Rockstar Energy, with 160mg of caffeine, 24g sugar, and 122 calories in every 16 ounces can, can provide a sizeable boost to almost anyone.
It is an even better fit for active lifestyles. But with its growing popularity and market shares, the questions raised concerning it are also increasing in number.
One such question is, “Is Rockstar gluten-free?”
And this is the question that we’ll be tackling in this article. I’ll also give you a ton of extra info as well, so be sure to stick around, okay?
For those of you who want a quick answer: Rockstar is indeed gluten-free.
But some of you may not be satisfied with just that, so allow me to elaborate.
Let’s begin…
Contents
Gluten: A Quick Overview
Gluten is a form of protein that is quite common in everyday foods like bread, pizza, pasta, etc. It is the reason behind the elasticity of the dough and the chewy texture of these foods.
Gluten is mostly found in grains like wheat, barley, and rye. It is also found in triticale, which is a cross between the two grains wheat and rye.
But why is gluten-containing food a cause for concern for some people?
It is because some individuals have certain illnesses or allergies that make it a hazard for them to ingest even a trace of gluten. Some examples of such conditions are:
- Celiac Disease
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity
- Wheat Allergy
This is why is it important for energy drinks such as Rockstar to be gluten-free so that even gluten-intolerant individuals can safely reap its benefits.
Now, let’s get into the ingredients in Rockstar…
Rockstar Energy Ingredients
A can of Rockstar energy contains the following ingredients:
- Carbonated Water
- Caffeine
- Sucrose (Sugar)
- Guarana Extract
- Ginseng Extract
- Inositol
- Niacin (Vitamin B3)
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin B12
- Citric Acid
- Erythritol
- Taurine
- Sodium Citrate (Acidity Regulator)
- Flavouring
- Sucralose and Acesulfame K as artificial sweeteners
- Glucuronolactone
- Caramel E150c and Riboflavin E101 as colors
Rockstar has a pretty standard list of ingredients for an energy drink, and all of these ingredients are either lab-made or are extracted from plants and herbs, and can therefore be considered gluten-free.
Rockstar Nutrition Facts
A 16 oz serving of Rockstar Energy drink has:
| Nutrients | Amount | Daily value |
| Energy | 122 Calories | 2000 calories |
| Carbohydrate | 26g | 225-325g |
| Sugar | 24g | 24-36g |
| Fat | 0g | 44-77g |
| Protein | 2.0g | 46-56g |
| Salt | 0.82g | 2300mg |
| Vitamin B3 (Niacin) | 16mg | 16mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 1.4mg | 1.3-1.9mg |
| Vitamin B12 | 2.5mcg | 2.4mcg |
Rockstar has enough Vitamins B3, B6, and B12 to fulfill your requirements for the day. It should also be noted that vitamins are gluten-free.
Vitamins And Extracts In Rockstar
Rockstar energy has three essential vitamins, but these are included in a lot of energy drinks. Apart from that, it also contains some natural extracts along with taurine and inositol.
Here’s a quick look at what each of the three vitamins does:
| Vitamins | Effects |
| Vitamin B3 | Helps in reducing blood pressure and blood fat levels and improves brain function, and more. |
| Vitamin B6 | Improves overall mood, reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and more. |
| Vitamin B12 | Helps with red blood cell formation, is good for bone health, and may also boost your energy by a little bit. |
Now let’s talk a bit about the extracts and some other important ingredients.
Guarana Extract
The guarana plant is native to Brazil and the Amazon Basin, and it has a ton of health benefits. According to Healthline, it is:
- Rich with antioxidants
- Similar to caffeine, it can reduce fatigue
- Is good for your heart, skin and digestive system
- It may even help you focus and learn better
Ginseng Extract
Ginseng is a herb that has been used in Asia for millennia. It has some of the following benefits:
- Could be good for increasing energy
- May be used to treat Erectile Dysfunction
- Can promote cogntive function
- Could lower your blood sugar levels
Taurine
Taurine is an amino acid that our bodies can produce by themselves and is important in many bodily functions. But ingesting it through external means can have some health benefits like:
- May improve athletic performance
- Could help prevent diabetes by improving insulin resistance
- May be good for heart health
- Could increase fat burn when working out
Inositol
Inositol is a carbohydrate found in the human body. Its supplements have been shown to have some of these benefits:
- Helps reduce anxeity
- Could improve blood-sugar control by improving your sensitivity to insulin
- Could promote fertility in women with PCOS
- Could reduce depression as well
Caffeine in Rockstar Energy
A 16 ounce can of Rockstar Energy has 160 milligrams of caffeine. Caffeine is a gluten-free ingredient and is either prepared in the lab or sourced from coffee plants.
This much caffeine is a bit high even among energy drinks, and caffeine-sensitive people shouldn’t ingest 160mg all at once.
Though the overall caffeine contents may be high, a can of Rockstar is also twice the size of a normal 8-ounce can. And Rockstar actually has the same i.e. 10 mg per ounce caffeine density as Red Bull.
So you can split a single Rockstar into two servings if you want. But whatever you do, keep in mind that 400 mg is the limit for caffeine consumption, set by the FDA.
Ingesting too much caffeine in a short span may have some side effects, which are:
So I would recommend that you keep your caffeine intake in check, and avoid drinking too many caffeinated beverages.
Calories In Rockstar
A single can of Rockstar has 122 calories in a 16-oz serving.
Calories by themselves neither have gluten nor are they free of it. It all depends on where they come from, which in this case is a gluten-free drink.
These calories can either be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your lifestyle and diet. Allow me to explain:
If you have a diet that doesn’t fulfill your calorific requirement, then the extra calories from Rockstar can help you with that
If you’re into heavy and intense workout sessions, then it can give some extra energy to burn through. A 150-pound person can burn around 140-295 calories with 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise.
On the flip side, if you’re someone who likes eating a lot, then you’re probably already getting more calories than you need, and a Rockstar would just push you over the limit.
Similarly, a person who leads a more sedentary lifestyle, or someone who is looking to lose weight will be better off without the extra calories.
When you consume more calories than you need, your body will store that extra energy in the form of fat, which is the cause of weight gain.
So I advise you guys to choose wisely, depending on which side of the spectrum you’re on.
At any rate, let’s move on to the sugar in Rockstar…
Sugar In Rockstar Energy
Rockstar Energy has a very high sugar content of 24 grams per serving.
The safe limits of sugar for men and women as set by the AHA are 36 and 24 respectively. So drinking even a single can of Rockstar can get you in trouble.
By trouble, I mean that it can cause you to eat way more sugar than you should because most of us eat a ton of sugar apart from energy drinks.
A problem that is caused by sugar is that at first, it gives you a rush of energy, but it takes it away just as soon in a sugar crash, leaving you feeling lethargic and lazy.
Ingesting too much sugar can have other side effects as well, and doing so over longer periods of time can have devastating long-term effects.
Hence it’s downright dangerous to drink more than a single can in a day of any sugary energy drink, including Rockstar. Even with one can you would have to limit your sugar intake from other sources a bit.
Thankfully for us, Rockstar also comes in a sugar-free version, so you can get all the benefits of a great energy drink without worrying about sugar.
Is Rockstar gluten-free?
Now that we have taken a look at the constitution of Rockstar energy we can finally answer the question we’re all here to get the answer to:
Is Rockstar gluten-free?
The answer is, Rockstar is indeed gluten-free and contains no such ingredients which would be a cause for concern for gluten-sensitive people.
Is Rockstar Vegan?
Since we’re on the topic of Rockstar being a fit for people of specific lifestyles, I thought I might as well talk a bit about this as well.
A vegan diet is one which restricts the consumption of any food items that have anything to do with animal protein.
Some examples of non-vegan food are:
- Meat (forgive me for being Captain Obvious)
- Fish
- Dairy items
- Eggs
So, is Rockstar vegan friendly?
Rockstar doesn’t have any animal-based ingredients so it is definitely a vegan energy drink.
One thing I’ve noticed is that some people think that Taurine is extracted from animals.
While it is certainly possible for that to happen, it’s highly unlikely that any company would bother doing it because preparing Taurine in the lab is more economical.
Is Rockstar a Safe Energy Drink?
Yes, and no. Rockstar is, like many other energy drinks, a beverage that is beneficial in moderate to low doses while being hazardous in larger doses.
So what I would recommend if you’re making Rockstar a part of your daily routine is that you drink the sugar-free version, and that you keep a close eye on your calorie and caffeine consumption.
As long as you can do that, provided that you don’t have any pre-existing medical condition like diabetes, then you can drink Rockstar daily with relative safety.
Rockstar’s Flavors and Other Variations
Rockstar offers a great variety of flavors and variations, which means that there’s a Rockstar for almost anyone. Probably.
Anyways, here’s a list of its different versions:
- Rockstar Energy Original
- Rockstar 2X Energy
- Rockstar Pure Zero Silver Ice
- Rockstar Recovery Grape
- Rockstar 32oz Can
- Rockstar Roasted Mocha
- Rockstar Sparkling Cherry Citrus
- Rockstar Sparkling Peach
- Rockstar Pure Zero Punched
- Rockstar Supersours Blueberry
- Rockstar Supersours Sour Apple
- Rockstar Pink
- Rockstar Recovery Orange
- Rockstar Recovery Lemonade
- Rockstar Punched
- Rockstar Punched Acai Berry
- Rockstar Juiced Pomegranate
- Rockstar Zero Carb
- Rockstar Juiced
- Rockstar Juiced Guava
- Rockstar Energy Cola
- Rockstar Sugar-free
- Rockstar Cucumber Lime
- Rockstar Frozen Lime
- Rockstar Horchata Energy
- Rockstar Ogranic Energy drink
- Rockstar Pina Colada
Now that is a huge lineup…
If you’re ever wondering where I got this huge list, check out this link.
Alternatives to Rockstar
If rockstar’s not the on for me, let me give you some alternatives:
Conclusion
To sum everything up, Rockstar is a gluten-free, vegan energy drink brand that has a substantial amount of caffeine, sugar, and calories to keep you energized for as long as possible.
Though I strictly advise you guys to avoid more than one can of Rockstar because it does have large amounts of the aforementioned ingredients or macronutrients.
But as long as you take care of your consumption, you can get all the benefits of a great energy drink with almost no side effects and absolutely zero gluten.
That is it for me today, if you like this article then you should consider reading more of my works.