Type Energy shot Country of origin United States Website 5hourenergy.com | Manufacturer Living Essentials Introduced 2001 | |
5-hour Energy (stylized as 5-hour ENERGY) is an American made "energy shot" manufactured by Living Essentials LLC. The company was founded by CEO Manoj Bhargava and launched in 2003. The company has been found guilty of deceptive advertising, including claims that doctors recommended their products.
Contents
Ingredients
The official website lists the active ingredients of 5-hour Energy as: vitamin B6, folic acid, vitamin B12, sodium, taurine, glucuronolactone, malic acid and N-Acetyl L-tyrosine, L-phenylalanine, caffeine, and citicoline. The product is not U.S Food and Drug Administration approved and contains no sugar or herbal stimulants. According to an article in Consumer Reports, 5-hour Energy should be avoided by children under the age of 12 and as well as nursing or pregnant women.
History
In 2003 Manoj Bhargava's company, Living Essentials LLC, launched a product called "5-Hour Energy". By 2012, retail sales had grown to an estimated $1 billion.
A March 2011 article in Consumer Reports reported that, according to a lab test, the caffeine content of 5-Hour Energy was 207 mg. (It is not clear whether the "Original" or "Extra Strength" product was tested.) The maker claims the product "contains caffeine comparable to a cup of the leading premium coffee". The directions on the 5-Hour bottle recommend taking half of the contents (103 mg of caffeine) for regular use, and the whole bottle for extra energy. A regular cup of coffee has less than 100 mg/250 ml cup.
In 2012, Forbes magazine commissioned an independent lab to analyze the contents within full bottles of 5-Hour Energy. The findings showed that the regular strength 5-Hour Energy contained 157 mg of caffeine, whereas the Extra Strength version had a caffeine content of 206 mg.
In December 2012, Consumer Reports published an article on 27 energy drinks including 5-hour Energy, which compared the caffeine content of the 27 drinks. Caffeine levels in 5-hour Energy are: Decaf (6 mg), Original (215 mg), and Extra Strength (242 mg). The publication also reviewed a double blind study and reported that "5-Hour Energy will probably chase away grogginess at least as well as a cup of coffee" and that "little if any research" indicated that amino acids and B vitamins would result in a difference in energy level.
Legal issues
The company was found guilty of violating the Consumer Protection Act in Washington state in 2017 and ordered to pay $4.3 million. The violations included stating that doctors recommended the product, that the product was superior to coffee, and that the decaffeinated product provided long lasting energy and alertness.
A 2014 article in the New York Times article reported that 5-hour Energy was lobbying state attorney generals in 30 states after being investigated for deceptive advertising. A 2015 report by the Center for Public Integrity (CPI) said that the attorney general offices in five US states had filed cases against Bhargava’s 5-Hour Energy company for "deceptive marketing practices" and that additional class-action lawsuits were pending in seven states.
In 2012, the media reported that the FDA was investigating allegations that Bhargava's 5-Hour Energy product was "potentially linked" to the deaths of 20 of its consumers.
A lawsuit against Living Essentials, the manufacturer of 5-hour Energy, was filed in 2010, alleging health hazards and deceptive labeling. The case was voluntarily dismissed in December 2011.