Qualia Energy Shot® Ingredients

Why did we create Qualia Energy Shot? Qualia Life Sciences started as a nootropic company; the brain, and its important jobs like alertness (i.e., feeling energetic), focus, and motivation were our interests from the company's very first day. One of the things many people rely on to feel alert and motivated is energy beverages (both larger drinks and smaller shots). We’ve been interested in energy shots for years. But, starting a couple of years ago, we became intrigued by the history of energy drinks and shots, which led to us putting our own special Qualia twist on a product intended to help boost energy.*

Let’s begin with a brief history of energy shots and drinks. Did you know that the tried and true recipe—caffeine, taurine, B vitamins, inositol, citric acid, sugar—found in energy drinks all over the world originated in Japan? Or that this first energy beverage (it would be a size we’d think of as being an energy shot today and was a mini-bar sized bottle) launched in 1962 and is called Lipovitan? Lipovitan gave rise to competitors in Japan and South Korea during the mid-1960s, and by the early-to-mid 1970s, the next wave of energy beverages appeared in Thailand.

In the North American and European markets, Red Bull created the energy drink category—they put “Energy Drink” on the can to differentiate it from existing soft drinks at the time. Red Bull was launched in 1987 in Austria, in the UK in 1995, and exploded on the scene in the U.S. in 1997. Red Bull remains a leader—it is estimated to hold 38-43% of the energy drink market. But, did you know that Red Bull started as a Thai Energy drink called Krating Daeng (in Thai, daeng means red, and a krating is an Asian bull-like animal called a Gaur)? 

Red Bull’s innovation wasn’t the recipe per se, it licensed the Krating Daeng recipe and flavor. The flavoring used in Red Bull is still produced in Bangkok, Thailand. Red Bull’s innovation was moving from glass bottles—all of the Japanese, South Korean, and Thai Energy beverages were in smaller brown glass bottles—to a can, increasing the size, and changing from still to sparkling water. As we’ll get to when we discuss caffeine, Red Bull slightly increased the caffeine amount from what had been the tried-and-true 50 mg amount, but its 80 mg of caffeine would be considered a low caffeine energy beverage option in today’s market.

The success of Red Bull spurred its own competitors, energy drink brands like Rockstar (launched in 2001) and Monster (launched in 2002), and soon after, an energy shot called 5-Hour Energy (launched in 2004) that still dominates the energy shot category today. Over time new energy beverage entries have come and some have gone. And, over time, some things have changed, often not for the better. 

The original energy beverages that emerged in places like Japan, South Korea, and Thailand led to Red Bull, and Red Bull to many others. When reviewing the Asian energy beverages, we were intrigued by some things that have been lost along the way. These original drinks were more what we’d consider “shot” sizes or very small drinks, ranging from mini-bar size shots to 5 ounces. They were low in caffeine, with 50 mg per drink being the norm, which is far lower than what’s common today (200 mg and even 300 mg of caffeine are common). They were non-carbonated, in glass bottles, and weren't afraid of using sugar—most modern energy shots and many newer energy drink brands avoid sugar, and opt instead for artificial sweeteners like sucralose.

Reading about these original Japanese, South Korean, and Thai energy beverages inspired me to find and try them. This eventually led Qualia to create an energy shot supplement as a throwback, tribute, and what we think of as an upgrade to them. We’ve stayed true to the core of these original (or OG) energy shots and drinks, but upgraded around the edges. Some of the things that make Qualia Energy Shot different from other energy shots are: 

• We’re lower in caffeine (only 80 mg per serving) and use natural caffeine from green tea. We think this is a “just right amount,” not too much but not too little, to help ignite energy for increased mental and physical performance, making it a great choice for any time of the day.*

• We upgraded the tried-and-true recipe used worldwide since the early 1960s—Caffeine, Taurine, typically about 3 B-Vitamins, Inositol, Citric Acid, and Sugar—with 6 B-Vitamins.

• We included vitamin C, 3 electrolyte minerals (magnesium, potassium, and sodium), and ginseng.

• We use a blend of fast (organic cane sugar) and slower (Palatinose) metabolized sources of fuel to support a steady supply of energy for a hardworking brain or muscles.*

• We brought back a glass bottle to avoid plastics and microplastics and honor the energy shots that inspired us.

• And more…

Our goal was to create an energy shot that quickly supports alertness, attention, energy, focus, and motivation. Thinking requires an investment of mental energy—the brain uses roughly 20% of the daily energy budget for the body. Mental activity, like physical work, requires energy and uses resources. And, the more demanding, effortful, or sustained the thinking, the more energy that’s required. Energy drinks and shots are used as fatigue antidotes to support physical and mental performance all over the world. The next time you need more energy, or support to do some harder thinking or work, I invite you to reach for a Qualia Energy Shot and experience it for yourself.*

A Few Notable Studies

Don’t just take our word for it. These are a few publications from scientific journals highlighting some of the QUALIA ENERGY SHOT ingredients. I’ll go into more detail about each of them below.

A low dose of caffeine supports cognition and mood (Pubmed 7675951).*

The combination of caffeine and taurine supports exercise performance more than either on their own (Pubmed 34941800).*

Taurine supports the eyes in being less fatigued when spending time on screens  (Pubmed 14752617).*

Palatinose is a lower glycemic sweetener (Pubmed 26869244).*

Panax ginseng offers support for cognition, mood, stress, and fatigue (Pubmed 37385964).*

Lutein supports visual health and cognitive function across the lifespan (Pubmed 31321376).*

Qualia Energy Shot® Ingredients

Caffeine (from green tea leaf extract)

Caffeine is the most-used psychoactive substance in the world. Estimates are that about 80% of the world’s population consumes caffeine every day [1]. It is by far the most used substance for helping to overcome a feeling of tiredness and fatigue and instill a sense of energy, and it excels in increasing alertness and supporting tasks related to focus and motivation [2]. But caffeine is not a “more is better” ingredient. The best results in studies of cognitive performance and mood typically occur when an amount between 50-200 mg is consumed [2].* Because of how it's experienced, caffeine is a keystone ingredient in energy beverages throughout the world. But an interesting pattern has emerged over time—more caffeine is being used in energy drinks and shots.

I mentioned that the birth of energy beverages can be traced to 1962 in Japan with the launch of Lipovitan. It contained 50 mg of caffeine in a mini-bar sized 100 ml glass bottle (roughly a 3.3 ounce size). Within a couple of years, it had competitors in Japan and South Korea that also used 50 mg of caffeine (one competitor, Oronamin C, which we’ll discuss when we get to the vitamin C section, only had 18 mg of caffeine). The next wave of energy drinks (from Thailand in the 1970s), with brands like M-150 and Krating Daeng, used slightly larger 150 ml bottles (about 5 ounces) but kept the 50 mg of caffeine per bottle.

An Austrian, Dietrich Mateschitz, visiting Thailand in 1982 discovered for himself the energizing effects of Krating Daeng—the story told is that it helped him overcome his jetlag. In 1984, he partnered with the originator of Krating Daeng and founded a new company called Red Bull GmbH. In 1987, Red Bull was launched in Austria, spreading through Europe in the early 1990s. The rest, as they say, is history. One of the changes from Krating Daeng to Red Bull was going from a bottle that was about 5 ounces to a can that was 8.4 ounces. Maintaining the same proportion of caffeine, but with the larger can size, required increasing caffeine from 50 mg to 80 mg. The “more” caffeine journey had begun.

Red Bull would soon have its own competitors, like Monster and Rockstar that roughly doubled the can size to 16 ounces, which led to doubling the caffeine amount to 160 mg. When 5-Hour Energy was launched a couple of years later, the caffeine amount increased even more to 200 mg per serving. This 200 mg became something of a floor for caffeine content in new energy beverages, but the ceiling has climbed even higher, with some energy drink options now having 300 mg of caffeine, which exceeds what we’d view (and research substantiates) as the just right amount of caffeine for cognitive performance and mental energy.*

We created Qualia Energy Shot for persons who, like us, don’t believe more caffeine is better, and want an option that has sufficient caffeine to do what caffeine does best, promote alertness and energy, and not the higher amounts that can lead to a trade-off of feeling more energetic and alert at the expense of being more irritable and jittery. We included 80 mg of caffeine and sourced it from green tea to supply natural caffeine coupled with the antioxidants found in green tea.* The 80 mg is a throwback and tribute to the early days of energy beverages when more caffeine wasn’t viewed as better.

Taurine

Taurine has been a core ingredient in energy beverages since their inception. It was in the very first energy drink, Lipovitan, launched in Japan in 1962. It was in Lipovitan’s first competitor, Tiovita, launched in Japan in 1964. It was also in Bacchus, the first energy drink launched in South Korea in 1964. When the first Thai energy drink, M-150, hit shelves in the early 1970s, it had taurine. When M-150’s success led to its own competitor, Krating Daeng, in 1976, it also had taurine as an ingredient. When Krating Daeng was licensed and brought to the rest of the world as Red Bull, taurine came with it. Oscar Wilde said, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” This was true with the Asian energy beverages each including taurine. It was also true when Red Bull birthed its own drink competitors like Monster and Rockstar, and the first energy shot, 5-Hour Energy, all of which contain taurine.

Put simply, taurine is an energy drink superstar and has been for more than 6 decades. Its inclusion in energy drinks and shots makes sense: taurine has important functions in mitochondria, the energy-producing powerhouses of cells [3]. Taurine is present in nearly all tissues and is the most abundant free amino acid in hard-working tissues like muscle, the heart, and the brain. Taurine is critical for vision [4,5] and healthy hearing [4,6]. More recently, taurine has been suggested as a potential “longevity amino acid” that may support healthier aging [7].* Many of the competing energy drinks and shots do have taurine, but are not transparent with how much, hiding that information in proprietary blends. We don’t like to hide what we do, so we included an amount of taurine (800 mg) consistent with the amounts found in the original Asian energy beverages like Krating Daeng that have been imitated over and over again. We think taurine is essential for what people have come to expect and want in a fantastic energy drink, and we want to make sure you know how much we include in every Qualia Energy Shot. 

Palatinose™ (isomaltulose) Combined with Organic Cane Sugar

One of the interesting things about energy drinks is that, when brands offer both one with sugar and one that’s sugar-free, the one with sugar usually outsells the one without sugar …by a lot. Sugar is quite frequently made out to be a nutritional villain. Is it really though? A basic principle of toxicology is the adage “the dose makes the poison”—the amount of something matters. It’s fair to say that high amounts of sugar are unhealthy. But is replacing low amounts of sugar with artificial or non-nutritive (i.e., calorie-free) sweeteners healthier? Or even healthy? We believe, in many instances, the answer is no. And when it comes to energy drinks and caffeine, a sweetener supplying calories is not a bug; it’s a feature.* 

Scientists have studied caffeine’s cognitive and mood benefits when given with or without sugar, glucose, or carbohydrates a number of times. One of our favorite studies—“Effects of the Red Bull energy drink on cognitive function and mood in healthy young volunteers” [8]—had young adults drink either Red Bull, Red Bull Sugar-Free, or a placebo beverage made to taste like Red Bull (but with no caffeine, taurine, etc.) and then repeatedly do cognitive tests requiring attention, memory, and reactions speed (repeating these types of tests is mentally fatiguing). Red Bull with sugar resulted in improvements in accuracy, speed, and alertness. Sugar-Free Red Bull did not: in some tested areas it underperformed the placebo! 

This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Glucose (which is found in sugar) is the primary fuel of the brain. When we need the brain to do more work, especially demanding mental tasks like focusing our attention, playing a fast-paced video game, or learning new things, it’s important to have a steady and stable supply of glucose. When we are expecting our brain to work a bit harder, or already feeling fatigued, caffeine (with or without sugar) will typically make us feel less tired, but the brain’s performance and our mood will be better for longer when we have a source of fuel (literal energy) with the caffeine.*

When we reviewed the leading energy drinks and shots, a clear pattern stood out: there were plenty of energy drink options with sugar, but we couldn’t find any leading U.S. energy shot brands sweetened with sugar—almost all of them use the artificial sweetener sucralose. We were seeing a landscape of energy shots all literally free from any supply of energy, which struck us as absurd. One of the main reasons we created Qualia Energy Shot was to give an option for people smart enough to know they want an energy shot that has energy. We use a blend of organic cane sugar (a “fast sugar”) and Palatinose™ (a “slow sugar”). Palatinose is digested and absorbed more slowly than organic cane sugar to help spread out and promote a sustained energy supply over a longer period of time. The combination supplies a total of 9 grams of added sugar, which we think is a just right amount to provide fuel for the caffeine and other ingredients we include to help fuel the brain for hours of demanding mental work while having a modest impact on blood sugar.*

Palatinose™ is a trademark of Beneo-Palatinit GmbH

Panax Ginseng (root extract)

The roots of Panax ginseng (also called Korean ginseng and Asian ginseng) have been used for thousands of years in China, Korea, and Japan. In these traditions, it was used as a Qi tonic to promote strength, restore vitality, support energy, and quiet the spirit. “Panax” means “all-healing” in Greek. It is aptly named, based on both its traditional uses and modern scientific research [9]. P. ginseng is characterized as an adaptogen—it is used for invigorating and fortifying support in times of higher stress or greater demands. P. ginseng is also used to support the capacity for mental and physical work. These qualities make it an ideal candidate for inclusion in something intended to help counter fatigue and support a feeling of energy.* 

Not surprisingly, ginseng found its way into some of the original energy drinks. While Lipovitan (Japan) does not contain ginseng, Lipovitan Sustained Energy Formula does. The same is true for Bacchus (South Korea); there’s a Bacchus original recipe and another version that adds ginseng. In the US market, both Monster and Rockstar contain undisclosed, proprietary amounts of Panax ginseng, but most of the other popular energy drinks and shots do not use this tonic herb. We agree with Monster and Rockstar and included it. Ginseng has been used as an energizing tonic to help with stress and fatigue for centuries; we think it’s a fantastic inclusion in a modern energy shot. We sourced an extract standardized for ginsenosides—the active compounds—and supplied 50 mg per serving.*

Lutein (from marigold flower extract) 

Lutein is a carotenoid; it’s in the same carotenoid family as the more famous beta carotene, but it has very different functions in the body. Lutein is primarily thought of (and used) as a vision ingredient because it concentrates in the central area of the retina at the back of the eye called the macula. The macula is responsible for sharp, clear central vision, which is part of the reason that macular pigments support visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and photostress recovery. In a sense, lutein acts a bit like nature’s blue-blocker, shading the back of our eye to help it function well. Ensuring adequate intake of lutein is always critical, but even more critical when eyes spend a lot of time looking at sources of blue light, like digital screens of computers, phones, tablets, and video games.*

But lutein is more than just a vision nutrient; it is among the predominant carotenoids in the brain, with lutein accounting for over one-third of brain carotenoids [10,11] and fulfilling important roles as an antioxidant that contributes to the structure and fluidity of brain cell membranes [12–14], supporting global and prefrontal gray matter volume and white matter integrity [15], neural efficiency and brain blood flow [16], inter-network connectivity [17], neuroprotective mechanisms and neuronal communication [18–20], and healthy brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) function, an important modulator of neuroplasticity [21]. These mechanisms play important roles in what we experience over time as mental energy. Many of us spend more time than is good for our eyes (and brain) on screens, so we included some lutein as vision support.*

Choline and Inositol

I first started buying dietary supplements in the mid-1980s when I was an officer in the U.S. Navy. A popular combination back then, and one which still can be found today, was the pairing of choline and inositol. Inositol was also an original (OG) energy drink ingredient that dates back to the forerunners of modern energy beverages. I’ve mentioned that the OG energy beverages emerged in countries like Japan, South Korea, and Thailand in the 1960s and 70s. Lipovitan, the OG energy drink from 1962, contains inositol. So does Bacchus from South Korea that followed two years later. When energy beverages migrated to Thailand, starting in 1970, inositol came with them: it’s an ingredient in M-150, the first Thai energy drink. In 1975, the Thai energy drink called Krating Daeng kept inositol and added choline to the mix. The rest of the world would eventually know this Thai energy beverage recipe as Red Bull.

Inositol, and to a lesser extent choline, are still found in many of the most popular energy beverages in Asian countries. But, with the exception of Monster and Rockstar which still have inositol, and C4 and 5-Hour Energy that supply choline but no inositol, these OG ingredients have largely faded from the energy beverage landscape. We decided to bring them both back. Qualia Energy Shot contains choline and inositol as part of our tribute to the OG energy beverages. We included both because choline and inositol work closely together to support chemical messengers that help keep the brain and central nervous system working.*

Vitamin C (as ascorbic acid)

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, does not play a direct role in energy metabolism (i.e., converting food into energy). But it does play a part in functions involved in what people mean by “energy” (i.e., feeling energetic, motivated, focused). This is because vitamin C is involved in the synthesis of a neurotransmitter called norepinephrine, which can influence feelings of energy and mood. Vitamin C also supports the adrenal gland in responding to stress in a healthy manner [22,23], and adrenal stores of vitamin C decrease during ongoing stress [24]. So, vitamin C status is important for how we respond to stress, and stress is notorious for its anti-energy effects.* 

Vitamin C first made an appearance in energy beverages in 1965 as an ingredient in Oronamin C, one of the early Japanese energy drinks. But it is conspicuously absent from many of the most popular energy drinks (e.g., Red Bull, Monster, Rock Star) and shots (e.g., 5-Hour Energy) today. We thought it was high time to fix this. So, in tribute to Oronamin C, Qualia Energy Shot contains a 45 mg serving of vitamin C, which is 50% of the RDA for adult men and 60% of the RDA for adult women. It’s important to consistently get enough vitamin C from foods we eat and beverages we drink to keep our vitamin C tanks full, so to speak: a shot of Qualia Energy can help support this goal.*

B-Complex

The B-complex family of vitamins is a group of water-soluble vitamins. They are grouped together because of the interrelated nature of some of their functions, with all B vitamins playing important roles in supporting energy production and brain function [25]. During the development of Qualia Energy Shot, we looked at which B vitamins were included in leading energy drinks and shots. One of the things that stood out was that almost every leading beverage left out at least one, and usually a few important B vitamins needed for energy metabolism.* We corrected this; you’ll find six different B vitamins in a Qualia Energy Shot.

Thiamin (as thiamine mononitrate)

Thiamin was the first member of the B-complex family of vitamins found by scientists, hence its designation as B1. The body concentrates thiamin in metabolically active tissues like the brain, heart, liver, and muscles [26,27]. The brain, as an example, is a voracious consumer of energy; it uses more energy than any other human organ, accounting for up to 20 percent of the body's daily energy turnover. The brain also relies heavily on glucose (a simple sugar) as a source of energy, and thiamin is absolutely essential for turning sugar into energy.*

Thiamin is indispensable when it comes to making energy [28]. Thiamine supports the brain and nervous system, impacting areas including motivation, memory, and mood [28]. Vitamin B1 has also been among the most important vitamins for supporting healthy adrenal gland function and responses to stress [29–32]. Given its importance, we’d expect it to be found in all of the leading energy drinks and shots, but it’s all but absent. Vitamin B1 is missing from the biggest sellers, including Red Bull, Monster, Rock Star, C4, Celsius, Bang, and 5-Hour Energy. We think this is a glaring omission and corrected it with Qualia Energy Shot by supplying 25% of the daily value of vitamin B1.*

Riboflavin

Riboflavin (vitamin B2) is the second member of the B-family of vitamins. The “flavin” part of its name comes from the Latin word for yellow (flavus)—riboflavin in supplements is bright yellow-orange in color and is what gives B-complex vitamins their yellow color. Because of its color, persons taking high amounts of riboflavin can notice yellow-colored urine. Like the other B-complex vitamins, riboflavin is essential for metabolism and energy production. It’s also important for a healthy stress response [33,34].*

Riboflavin is not as infrequently found in energy drinks and shots as is thiamin—it’s more hit or miss; some have it, many do not. It’s missing from Red Bull and 5-Hour Energy, but does make an appearance in some of the other popular energy beverages. We think riboflavin is important enough for energy metabolism that it should be in all of them: we made sure it’s in ours. A Qualia Energy Shot supplies 50% of the daily value of this essential energy metabolism vitamin.*

Niacin (as Niacinamide)

Niacin (vitamin B3) is the third member of the B vitamin family. There are two common forms of niacin used in dietary supplements. One is called nicotinic acid and is the flushing form of vitamin B3, because, in high amounts, it can produce a niacin “flush," which is experienced as a burning, tingling sensation in the face and chest, and red or flushed skin. The other form is called niacinamide; it’s a non-flushing form and the type of vitamin B3 found in Qualia Energy Shot. Niacinamide is best known for its role in making a molecule called NAD—the “N” in NAD stands for niacinamide—that’s essential for cellular energy (i.e., ATP) production.* 

Unlike vitamin B1, which is virtually absent, and B2 that’s hit or miss, vitamin B3 is found in virtually every energy beverage. In fact, it is in the original energy beverage from Japan, Lipovitan. We included 20 mg of niacinamide as a tribute to, and to match the amount found in Lipovitan; an amount that has since found its way into many of the leading drinks found throughout the world. Red Bull, Krating Daeng (the original Red Bull found in Thailand), Carabao Dang (Thailand), Shark Energy (Thailand) are some of the many beverages that use exactly 20 mg of vitamin B3, while most of the rest are close to this amount.

Pantothenic Acid (as calcium pantothenate)

Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) was named from the Greek word “pantothen”' meaning “from everywhere.” This name was chosen because some amount of pantothenic acid is found in virtually every food, whether from animals or plants. The reason its presence is so widespread is because both animals and plants depend on vitamin B5 for energy production. Vitamin B5 is sometimes described as an “anti-stress” vitamin because of its important role in responding in a healthy way to stress [35]. Stress is like kryptonite for the brain and for energy; it can leave us feeling fatigued and overwhelmed. Energy drinks, in general, are commonly used by consumers as antidotes for these types of feelings.*

Similar to niacinamide (vitamin B3), vitamin B5’s history in energy beverages can be traced back to the original Lipovitan from Japan, which contains 5 mg of this stress vitamin. The Thai energy beverages that eventually followed (M-150, Krating Daeng) stayed true to the original and also included 5 mg of vitamin B5. When Red Bull licensed the Krating Daeng formula to bring it to the rest of the world, they kept the 5 mg of vitamin B5. What surprises us, given B5’s crucial role in energy metabolism, is that many of the popular beverages today don’t have any vitamin B5 (e.g., 5-Hour Energy. Monster, C4, NOS, Bang). We think this is a glaring oversight and include the 5 mg of vitamin B5 needed to supply 100% of the daily value.*

Vitamin B6 (as pyridoxine HCl)

Vitamin B6 is a generic term that can refer to any of six different forms of the vitamin—pyridoxal, pyridoxamine, pyridoxine, and their phosphorylated forms. Scientists call the variety of forms “vitamers.” Vitamin B6 is needed for some enzymes in the Krebs cycle (i.e., citric acid cycle) enzymes, a series of reactions that allows cells to extract energy from food. It’s also needed to produce some neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and norepinephrine, which are involved in feelings of motivation and energy. And vitamin B6 plays roles in metabolizing amino acids found in proteins, lipids from fat, and glycogen (a sugar supply we store in muscles).*

We included vitamin B6 in Qualia Energy Shot to support the production of brain energy and neurotransmitter molecules.* Vitamin B6 was found in virtually all the Asian energy beverages (Lipovitan, Japan; Oronamin C, Japan; Bacchus, South Korea; M-150, Thailand; Krating Daeng, Thailand, etc) that were the predecessors to the modern popular brands, most of which carried this tradition forward and include this brain and energy essential vitamin. We chose a 3 mg dose (supplying 176% of the daily value) because this is in the range used in the original energy drinks that emerged in countries like Japan, Thailand, and South Korea.

Vitamin B12 (as cyanocobalamin)

Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, has been in energy beverages since the very beginning. It was in the original energy drink (Lipovitan), the Thai energy beverages that copied it, including the one that Red Bull would eventually license and bring to the rest of the world. Since many of today’s leading brands piggybacked on Red Bull, vitamin B12 is found in most (though not all) energy drinks and shots. This is because it is essential for energy metabolism and healthy brain function, where it supports the production of neurotransmitters (e.g., dopamine, melatonin, norepinephrine, serotonin,) [36]. The brain uses these neurotransmitters for processes that result in feelings of motivation, energy, and alertness, as well as mood, memory, and sleep.*

Vitamin B12 is a vitamer, existing in a variety of vitamin forms. The most commonly used form in beverages is cyanocobalamin. Why is this form used instead of coenzyme forms like methylcobalamin or adenosylcobalamin? The answer is stability. Exposure to light and liquid can cause certain nutritional ingredients to break down or degrade. Vitamin B12, its coenzyme forms specifically, is one of these ingredients. This makes them poor choices to use in a product like Qualia Energy Shot. The amount of vitamin B12 (3 mcg) we’ve included supplies 125% of the recommended daily value, which is in the range used in the original energy drinks and those that followed them.*

Magnesium (as magnesium sulfate)

We included magnesium because it is an essential electrolyte mineral and is inextricably linked to energy. Why is it important for energy? Several reasons. It’s needed to convert both sugars and fats into energy (ATP)—magnesium is required for energy metabolism. And magnesium is also needed to “activate” ATP; when it comes to doing cellular work, ATP doesn't act alone, it teams up with magnesium for its activity [37]. Magnesium is also a brain essential nutrient, where it’s needed to make dopamine, a neurotransmitter that fuels motivation. And, magnesium supports molecules involved in neuroplasticity, like BDNF.* 

Its roles in energy, brain, and nervous system function [38,39] are reasons why we wanted to have magnesium in the Qualia Energy Shot. Another reason has to do with intake. Put simply, many of us don’t get adequate magnesium in our diets. A majority of Americans of all ages ingest less magnesium from food than the recommended amount [40]. Magnesium is found in one of the leading energy drinks but has been left out of most of the best-selling energy drinks and the most popular energy shot. We wanted to correct this oversight—magnesium is important—so added about the amount of magnesium you’d get if you ate a medium size banana.* 

Potassium (as potassium citrate)

Like magnesium, potassium is an electrolyte mineral. But what exactly are electrolytes …what do they do? Electrolytes are chemicals that conduct electricity when dissolved in water. In our body these chemicals are minerals like potassium. They are needed to regulate nerve and muscle function, help the body maintain fluid balance and keep it hydrated, help the body produce and use energy, and support healing of damaged tissue. While all of our tissues need electrolytes, the brain and muscles are sometimes referred to as the “electric tissues” of the body, so electrolytes are especially important for their healthy function. Potassium’s main role is as an intracellular electrolyte (sodium, which we’ll get to next, is the main extracellular electrolyte) and is needed for electrolyte balance, which supports the electrical functions of all cells, including the brain and muscles where we put our feelings of energy to work.*

Similar to magnesium, potassium is often overlooked when it comes to energy drinks and shots; it is not found in most of the leading energy drinks though it does make an appearance in a leading energy shot. We want to have some magnesium to complement the two other electrolyte minerals—sodium and magnesium—so we added about the amount you’d get by eating a small carrot.* We chose potassium citrate because the citrate (i.e., citric acid) has been a core part of the ingredient recipe of energy drinks dating back to their origins in Japan, Korea, and Thailand in the 1960s and 70s. It remains an ingredient in leading brands like Red Bull still and adds some of the tartness that “unflavored” energy beverages are known for. 

Sodium

Sodium works closely with potassium as an electrolyte. It is primarily an extracellular electrolyte. This means that the majority of the body's sodium is found outside of cells (most potassium is inside cells). This working relationship—more sodium outside cells and more potassium inside cells—is essential for life, creating the electrical charges crucial for nerve and muscle cell functions like heartbeat regulation and muscle contractions.*

While sodium sometimes gets a bad rap, it’s important to understand that it plays a crucial role in health, especially in regulating water balance and aiding in nerve impulse transmission and muscle function. In fact, it’s so important that it is the only mineral we can taste directly. The ability to detect sodium is thought to have evolved as a way to make sure we get enough of this important electrolyte mineral. Qualia Energy Shot contains 110 mg of sodium, which is 5% of the daily value. This would be thought of as low sodium if it was the amount in a food.* We use the citric acid form of sodium—sodium citrate—because, similar to potassium, the citric acid fulfills both a flavor (tartness) and a tribute role to the original energy drinks.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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