Bang Energy is among the most popular energy drink brands in the US and undeniably packs a punch with its elevated caffeine content.
You may be tempted to try Bang but if you follow a gluten-free diet, you want to be certain that Bang is gluten-free as well.
So this begs the important question: Is Bang Energy gluten-free?
Here’s the brief answer: Only Bang Energy‘s reformulated version is certified gluten-free. Make sure you check Bang’s label before making a purchase to be sure you’re drinking the gluten-free version and not the older formulation.
Read on for a deep-dive on the ingredients of Bang Energy, the differences between the reformulated and original versions, and a list of other gluten-free brands you can try too.
Let’s start!
Contents
What Is Gluten And Why Is It Bad For Some People?
Gluten is a family of proteins that are found naturally in specific cereal grains like wheat, barley, and rye. Though, it’s more common to find gluten in wheat.
Gluten is basically the main ingredient that gives many gluten-containing and grain-based foods a soft and chewy texture.
Gluten also provides plenty of culinary benefits, often being used as an additive to improve texture and moisture retention in processed foods.
Gluten is safe for consumption for almost everyone with the exception of people with certain medical conditions that don’t permit the consumption of any gluten:
Celiac disease
This is essentially a severe form of gluten intolerance and a type of autoimmune disorder. Celiac disease causes the immune system to treat gluten as a foreign invader, attacking it, and consequently the lining of the gut too.
A few common symptoms of celiac disease are:
- Digestive discomfort
- Bloating
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Headache
- Skin rashes
Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity is a condition in which your body still reacts negatively to gluten despite testing negative for celiac disease.
Common symptoms of this condition include:
- Diarrhea
- Tiredness
- Bloating
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a medical condition whereby your digestive system is more sensitive to certain food and drink products that cause bloating and discomfort.
Although it’s a chronic condition, it’s still manageable with the right diet, proper stress management, and lifestyle changes.
Wheat Allergy
Unlike celiac disease, wheat allergy is an allergy to only wheat. You can still consume non-wheat sources like barley and rye as long as you avoid any products that contain wheat.
But, most people with wheat allergies end up following a gluten-free diet since wheat and other gluten-containing products are closely related.
You can also experience a gluten intolerance without having the aforementioned medical conditions. Depending on the individual, the symptoms of gluten intolerance can develop differently.
Common symptoms of gluten intolerance include:
- Bloating
- Abdominal pain
- Constipation
- Rash
- Eczema
- Fatigue
- Weight loss
Some people might not develop any physical symptoms at all. However, if you do experience negative changes without an apparent cause, you should consult a doctor or try eliminating gluten from your overall diet temporarily to see if it changes anything.
Can people with celiac disease drink energy drinks?
Some energy drinks are not safe for people who have celiac disease. Some energy drinks contain gluten, artificial sweeteners, and caffeine, all of which can cause a celiac disease flare-up.
People with celiac disease may experience symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, and fatigue after consuming energy drinks. In severe cases, celiac disease can lead to malnutrition and dehydration. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease of the gastrointestinal tract. Gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye, causes celiac disease.
What drinks to avoid if you have celiac disease?
Celiac disease patients must avoid numerous drinks because even trace amounts of gluten can trigger a reaction. This includes Beer, ale, lager, malt drinks, and any drink containing malt flavoring or malt extract are examples.
Instead, Celiac patients can drink water, seltzer water, unsweetened tea, or unsweetened coffee as alternatives for energy drinks.
Can people with celiac disease drink energy drinks?
Energy drinks are not safe for people who have celiac disease. Energy drinks contain gluten, artificial sweeteners, and caffeine, all of which can cause a celiac disease flare-up. Energy drinks can cause a flare-up of celiac disease.
People with celiac disease may experience symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, and fatigue after consuming energy drinks. In severe cases, celiac disease can lead to malnutrition and dehydration. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease of the gastrointestinal tract. Gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye, causes celiac disease.
What Exactly Does Gluten-Free Mean?
Now that you know what gluten is and how it may negatively affect some people, let’s take a look at what gluten-free really means.
You can easily find plenty of gluten-free products in supermarkets, stores, and local marts.
Gluten-free products usually have labels on them informing you that they’re certified gluten-free, though, for manufacturers, the use of these labels is voluntary. Hence, there might be products that are actually gluten-free but don’t have the labels to show that they are.
According to the FDA, food and drink products that contain less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten can carry the labels:
- Gluten-free
- No gluten
- Free of gluten
- Without gluten
Aside from having less than 20ppm, any product is permitted to be labelled ‘gluten-free’ if it doesn’t contain:
- An ingredient that’s any kind of wheat, rye, barley, or crossbreeds of these grains.
- An ingredient derived from these grains that haven’t been processed to remove gluten.
- An ingredient derived from these grains which have undergone a process to remove gluten, yet still results in the product containing more than 20ppm of gluten.
Of course, processed gluten-free foods and drinks aren’t the only items you can add to your gluten-free diet. There are natural and unprocessed foods that are gluten-free and shouldn’t cause any problems to you such as:
- Meat
- Fish
- Eggs
- Fruits and vegetables
- Starches and flour
- Nuts and seeds
- Beverages (except for beer, unless it’s labelled gluten-free)
What Is Bang Energy Drink?
Bang Energy Drink is a sports supplement and performance beverage made by Vital Pharmaceuticals, a corporation based in Florida.
With its tagline ‘Fuel Your Destiny’, Bang Energy is packed with an abundant amount of caffeine, amino acids, minerals, and the company’s own patented ingredient, Super Creatine.
Bang Energy comes in 16 fl.oz can and has a wide variety of flavors. The brand is also currently the third highest-selling energy drink in the US, behind competitors Monster and Red Bull, which is really quite the achievement.
Bang energy drink is mainly marketed at athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and people who want to lose weight.
If you want to know more about Bang and whether it actually works, take a look at this other article that I wrote where I explain everything.
Bang Energy Drink Nutrition Facts
| Standard Values | Bang (16 fl.oz) |
| Energy | 0 calories |
| Fat (Of which saturated) | 0g (0g) |
| Carbohydrates (of which sugars) | 0g (0g) |
| Caffeine | 300mg |
| Sodium | 40mg |
| Protein | 0g |
| Calcium | 5mg |
| Magnesium | 5mg |
| Vitamin C | 27mg |
| Vitamin B3 | 5mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.5mg |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.5μg |
Bang Energy Drink Ingredients
Each 16 fl.oz can of Bang Energy contains:
- Carbonated water
- Citric acid anhydrous
- Natural flavors
- Malic acid
- Caffeine anhydrous
- EAAs (L-leucine, L-isoleucine, L-valine, L-lysine, L-threonine, L-phenylalanine, L-histidine, L-methionine, L-tryptophan)
- Sodium Benzoate
- Potassium citrate monohydrate
- Sucralose
- Potassium phosphate dibasic
- Potassium sorbate
- Magnesium chloride
- Vitamin C
- SUPER CREATINE® (Creatyl-L-Leucine)
- Calcium chloride
- Calcium disodium EDTA
- vitamin B3 (niacinamide)
- CoQ10 (coenzyme Q10)
- vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride)
- vitamin B12 (methylcobalamin)
Is Malic Acid Gluten-Free?
Malic acid is indeed gluten-free as it comes from fruits and doesn’t contain any wheat grains.
Malic acid is a naturally-occurring substance in apples and pears. It’s an ingredient that can be found in many skin care products due to its benefits in reducing skin aging and removing dead skin cells.
Malic acid can also enhance exercise performance when taken in supplement form. It’s often taken with creatine supplements as it aids and increases the body’s ability to absorb creatine.
Since Bang Energy seems to contain so called “Super Creatine”, it makes sense that malic acid is also added to improve your body’s efficiency in absorbing this ingredient.
Malic acid can also be found in other natural sources like blackberries, cherries, grapes, peaches, and certain citrus fruits. In food products, malic acid is used to prevent discoloration and improve the flavor or acidity of foods.
Is Sodium Benzoate Gluten-Free?
Sodium benzoate is completely gluten-free, as its manufacturing process doesn’t include raw materials that contain gluten.
Sodium benzoate is a preservative and food additive that’s found in many processed foods and beverages, medications, and certain cosmetics. Its main function is to extend these products’ shelf life and it’s especially effective for acidic food.
Is Super Creatine Gluten-Free?
Super Creatine is most probably gluten-free. On top of that, there are only traces of super creatine present in Bang Energy drinks so it’s unlikely to cause any negative reactions, in my opinion.
Of course, it’s always best to seek advice from your doctor before deciding to consume creatine supplements or drink energy drinks with creatine in them, such as Bang.
But for discussion sake, let’s take a quick look of what Super Creatine is.
Basically, Super Creatine is a proprietary ingredient that is patented by Vital Pharmaceuticals (VPX) and is touted as the ‘world’s first water-stable creatine’.
Among athletes, bodybuilders, and fitness enthusiasts, creatine is a popular supplement that improves physical performance, increases strength, and promotes muscle growth.
Meanwhile, Super Creatine is supposedly creatine that’s bonded with L-Leucine, a type of amino acid that contributes to protein development in your body.
However, VPX has been on the wrong end of at least one lawsuit from Thermolife International, LLC due to the false advertising of Super Creatine to the general public. Thermolife’s complaint stated that Super Creatine isn’t actually creatine at all, but a covalently bonded creatine dipeptide instead.
The lawsuit also mentioned studies that were conducted to explore the stability and toxicology of Super Creatine; which apparently discovered that Super Creatine doesn’t break down into creatine once ingested, as advertised, but rather it breaks down into creatinine, a useless substance.
Creatinine is a waste product that’s created from the wear and tear of your muscles and is filtered out of your body through your kidneys.
Regarding whether Super Creatine is a real ingredient or not, that’s probably something we’ll never really know. In my opinion, Super Creatine is probably just a bit of marketing fluff to help make Bang Energy distinguishable from the other brands.
I’m sure lots of people fall for it.
Is Calcium Chloride Gluten-Free?
Calcium chloride is definitely gluten-free as it’s a mineral that’s derived from the salt family of elements and comes in the form of a white, odorless powder.
A few of its uses include preserving dryness in processed foods and preventing them from spoiling. It also helps remove dissolved water in liquids.
Are B Vitamins In Bang Gluten-Free?
The B vitamins in Bang are most likely gluten-free as they’re produced synthetically.
Gluten-free products tend to be low in calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, B vitamins, and other elements. Thus, if you happen to follow a gluten-free diet, there’s a high chance that you may have a deficiency in these particular vitamins and minerals.
Looking at the ingredients of Bang Energy, it’s obvious that Bang contains plenty of these vitamins and minerals. Although it’s not wise for you to drink Bang as your sole source to obtain these vitamins, it’s not entirely bad that they’re present either, especially if you’re on a gluten-free diet.
Is Bang Energy Gluten-Free?
From what we have gone through so far, the ingredients in Bang Energy don’t seem to contain any traces of wheat, barley, rye, or any other type of grains so we can safely assume that they’re gluten-free.
However, based on Bang’s official website, only the reformulated Bang Energy drinks have been tested and verified as gluten-free.
Bang Energy Drink cans that have ‘BCAA Aminos’ printed on them instead of ‘EAA Aminos’ may not be gluten-free.
In other words, only the reformulated version of Bang Energy with ‘EAA Aminos’ is certified gluten-free.
So, if you’re following a strict gluten-free diet and love Bang Energy drinks, make sure that your Bang Energy cans have ‘EAA Aminos’ printed on them before making your purchase.
What Energy Drinks Are Gluten-Free?
If Bang Energy doesn’t tickle your fancy, why not try these other energy drinks that are not only certified gluten-free but also tasty and effective:
- Mountain Dew Amp
- NOS
- Monster
- Red Bull
- Rockstar
- Full Throttle
- Reign
- Raze
- Celsius Energy
- 3D Energy
Final Word
In short, only the reformulated version of Bang Energy is certified gluten-free as stated by the official Bang website.
If you’re still skeptical about Bang Energy, you can always go for other energy drink brands instead.
I hope this article was helpful and informative, enjoy your day and your Bang!