G Fuel is an energy drink brand for gamers that describes itself as the “Official Drink of Esports.” The brand has partnerships with some of the biggest streamers in the world like Pewdiepie.

But does G Fuel contain research-backed ingredients for improving energy and focus? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? Does it cause side effects? And how does it compare to other popular energy supplements?

In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in G Fuel to give our take on whether or not the supplement is likely to improve energy and focus, and whether or not it's healthy.

We'll also compare G Fuel to other popular energy supplements like 5-Hour Energy in terms of potential effectiveness and healthiness, and discuss the risk of side effects.

Key takeaways:

• Contains only one active ingredient we consider effectively-dosed
• Contains many inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy
• We do not currently recommend G Fuel

Ingredient Analysis

The vitamin and mineral ingredients in G Fuel Sour Blue Chug Rug flavor (inspired by influencer FaZe Rug) are shown below:

We haven't come across any convincing medical evidence that taking added vitamins increases energy or focus.

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin (meaning it's not as easily cleared by the body), and a 2008 medical review found that vitamin E supplementation may increase all-cause mortality.

The ingredient blend to support energy and focus is shown below:

Caffeine was shown in a clinical trial published in the JMIR Research Protocols journal to increase brain processing speed and alertness at a similar dose to that in G Fuel.

L-tyrosine is an amino acid that's clinically shown to support cognitive function, but as we documented in our review of Alpha Brain, we consider the effective dose to be around 10x that in G Fuel.

Glucuronolactone, taurine and caffeine are all included in this blend, and may have negative health effects when taken in combination.

A clinical trial published in the Journal of Nutrition found these three ingredients to cause negative changes to blood pressure and insulin sensitivity in young, healthy adults.

N-acetyl-l-carnitine HCl is included at a 1 milligram (mg) dose, and we can't find any clinical backing for this dose either.

The antioxidant ingredients in G Fuel are shown below:

G Fuel’s entire Antioxidant Complex totals a 26 mg dose.

For reference, one apple has a dose of 242,000 mg according to the FDA. 

This means that G Fuel’s entire antioxidant complex of 18 different fruits is 0.01﹪ of the dosage of one apple.

We have not come across any evidence that doses of fruits this inconsequentially low have any benefit to health or focus, nor does G Fuel prove such on their website.

The inactive ingredients in G Fuel are shown below:

Acesulfame potassium and sucralose are artificial sweeteners, and artificial sweeteners have been associated with increased risk of tumor development in both human and animal studies, according to a 2015 medical study.

FD&C Blue #1 is an artificial food dye, and a 2012 medical review on the toxicity of artificial food dyes concluded with the researchers suggesting that all such dyes should be removed from the food supply due to safety concerns.

Citric acid is a preservative and flavor enhancer that was clinically shown to cause whole-body inflammation in some individuals, as we discussed in our Neuriva reviews article.

Natural and artificial flavors is a broad categorical term that could refer to any number of specific flavoring ingredients. A 2013 medical review suggested that flavoring ingredients and their metabolites may be toxic in some circumstances. 

Overall, we consider G Fuel likely to improve mental focus, but caffeine is the single active ingredient out of all of these ingredients reviewed that we believe is effectively dosed based on a review of medical research.

Overall, we do not recommend G Fuel due to the inclusion of the questionable additive ingredients like artificial flavors and artificial sweeteners.

Does G Fuel Cause Side Effects?

G Fuel doesn't appear to have been tested in any clinical trials, which makes it more challenging to assess the potential risk of side effects.

However, we can make an educated guess based on the ingredient lists.

G Fuel's powders contain between 140 mg and 150 mg of caffeine, which is around 1.5 standard cups of coffee.

This is well within the documented safe dosing range for adults, and unlikely to cause side effects other than in those with caffeine sensitivity.

Artificial flavors are clinically shown to cause hyperactivity, as we documented in our Bucked Up Pre-Workout reviews article.

Overall, we consider G Fuel unlikely to cause significant side effects, but it may be more likely to cause anxiety or hyperactivity in caffeine-sensitive individuals and adolescents.

G Fuel vs. Popular Energy Supplements

Here's how G Fuel stacks up against other popular energy drinks/supplements in our opinion, in terms of both potential effectiveness and healthiness:

5-Hour Energy

Slightly higher caffeine dose (200 mg) should support improved focus. Also contains citicoline which is clinically shown to support improved cognitive performance.

Free from artificial colors

Winner: 5-Hour Energy

Red Bull

Caffeine and sugar combination can support improved cognition short-term, but can cause a crash later.

Equally unhealthy to G Fuel in our view, but a worse formulation for sustained mental energy and concentration.

Winner: G Fuel

Energy Renew

Caffeine and stimulant-free, so may be somewhat less effective for mental energy.

Significantly healthier formulation, as we documented in our Energy Renew review article, and is free of many of the unhealthy additives in G Fuel (artificial food coloring, artificial sweetener, artificial flavors).

Winner: Energy Renew

Our Clean Energy Picks

Illuminate Labs Panax Ginseng Extract is our top energy supplement.

Panax ginseng extract has been clinically shown to reduce mental fatigue and reduce physical fatigue, and our supplement is third-party tested to ensure its purity and potency.

Pique Breakfast Black Tea Sticks is our top whole food energy pick.

Black tea consumption is "associated with rapid increases in alertness and information processing capacity" according to a clinical trial, and Pique's tea is organic and comes in convenient stick packs that can be mixed into water, so a teapot or kettle are not needed.

Both of the products recommended in this section are free of ingredients we consider to be unhealthy.

G Fuel Pros and Cons

Here are the pros and cons of G Fuel in our opinion:

Pros:

• Should improve energy levels
• Many online customer reviews say the taste is good

Cons:

• Contains artificial sweeteners
• Contains artificial flavors
• Contains artificial dye
• Contains citric acid
• Contains stimulant blend that's clinically shown to have negative health effects in young adults
• We can only identify one effectively-dosed active ingredient for energy
• Doesn't appear clinically tested
• Brand website charges for shipping

Conclusion

We do not recommend G Fuel and consider it one of the worst energy supplement formulations that we've reviewed on Illuminate Health.

Other than caffeine, we cannot identify one single active ingredient (of the more than 40 total ingredients) that we believe is likely to increase energy and focus based on a review of medical studies.

There are a wide range of questionable ingredients in this product, including artificial dyes, artificial sweeteners and artificial flavors amongst others.

We do not consider G Fuel likely to cause side effects in healthy adults.

We consider G Fuel to be better-formulated than Red Bull for mental energy, but a worse formulation than 5-Hour Energy and Energy Renew.