Dear MATC Dietetics Students,
I want to try this new trendy drink called Celsius. Is it healthy? Does it actually help you lose weight like it claims to?
Dear MATC Student,
That’s a great question. Celsius energy drinks are super trendy right now; let’s do a deep dive on them.
Does Celsius improve your performance?
Yes it does, a little, but this is not unique to Celsius. Any time you have caffeine before exercising, your performance can increase, and your pain tolerance may be a little higher too. Celsius might actually boost your metabolism a little. There is a small group study from 2010 that looked at how Celsius affected sedentary men with some history of exercise. The group was either given a Celsius to drink or a placebo to drink and they were instructed to exercise or not to for 10 weeks. It was found that the men who exercised and drank Celsius had more improvements in their physical fitness than the men who did not have Celsius. The Celsius company funded this research, and keep in mind that the study was small.
Celsius contain 10 calories, like most energy drinks:
- 50mg of calcium
- 60mg of vitamin c
- 7mg of riboflavin-Riboflavin (vitamin B2) is primarily involved in energy production and helps vision and skin health.
- 20mg of niacin-Niacin (vitamin B3) is essential for the body to convert carbohydrates, fat and alcohol into energy. It helps maintain skin health and supports the nervous and digestive systems.
- 2mg of vitamin B6-B6 is needed for protein and carbohydrate metabolism, the formation of red blood cells and certain brain chemicals.
- 6mcg of vitamin B12-B12 helps to produce and maintain the myelin surrounding nerve cells, mental ability, red blood cell formation, and the breaking down of some fatty acids and amino acids to produce energy.
- 300 mcg of biotin-Biotin (vitamin B7) is needed for energy metabolism, fat synthesis, amino acid metabolism and glycogen synthesis.
- 10 mg of pantothenic acid-Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) is needed to metabolize carbohydrates, proteins, fats and alcohol as well as produce red blood cells and steroid hormones.
- 50 mcg of chromium-Chromium is a mineral that helps the body regulate blood sugar levels.
Most of the B vitamins do help break down fatty acids or are helping with fat synthesis so you can see how these would help an individual lose weight. All in all, any gains from drinking Celsius will depend on how you use them alongside a healthy nutrition and fitness plan for optimal results.
Have a Diet Dilemma? Send an email to [email protected] or corner one of your friendly dietetics students at MATC West Allis Campus.
