AdvoCare's Spark energy drink may be an excellent option for an extra dose of energy. Learn about Spark ingredients, benefits and potential side effects before you choose this beverage.
Spark is just one of AdvoCare's many lines of wellness products. Users choose from 12 flavors of powdered drink mix, which they add to water. You can use it as a pre-workout beverage to fuel your exercise, or as a pick-me-up drink to start your morning.
Video of the Day
Video of the Day
The AdvoCare Spark drink mix includes several ingredients that offer excellent health benefits. In fact, the company boasts about the 20 vitamins, minerals and nutrients in their Spark products. However, there are a few risks you should consider.
Benefits of Vitamins and Minerals
Each flavor of the Spark energy drink contains vitamins and minerals such as:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin B12
- Inositol (vitamin B8)
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Thiamine (vitamin B1)
- Riboflavin (vitamin B2)
- Niacin (vitamin B3)
- Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5)
- Zinc
- Copper
- Chromium
AdvoCare uses these Spark ingredients at varying levels. For example, one serving of Spark drink mix includes 20 percent of the recommended Daily Value (DV) of vitamin A, and 750 percent of the DV for vitamin B6. The drink goes above and beyond the DV for most vitamins it contains, especially the B vitamins.
It doesn't typically hurt to get more than the DV doses of nutrients like vitamin C, but it may cause some gastrointestinal distress. This risk is offset by the big potential for health benefits found in AdvoCare Spark's high doses of B-complex vitamins. According to the Cleveland Clinic, vitamin B can provide health benefits like:
- Decreasing the risk of stroke
- Maintaining metabolism
- Reducing the risk of heart disease
- Lowering LDL cholesterol and raising HDL cholesterol
Caffeine and Alternative Sweeteners
Each serving of Spark energy drink contains 120 milligrams of caffeine, according to the AdvoCare website. According to the Mayo Clinic, it is safe for most adults to consume up to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day. However, people may tolerate caffeine differently. Too much of the substance may cause:
- Rapid heart rate
- Headache
- Upset stomach
- Muscle tremors
- Nervousness, irritability and restlessness
- Frequent or uncontrollable urination
Read more: Long-Term Effects of Caffeine
AdvoCare Spark gets its sweet taste from sucralose. You may know this artificial sweetener by the brand name Splenda. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of sucralose since 1998, after reviewing 110 studies on the substance. It is 600 times sweeter than sugar, and contains no calories.
However, artificial sweeteners are not without their own possible side effects. Sucralose may lead to weight gain in the abdomen. If you're worried about the side effects of artificial sweeteners, but do not want to consume table sugar, consider energy drinks that are sweetened with Stevia, which is a plant-based product.
Other Additives in AdvoCare Spark
Aside from vitamins, minerals, caffeine and sucralose, Spark's ingredients also include:
- Choline
- Amino acids: L-tyrosine, taurine, glycine, L-carnitine
- Maltodextrin
- Citric acid
- Silicon dioxide
Choline is an essential nutrient, one that all plant and animal cells need. It plays a role in maintaining the structural integrity of cells, helping memory function, controlling mood and more. The National Institutes of Health advise that the average male adult should consume 550 milligrams of choline per day, and that the average woman should have at least 425 milligrams daily.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine states that amino acids help break food down, grow the body, repair body tissue and more. Maltodextrin is an additive made from corn or wheat. It can thicken, sweeten or stabilize food.
Citric acid is a naturally-occurring acid in citrus fruits, such as lemons and oranges. Many food and drink companies use it as a preservative or flavoring. Silicon dioxide is an FDA-approved food additive that prevents caking.
- AdvoCare: "Spark"
- AdvoCare: "AdvoCare Spark Stick Pack"
- AdvoCare: "Spark Canister"
- Cleveland Clinic: "Vitamins: The Basics"
- Mayo Clinic: "Caffeine: How Much is Too Much?"
- Food and Drug Administration: "Additional Information about High-Intensity Sweeteners Permitted for Use in Food in the United States"
- National Institutes of Health: "Choline"
- U.S. National Library of Medicine: "Amino Acids"
- American Chemical Society: "Maltodextrin"
- Food and Drug Administration: "CFR - Code of Federal Regulations Title 21"