Quick Drips

Synthetic and natural caffeine are the same molecule, and your body processes them identically. The real differences between your coffee and an energy drink are dose, the plant compounds that come along with natural sources, and what the label tells you.

Powerade is a legitimate tool during long, sweaty exercise, but a 28 oz bottle of regular Powerade carries about 85 g of added sugar. For everyday hydration, plain water is the better choice.

Regular Gatorade earns its place during long, sweaty exercise, but as an everyday drink it is a sugar-sweetened beverage with about 34 grams of sugar in a 20 ounce bottle. For workouts under an hour, water does the job.

Vitamin water is a sweetened soft drink with vitamins added. A 20 ounce bottle of the regular version has about 32 grams of sugar, and the vitamins are mostly ones people already get from food. Here is an honest look at the regular and zero versions.

A daily sugar-sweetened soda habit is consistently associated with weight gain, higher type 2 diabetes risk, and tooth enamel erosion. An occasional soda is fine; it is the everyday habit that adds up. Diet soda avoids the sugar but has mixed research of its own.