I stopped having a Celsius drink every day. Why? Let me explain…

When my husband brought home a Celsius drink for me to try, I fell in love with the taste and the way it made me feel—at first. I got a boost of energy, and the taste was delicious, like a treat. For about two weeks, I drank one most every day—sometimes in place of my afternoon snack because I wasn’t hungry when I drank it.

When something becomes a habit, I start to ask questions. I wondered if Celsius Fitness Drinks was really as healthy as it claimed. It seemed too good to be true.

Celsius boasts benefits such as:

• Containing essential energy and vitamins
• Accelerating metabolism, and
• Burning body fat

My husband joked—maybe this is the next thing to cause cancer down the line like cigarettes and soda. I started doing research on the claims and paying attention to how I felt after drinking them.

My experience drinking Celsius & why I stopped

Quick internet searches warned consumers about the caffeine. Indeed, Celsius does have a lot of caffeine but on days when I need to wake early to run, the caffeine was welcomed.

However, it is the amount of caffeine plus the other ingredients that makes Celsius potentially harmful. And it explained why I started to feel jittery, have heart palpitations, a twitching eye, and trouble sleeping.

Related: 9 Running Hacks to Run Faster

I wanted to delve deeper and share what I learned because Celsius is everywhere. From the smoothie shop to the grocery store to the hands of fellow moms and my kids’ teachers, there is a Celsius craze happening in America. And I want consumers to be informed.

Along with my research, I reached out to registered sports nutritionists Megan Robinson and Amy Stephens, and former supplement research analyst and founder of Previnex David Block for their take. Robinson and Block do not recommend drinking Celsius—and really warn against teens and children drinking it. Stephens says athletes can use it to boost performance in important competitions.

(Btw, save 15% on Previnex supplements with code TMR15. Anyone who reads my content knows I am a big fan of their products!).

In this article, I delve into:

• What’s in Celsius
• Is Celsius good for you? A look at the health claims like does Celsius burn fat?
• Can you drink a Celsius a day?
• What are potential side effects of drinking too much Celsius?
• Why was Celsius sued? And why is Celsius banned?
• How much caffeine does Celsius have? And is it too much?
  

• And, key Celsius takeaways.

So, let’s go!

What is the Celsius drink?

Celsius fitness drinks are a low-calorie thermogenic energy drink which means its ingredients may help burn fat by raising body temperature a half a degree to burn additional calories at rest and during exercise.

Celsius contains caffeine and other stimulants aimed at increasing energy and accelerating metabolism. It also contains vitamins, minerals, and the natural sweetener sucralose. It comes in a variety of flavors and tastes like flavored carbonated water.

There are different versions of Celsius marketed for different aims like Celsius Heat with a whopping 300 mg of caffeine. Celsius Heat is meant to be a pre-workout drink.

What is in Celsius?

Celsius contains several active ingredients meant to increase energy in what the Celsius company calls its “MetaPlus Proprietary Blend” plus vitamins and minerals.

The dosage of stimulants is high alone and really high when put together. Conversely, the amount of vitamins and minerals is too low to have any positive health impact, according to Block.

Specifically, here is what’s in Celsius, and why some of these ingredients should not be something we put into our bodies, according to Block:

Caffeine:

• A central nervous system stimulant. Celsius has 200 mg of caffeine which is equivalent to two cups of coffee.

Taurine:

• An amino acid that can have stimulating effects on the brain, though no medical studies show it increases energy. There are medical data that taurine coupled with caffeine poses risks to adolescent brains. Children and teens should NOT drink taurine.

Glucuronolactone:

• A naturally occurring chemical that is purported to increase energy, but no solid evidence supports this. Instead, research shows when used in combination with caffeine it can cause negative changes to blood pressure and insulin sensitivity.

Guarana:

• A plant found in the Amazon that is a stimulant and contains caffeine. It can be harmful when taken in large doses. The amount of guarana in Celsius is not listed. One study found that guarana provided additional stimulation beyond caffeine alone when combined with caffeine.

Green tea leaf extract:

• A plant that can also be a stimulant. It has potential benefits for things like fighting cancer and burning fat. However, this ingredient is also linked to liver injury when taken in high doses. Again, the amount of this ingredient is not listed on Celsius.

Ginger extract:

• Another plant shown to increase energy. However, the dosage to do this is higher than what is in Celsius.

Sucralose:

• An artificial sweetener that Block recommends avoiding. A medical review found that it is associated with high blood pressure and insulin sensitivity.

Citric acid:

• A derivative from citrus fruit and is commonly used as a preservative. Citric acid is linked to whole body inflammation.

Natural flavors:

• These sound innocent enough but these chemical flavorings could potentially pose toxicity concerns.

Vitamins and minerals:

• The nine vitamins and minerals like biotin and chromium are essentially putting lipstick in a pig. They look beneficial, but Block says the amounts are not substantial enough to have any sort of benefit for consumers. Likely, it’s a marketing gimmick to get a leg up on competitors like Red Bull or Monster.

Plus, as I detail here, the benefits of vitamins and minerals are directly related to their sourcing—and we don’t know where Celsius gets their ingredients and if they are pure or potentially contaminated with things like heavy metals.

Is drinking Celsius good for you? A look at its health claims

• Does Celsius boost energy? Yes, with 200 mg of caffeine and other stimulants, Celsius does provide an energy boost. It’s caffeine can also be linked to improve running performance.
• Does Celsius boost metabolism? Celsius claims that when drinking their energy drink before exercise, it accelerates metabolism. There is evidence to support that Celsius may boost metabolism up to 100 extra calories a day burned. However, the lasting effects have not been studied. The metabolic rate may change after prolonged use, for example.
• Does Celsius burn fat? There is conflicting evidence that drinking Celsius before exercise may burn fat. There is also evidence that the habitual drinking of energy drinks like Celsius are linked to unhealthy weight loss attempts and poor body image.

Related: How to Know if a Supplement is Good Quality?

Why was Celsius sued?

The Celsius lawsuit was over citric acid. Celsius energy drink brand was sued in November of 2022 over its use of citric acid. As noted, citric acid is used as a preservative yet Celsius claims it uses “no preservatives” on their label. Celsius argued it uses citric acid for flavoring—yet still settled the lawsuit.

Why is Celsius not FDA approved?

Celsius is not FDA approved due to its use of guarana which is not FDA approved. There could be more caffeine in a Celsius can than 200 mg due to the use of guarana. What’s more, drinking Celsius could lead to positive drug tests due to its inclusion of amino acids which mimic certain drugs.

Are Celsius drinks getting banned?

Celsius drinks are banned by the NCAA and other athletic bodies due to its stimulating ingredients, ginseng, guarana, and taurine. These ingredients are not only considered banned by the NCAA but also the National Olympic committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Related: The Top 12 Supplements for Runners

Does Celsius have a lot of caffeine?

Yes, Celsius does have a lot of caffeine including more than energy drink competitors Monster energy drink and Red Bull.

The CDC warns against regularly drinking high caffeinated beverages like Celsius due to health issues such as heart complications. The FDA has also warned against drinking highly concentrated caffeinated beverages.

Related: Can Taking Collagen Prevent Injuries?

For this reason, it is not recommended that you drink Celsius daily.

Here are the caffeine amounts in popular caffeinated beverages:

• Celsius: 200 mg
• Red Bull: 111 mg
• Monster: 86 mg
• CocaCola: 34 mg
• Coffee: 80 mg
• Baya: 150 mg
• Bang: 300 mg

Is Celsius OK to drink every day?

No. You should not drink Celsius every day due to its high caffeine content and the unknown effects of its blend of stimulants. Long-term use of this combination of stimulants has not been adequately studied.

If you do drink Celsius, it is best to drink it in place of your usual caffeinated drink such as coffee.

Related: 9 Reasons Why You Aren’t Getting Faster

The potential side effects of drinking too much Celsius include:

• Insomnia or difficulty breathing
  

  

• Increased blood pressure
• Rapid heartbeat, palpitations, and heart complications
• Jitteriness or anxiety
• Upset stomach or nausea
• Headache
• Liver injury
• Inflammation
• Insulin sensitivity
• Teen brains may be negatively impacted, according to research

Related: The Importance of Sleep for Runners

Is Celsius a pre-workout or energy drink?

Celsius is primarily marketed to be a pre-exercise supplement drink due to its stimulating ingredients including green tea, guarana, and ginseng. It may boost calorie and fat burning during exercise and increase fatigue resistance.

Should I drink Celsius before I run?

You can drink Celsius before a run but I would not do so regularly. As Stephens notes, Celsius can have a performance boost but the improvement does not continue beyond a dosage of 6 mg of caffeine per 1 kg of bodyweight.

If you choose to drink Celsius before you run:

• Pay attention to how much caffeine you are having throughout the day. You should not have more than 200-400 mg of caffeine a day.
• Practice it and use it for your important training runs (like marathon long runs with marathon pace miles)
• Be aware that too much caffeine may cause GI distress and difficulty sleeping, which can impact your training and recovery
• Stephens recommends a “washout” period where you forgo caffeine leading up to the use of it to maximize benefits

Key Celsius Drink Takeaways

• The long-term effects of Celsius ingredients have not been studied.
• The combination of Celsius ingredients and its effects haven’t been studied.
• Drink Celsius in place of your regular caffeinated beverage like coffee.
• Don’t drink everyday or most everyday.
• Pregnant, breastfeeding women, and people under 18 should NOT drink Celsius.
• If you enjoy Celsius, try drinking half of it.
• Celsius is best used as a pre-workout drink in moderation.
• Try not to drink more than 200-400 mg of caffeine a day.
• The performance enhancement of caffeine does not extend beyond 6 mg/1 kg of bodyweight.

I may occasionally drink Celsius before a big run or as an afternoon pick-me-up but sparingly. It’s not harmful in moderation but I would certainly not drink it every day or most days. The potential benefits do not outweigh the potential risks.

If you want guidance with your running, check out my run coaching services. Also, be sure to check out my free training plans:

• Postpartum Training Plan
• After a Break Training Plan
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