Do energy drink boosts memory performance?

New research suggests the Red Bull energy drink can temporarily boost some aspects of cognition. 

The study demonstrated that Red Bull improved not only the ability to store and retrieve information in short and long term memory but also the speed with which information can be retrieved. This was not seen with the sugar-free version, or the taste matched placebo drink. These effects occurred in healthy young volunteers for information learned 30 to 90 minutes after the drink. The size of the benefit was ‘clinically relevant’.

So, do energy drinks actually work on improving memory?

The main component of most energy drinks is caffeine. The Australian New Zealand Food Standards Code restricts the maximum amount of caffeine in an energy drink to 32 mg per 100 mL. In the United States, however, energy drinks are classed as dietary supplements, and are thus, not required to meet the Food and Drug Association limit of 20 mg of caffeine per 100 mL. A shot of 5-hour Energy, for example, can contain up to 350 mg of caffeine per 100 mL of energy drink, which is approximately equivalent to the caffeine content of 5 cups of coffee.

In addition to caffeine, most energy drinks also contain guarana. Guarana is a native South American plant, which contains a caffeine compound called guaranine. Each gram of guarana can contain 40-80 mg of caffeine (with a potentially longer half-life), thus, elevating the stated level of caffeine in energy drinks.

Although not all studies showed positive effects on psychomotor function, the good news it that there is evidence that, in small amounts, energy drinks decrease reaction time, increase subjective alertness, and improve memory and concentration in young adults. In partially sleep-deprived healthy volunteers, one energy shot was enough to maintain these effects for up to 6 hours.