phenylalanine.
Check out the video below to know if Irn Bru can be your go-to energy drink or not.
Irn Bru includes ingredients that have benefits for human health, for instance, Phenylalanine. Phenylalanine plays a role in the production of the neurotransmitters which are essential and required for the proper performance of your brain and the nervous system.
Phenylalanine has several benefits, it helps in the creation of the pigment melanin, which provides color to the skin, hair, and eyes.
In addition, phenylalanine has been associated with triggering allergic reactions. Check out the symptoms listed below:
- Itching
- Swelling of the face or hands
- Trouble breathing
- Tingling feeling in the mouth
Besides, Phenylalanine can cause some side effects which include:
- Heartburn
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Constipation
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Anxiety and hypomania (which is a milder form of mania)
- Sedation
- Jitteriness
- Trouble sleeping
Moreover, when phenylalanine is consumed in high doses, it can cause nerve damage, so be responsible with food/beverages that contain phenylalanine.
Caffeine Content In Irn Bru
Caffeine is the most essential ingredient included in energy drinks, it’s used as an active ingredient. It stimulates the brain and the Central Nervous System which increases mental and physical performance and leads to productivity.
Irn Bru contains a moderate dose of caffeine, which is 106 mg per 330 ml. Even with such a moderate dose, Irn Bru can provide a healthy boost of energy without giving you jitters.
It’s a good thing that Irn Bru includes such a balanced dose of caffeine because excessive caffeine consumption can lead to side effects like:
- Restlessness and shakiness.
- Insomnia.
- Headaches.
- Dizziness.
- Fast heart rate.
- Dehydration.
- Anxiety.
- Dependency.
Furthermore, according to the FDA, healthy adults must limit their caffeine consumption to 400 mg per day. As you can see, the caffeine content of Irn Bru is within the recommended limits, thus you can go for two cans of Irn Bru in a day.
Irn Bru can also be consumed by caffeine-sensitive people, as such people are unable to process high doses of caffeine.
However, if you experience any of the side effects listed below, I suggest you pull the plug immediately.
- Racing heartbeat.
- Headache.
- Jitters.
- Nervousness or anxiousness.
- Restlessness.
- Insomnia.
There’s another beneficial factor about Irn Bru, because of its low caffeine content, it’s almost impossible to develop a dependency on caffeine.
Caffeine dependency may not sound horrifying, but it is. It makes you consume more and more caffeine every day, and when you fail to satisfy those cravings, you’ll experience adverse effects.
On the other hand, you’re more likely to experience these symptoms associated with caffeine withdrawal:
- Headache.
- Fatigue.
- Decreased energy/activeness.
- Decreased alertness.
- Drowsiness.
- Decreased contentedness.
- Depressed mood.
- Difficulty concentrating.
- Irritability.
- Feeling foggy/not clearheaded.
Even though, the contents of caffeine in Irn Bru are moderate, refrain from consuming no more than two cans, if you want to avoid any side effects.
Sugar Content In Irn Bru
Sugar can provide a burst of energy when consumed in moderation. Energy drinks usually include sugar in high contents, either to mask the bitterness of certain ingredients or to add another source of energy to the beverage.
Irn Bru No Sugar Energy includes 0.5 g of sugar in a 330 ml serving, which in my opinion is negligible. While the other version of Irn Bru contains 36 g of sugar which is an immoderate dose.
Irn Bru No Sugar Energy has the lowest content of sugar as compared to all the energy drinks out there, which gives us another reason to put Irn Bru in the “healthy energy drink” category.
It’s not a revelation that the human body does require a daily dose of sugar because a lack of sugar can cause low sugar levels which have their own side effects.
According to the AHA, women should have an intake of 25 g of sugar, while men should consume 36 g per day.
These recommended doses are given after months of research, so stick to that and try not to consume excessive sugar.
Researchers have associated excessive consumption of sugar with health complications which include:
- Headaches.
- Irritability.
- Fatigue and difficulty concentrating.
- Feeling jittery or anxious.
- Feeling shaky or dizzy.
- Hunger.
- Bloating.
- Higher blood pressure.
- Inflammation.
- Weight gain.
- Diabetes.
- Fatty liver disease.
- Increased risk for heart attack and stroke.
Fortunately, it’s impossible to get sugar overdosed from Irn Bru as it includes such low content of sugar. However, don’t go overboard with its consumption because there’re other ingredients besides sugar that can cause similar complications.
Taurine In Irn Bru
Taurine is an amino acid that can naturally be found in seafood and meat. Researchers say that taurine can provide several benefits to human health, however, people sometimes don’t consume taurine as much as they should.
The typical American diet provides 123–178 mg of taurine daily, while research suggests consuming up to 3,000 mg of taurine per day in order to benefit from it.
A 330 ml serving of Irn Bru contains 1320 mg of taurine which is moderate, considering that the recommended limit is 3,000 mg.
Here’s a list of benefits that are associated with moderate taurine consumption:
- Supports the metabolism.
- Boosts physical performance.
- Protects the musculoskeletal system.
- Keeps the eyes and eyes healthy.
- Decreases the risk of heart disease.
- Improves cognitive functions.
Alternatives To Irn Bru
Irn Bru may not be everyone’s preference as most people like caffeine-jacked energy drinks because they have a high tolerance to caffeine.
Thus, check out the list of alternatives below:
Conclusion
- Irn Bru contains 106 mg of caffeine with 1320 mg of taurine
- The sugar and calorie contents are lower than average which means they can be consumed by people with strict diets.
- Irn Bru comes in 32 flavors and every one of them has all the essential vitamins.
- Furthermore, Irn bru comes in cans as well as in bottles with different serving sizes.
- Moreover, Irn Bru includes phenylalanine which can trigger some allergic reactions, however, it can also be beneficial for your health.
- If you find Irn Bru sweet, just combine it with ginger ale and then thank me later.
- The caffeine content is low, which means you can go for two cans of Irn Bru per day.
- Taurine is present in high doses in Irn bru, but the recommended limit is much higher.
- Whether it’s a caffeine-jacked energy drink or Irn Bru, keep their consumption in moderation if you want to stay healthy.