How Much Creatine is in Bang Energy Drinks? [The TRUTH About Super Creatine]

I know many of you like drinking Bang energy drinks to crank up your energy levels and even boost exercise performance. I’ve enjoyed them too on occasion, but how much creatine is in Bang?

While many people drink Bang energy drinks to stay awake and energetic, some also like chugging them as a source of creatine.

But the big question is, how much creatine is in Bang energy drinks and is their proprietary “Super Creatine” effective or a gimmick? Are you getting an effective dose of creatine supplementation by drinking Bang energy as you do with other forms of creatine supplements?

This article will delve deeper into the nutrition facts of Bang energy drinks and answer all questions including the main question: “how much creatine do Bang energy drinks contain?”

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• There is no creatine in Bang energy drinks, despite the company’s claims
• Their proprietary “super creatine” is a non-effective ingredient according to the science
• They have been hit with lawsuits, which they lost, for their marketing claims

How Much Creatine Is in Bang Energy Drinks?

This might surprise and confuse you, but Bang energy drinks don’t contain any creatine monohydrate. It instead has a proprietary compound called super creatine (a.k.a. Creatyl-L-Leucine).

This means the compound in Bang energy drinks is a different type of creatine altogether, not the actual effective creatine monohydrate we’ve come to love.

A can of Bang energy drink contains approximately 5 mg of super creatine. This is according to the nutritional information provided on the packaging and other Bang energy drink ingredients.

So, if you’re buying boxes of Bang for your creatine monohydrate supplementation, I hate to break it to you, but you’re wasting your dough.

Especially since the only controlled scientific study of “Super creatine” (creatyl-L-Leucine or CLL) revealed that it is not even a bioavailable form of creatine (1). Ouch!

VPX Sports, the parent company of Bang, even landed themselves in legal hot water with their wild claims, needing to pay out $293 million in false advertising.

So, it’s safe to say taking Bang for creatine, is a waste of time and money.

Nutritional Information & Ingredients of Bang Energy Drinks

Just by scrutinizing the label, you can already see that it contains zero creatine monohydrate. It instead lists super creatine (Creatyly-L-Leucine, or creatine bonded to L-leucine).

Aside from this, it also contains:

• 300 mg caffeine
• 85 mg potassium
• 40 mg sodium
• 27 mg Vitamin C 
• 5 mg magnesium
• 5 mg calcium
• 5 mg niacin
• 0.5 mg Vitamin B6
• 1.5 mcg Vitamin B12

It doesn’t explicitly say how much super creatine is found in one serving of Bang energy drink. 

But we can only assume it sits at 5 mg since it’s listed between magnesium and calcium on the list. However, other sources say otherwise (more on this later). 

What Is Super Creatine?

Super creatine was patented by VPX (Vital Pharmaceuticals, the creator of Bang) and marketed as creatine bonded in an amino acid (L-leucine). 

As a patented hybrid proprietary blend of bioavailable amino acids, theinformation about super creatine was not explicitly stated to the general public. 

But, to make a somewhat clear depiction of super creatine, let’s try to explore what creatine is. 

As you might know, creatine is an organic compound produced naturally in muscle cells through amino acids.

It’s made by the body when you engage in high-intensity exercises, triggering energy production in the muscles. 

Creatine monohydrate supplementation (through creatine powder or capsules) is one of the most common ways athletes and gymgoers increase their exercise performance. 

It’s believed to help with muscle growth and enhance mental focus and brain function. 

On the other hand, the super creatine found in Bang, which is meant to mimic natural creatine content, isn’t proven at all to do the same.

Is Super Creatine Effective?

The makers of Bang energy drinks claim that super creatine works the same way as the natural form of creatine.

Hence, by taking a can of super creatine-infused Bang drink, it’s believed that you can reap the same benefits of muscle growth and increased muscle mass. 

It also claims to IMPROVE mental focus and help you perform vigorous exercise routines. 

Super creatine is also said to be a bioavailable form-creatine since it’s water-soluble. This means that the body easily absorbs it by bypassing the blood-brain barrier. 

But, as you read earlier, the only science looking at “super creatine”, found it wasn’t even bioavailable. And these claims cost VPX over $293 million dollars!

Unfortunately, there’s not much science behind the Bang super creatine, and studies evidencing the human health benefits it claims to provide to its consumers are non-existent. 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wasn’t able to make any evaluation on the super creatine found in a Bang energy drink, as it’s supposed to with other energy drink brands. 

As much as I want to believe their claims, I prefer looking at the evidence.

We can’t guarantee how effective super creatine is as a sports nutrition supplement WITHOUT proper facts and so far, the science says “no”!

How Much Super Creatine is in Bang Energy Drinks?

As previously stated, the amount of super creatine in Bang energy drinks was not specified.

We can only deduce it’s around 5 mg since it was listed between magnesium chloride and calcium chloride, which are also 5 mg each. 

However, other estimations show that the super creatine and other amino acids found in a can of Bang energy drink is between 4 and 32 mg. 

Apart from this, it also contains other branched-chain amino acids. These are leucine, isoleucine, and valine, which are also found in most energy drinks.

Whether these amino acid supplements actually help with building muscle if you already have an optimal protein intake is another debate itself, but they most certainly do NOT help in the tiny quantities contained in Bang.

Why Do Bang Energy Drinks Contain Super Creatine?

Super creatine is a proprietary chemical founded by the parent company of Bang and isn’t a scientifically valid compound. It can only be found in Bang energy drinks.

Bang claims it is the first water-soluble compound that is easily absorbed by the body, and aids in improving mental concentration, as well as growing muscles and increasing the ability to perform intense exercises. 

This is probably the main reason behind their slogan: “Potent Brain and Body Fuel.” 

However, the downside is that it’s NOT BACKED by scientific evidence.

It currently only has claims from VPX, Bang’s parent company, to market the super creatine in its products. 

But, if you really want to reap the benefits of creatine, I suggest taking regular, science-backed creatine monohydrate supplements.

Super creatine is simply a marketing tactic. One that has got VPX in legal trouble!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

At this point, you already know how much creatine a Bang energy drink contains and how effective it is (not very!). But I’ve compiled more commonly asked questions in case you’re still curious. 

How Safe Is a Bang Energy Drink to Consume?

Bang is generally safe to consume. Most of its ingredients are well-studied and have been proven safe for human consumption. 

Even the proprietary super creatine ingredient found in Bang energy drinks is considered safe. This is one of the very few studies on the supplement (2).

Moreover, Bang is manufactured in a cGMP-certified facility.

This means that they follow the highest quality control procedures to ensure the quality and safety of their products.

Is a Bang Energy Drink Healthy?

Bang has ZERO CALORIES, some artificial sweeteners (yes, it’s sugar-free), B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, and other essential amino acids and nutrients. 

And if super creatine really did convert into creatine upon intake as the company claims (spoiler alert: it doesn’t), it would be in the appropriate range for safe and effective daily intake. 

If you drink it in moderation, you might benefit from some of these ingredients, such as the ergogenic benefits of caffeine.

But, like many energy drinks, too much of a good “Bang” can be bad too. 

You’d get similar side effects of consuming too much caffeine as you would from any other beverage or supplement (more of these side effects below).

How Much Caffeine is in a Bang Energy Drink?

The caffeine content in a can of Bang is 300 mg.

This is a lot compared to other energy drinks on the market. The amount of caffeine it contains makes it one of the strongest energy drinks available. 

This is the equivalent of 3-4 cups of coffee from one can of bang, for perspective (an 8oz cup of coffee generally contains 80-100mg of caffeine).

Hence, you might want to watch your intake if you’re a sensitive to caffeine, and even if you’re not.

Too much caffeine consumption may cause NEGATIVE side effects, like muscle tremors, insomnia, anxiety and a fast heartbeat, among other side effects. 

Can Energy Drinks Cause High Creatinine Levels?

As previously mentioned, energy drinks can have negative side effects if consumed too much.

But one thing that’s not usually reported is that they may impair kidney function, leading to increased creatinine and uric acid levels (3).

However, it’s important to bear in mind that these studies were done on rats and these results may not transfer over to humans as they may metabolize caffeine differently.

Still, it’s something to perhaps bear in mind. Personally, I think if this was an issue in humans, the same type of results would have been found a long time ago, since caffeine is the most used substance in the world.

Conclusion

To sum things up, Bang energy drinks don’t contain creatine monohydrate or anything resembling effective creatine.

What is found in Bang drinks formula is a proprietary compound called super creatine — a form of creatine that is bonded with the amino acid L-leucine. 

VPX claims that it functions in the same way as creatine, specifically in aiding the body to produce energy during intense workouts and aid in increasing lean weight gain and muscle mass.

However, not only is this claim not backed by scientific evidence which should support the benefits it promises to its users, they have also got themselves into legal trouble for these wild claims.

I’d recommend taking regular creatine monohydrate supplements to stock up the creatine supply stored in your muscle tissue.

If you’re drinking to benefit from the creatine in Bang, then stop. You’re wasted your cash. 

If you just want to drink it for the benefits of the caffeine content, rather than to produce creatine and more ATP, then go for it.