Many brands have come and gone over the years. It’s no different for energy drinks than it is for restaurants. Anyone can tell that it takes a lot to stay relevant for more than a few years.
NOS has been around for quite a while now, and It’s seen many changes and competitors come and go just like we have and stayed strong through everything.
But is it really good? Does it measure up when compared to other brands on the market now?
It’s a good drink in the morning and gives you that added boost I would give it an 8 out of 10 for both flavor and potency.
But take note, NOS Energy contains high amounts of calories and sugar. If you’re diagnosed with any heart problem or would like to cut down on your sugar intake, it’s best to find another “healthier” alternative to pair with your diet.
For a deeper dive into NOS ENergy and my personal thoughts on it, read on to find out.
Contents
What is NOS Energy?
For starters, NOS is an energy drink by Monster Beverage in the U.S. It was first introduced in 2005 under the same name, which was licensed by the company that also manufactures the Nitrous Oxide Systems, a brand of a car engine.
Two years later, the parent company was bought by the Coca-Cola company. Consequently, the NOS Energy brand was transferred to Monster Beverage together with Coca-Cola’s other variants of energy drinks.
NOS is known for two things: for being a high-performance energy drink and an avid supporter of motorsports. Until today, NOS has a whole team of professional drivers representing them at events and helping them put the brand name out there.
You can visit their official Youtube page for their incredible content.
Calories in NOS Energy Drink
A 16 fl. oz can of NOS has 210 calories. That’s a lot, but not unusual for an energy drink. That’s because energy drinks are like soft drinks in that they normally have more than 150 calories per can.
Drinking too much of NOS Energy in day will certainly add more to your weight and could bring health issues when consumed irresponsibly.
That said, it’s worth mentioning that the recommended calorie intake is 2000 a day. So, the amount of calories in a single can of NOS won’t be a problem if you’re following a strict diet.
Make sure to burn all the extra calories by exercising and watching what you eat.
Caffeine Content in NOS Energy Drink
NOS has 160mg of caffeine per can. That’s an average of 10mg per 1 fl.oz.
The recommended caffeine consumption limit is 400mg per day. Taking that into consideration, NOS is definitely leaning towards being on the higher side of caffeinated drinks but still within acceptable levels.
Managing how much caffeine you put in your body is important because like everything else, it can jeopardize your health if taken in excess.
When taken in moderation, however, caffeine from a cup of coffee or an energy drink can be a good alerting agent.
Caffeine works by blocking adenosine, a sleep-promoting hormone. It can also speed up your reaction time and cognitive abilities while it’s active in your bloodstream.
However, blocking adenosine can have the unwanted effect of disrupting your circadian rhythm (sleep cycle). It can also raise heart rate and blood pressure. Both are things that could be bad for people with health complications and circulatory illnesses.
Other side effects of too much caffeine include sleep deprivation, insomnia, and dehydration.
For reference, the side effects of sleep deprivation are:
- Memory issues
- Trouble concentrating
- Moodiness
- Slow reaction time
- Weakened immune system
- Weight gain
Meanwhile, dehydration can also cause unusual reactions such as:
- Dizziness
- Dehydration
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Palpitations
- Dark yellow urine
- Not urinating at all
For students and young professionals who need to stay alert all day, having NOS Energy could be of great help. You can have it in two parts, one in the morning and the rest in the afternoon. Doing this will give you a leeway for other food and drinks that you want to have during the day.
Sugar Content in NOS Energy Drink
NOS has 54g of sugar per can, making it high in sugar.
To put that into perspective, the ideal sugar intake is 25g a day for women and 36g daily for men. Therefore, a can of NOS is more than the recommended sugar intake per day.
Now, extra sugar from time to time isn’t bad. The easiest way to avoid side effects is by eating right. Try to do minimal exercises to burn the calories. You can always include a healthy diet and exercise in your overall lifestyle and get the best results in no time!
If you’re not careful, you’ll end up at greater risk of contracting type-2 diabetes. It probably won’t happen right away, but it’s possible that you can be diagnosed even at a young age.
Type-2 Diabetes
What exactly is Type-2 diabetes?
Type-2 is usually seen in people above age 45, though it’s not impossible for it to happen earlier. While Type 1 diabetes occurs in adolescents in children because of an issue with the immune system.
Being diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes also has a number of risk factors, including family history and lifestyle (yup, that includes diet).
Energy drinks can also cause insulin resistance. If you’re diagnosed and have been taking medications, it might be best to avoid drinking energy or highly caffeinated drinks.
Because of that, I’d recommend only drinking NOS when you only need to.
Artificial Sweeteners in NOS Energy Drink
The artificial sweeteners in NOS are High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and sucralose (Splenda). Together with sugar, these two are what give NOS its flavor.
Artificial sweeteners are known for providing flavor to food and drinks without adding to caloric content or adding very little if they do.
Splenda is also known for being up to 600 times sweeter in sugar, which is why it’s popular with diabetics.
Aside from coffee, you can add Splenda in your juice drinks, or any beverage that needs a little sweetening.
But no worries, both of them have been declared safe by the FDA.
Here’s where it gets tricky: on one hand, there have been studies on how sucralose can possibly hamper the balance of your gut bacteria. But those have also been inconclusive so far, just like the studies that suggest sucralose might be linked to other health problems.
On the other hand, we know HFCS can increase your risk of fatty liver disease. This is because processing HFCS causes more fat to accumulate in your liver, gives your liver a harder time functioning well.
Does this mean that you should avoid artificial sweeteners?
Most of the aforementioned health problems something you can experience when you have too many artificial ingredients. You’ll be fine as long as you’re careful to not eat or drink too much of anything with a lot of those. NOS included.
How Long Does It Take For NOS Energy to Work?
NOS usually kicks in about 10 minutes — the same amount of time caffeine needs to kick in.
However, depending on the sugar level some flavors might take a little longer to kick in than others. Your body’s tolerance for coffee, sugar and the other substances in NOS could also affect its potency.
Just like coffee, NOS stays for a few hours before the boost wears off. In my case, it lasted for about 4-5 hours per can.
This also means you can expect the caffeine to stay a while. It’ll need a few hours to reach its half-life when the level of caffeine in your bloodstream is half of what it used to be.
So if caffeine needs 6 hours after consumption to reach half-life, then drinking NOS at 5 pm would make it difficult for you to sleep at night.
Take this into consideration when you want to have NOS or any caffeinated drink, for that matter.
How long does NOS drink last?
In most cases, the effects of a NOS energy drink will continue for three to five hours. It’s also important to consider the size of the drink. When compared to consuming a larger can, the effects of a smaller can will likely wear off faster.
Yet, there are several variables at play, such as how much you drink, how quickly you guzzle it, and what you do whilst drinking. Even more so if you combine your NOS energy drink with alcohol and then wait a while for the effects to wear off.
NOS Energy Drink Flavors
NOS has six flavors you can try. All of them come in 16 fl.oz cans, but only the original flavor can be bought as a 24 fl.oz can right now.
This includes flavors such as:
- GT Grape
- Nitro Mango
- Sonic Sour
- Power Punch
- Turbo
If you’re curious about how any of them taste like, watch this video of CaffeineMan. He provides feedback on NOS energy and other interesting facts that you might want to know.
For those who would like to try NOS for the first time, CaffeineMan recommends going for the Mango Flavor, which he gave the highest score of 8.8.
He also gives a quick background on the drink’s history, if you happen to be curious about that.
Is NOS better than Red Bull?
In terms of practicality, NOS is functionally equivalent to typical energy drinks like Red Bull in offering a burst of energy. Hence, you may confidently use NOS if you need to pull an all-nighter or for some extra power during the day.
However, NOS has high levels of calories and sugar, which may have some undesirable consequences on health. Daily consumption, or the consumption of two or more cans, may put you at risk for a caffeine overdose and diabetes.
Where Can I Buy NOS Energy Drink?
NOS can be purchased using the store locator found on the official website. It only caters those living in the US. If you’re living abroad and would like to try out NOS Energy, you can send them an email or find a reseller online.
Besides that, there are many shopping sites both dedicated to food and otherwise, that sell it. That includes Amazon if you’re willing to pay for shipping fees and the like. Still, even there a lot of sellers don’t ship outside of the US.
According to Amazon, a dozen pack of 16 fl.oz cans costs AROUND $41.00, which gives you $3.49 per can. Do note that the prices can vary between sellers and websites though. It can also get more expensive if you need to pay shipping fees.
Final Verdict
NOS is an average energy drink. It tastes great and has everything, including a lot of calories, which can be a big consideration for the health-conscious. It also has a lot more sugar than what most people can safely consume in a day.
Combine that with its high caffeine content, and you get an energy drink that can give you a fast-acting boost that lasts for hours. Just be careful not to consume it too close to bedtime.
Its high caffeine and sugar content might also make it unsafe to consume for people who are sensitive to those suffering from heart problems since drinking an energy drink like NOS can complicate your symptoms.
It’s also harder to buy than most energy drinks on the market. Buyers outside of the States might have a difficult time finding the right store. It can also be a little bit too pricey for those living outside of the States.
In summary, it’s great at what it’s meant to do. I’d definitely recommend buying it for those all-nighters. Just remember to not overdo it.