With the onset of finals, students may be looking for that extra boost to help them study. Conveniently, a bewildering array of energy drinks is available to help solve the problem.

With the recent high demand for energy drinks, we have begun to see other energy snacks arrive on the store shelves. Along with drinks like Red Bull and Monster, you can now find things like Blitz Energy Gum and Kickers 80 Hour Energy Spray.

But do all of these really work, or are they just a passing fad?

Ruth MacDonald, professor and chairperson of food science and human nutrition, does not recommend them.

“Typically, [energy drinks] are very high in sugar and they often have high amounts of caffeine, which is probably not good for you as far as it making you nervous and giving you stomach aches,” she said.

MacDonald said calling them “energy” drinks is a bit misleading.

“Energy and alertness are two different things,” she said. “Your body gets energy to do activities that require burning carbohydrates and fats. You might be getting more of an alert feeling, but you are not getting energy – you get energy from foods.”

The gums and sprays contain less caffeine, so they could be expected to give less of a boost.

Rather than drinking energy drinks, MacDonald recommended getting your blood flowing. She said exercise can clear your mind and increase alertness.

“My recommendation to stay awake is go take a five- to 10-minute walk, not rely on a drink,” MacDonald said.

Another bit of misleading information may come from seeing the word “guarana” advertised with energy snacks. Guarana is an herbal substance used in energy drinks that purportedly makes people more alert.

“They put small amounts [of guarana] into these drinks just for advertisement,” she said. “There really isn’t enough to have any kind of impact.”

MacDonald said not much is known about guarana and other herbal ingredients used in some energy drinks, which is a cause for concern.

“Some drinks have herbal ingredients, and those ingredients are not well studied, so we don’t know exactly what their impact is on the body in long-term health,” she said.

Preston Moon, sophomore in mechanical engineering, said he drinks energy drinks just for the taste.

“If I have to choose between a soda and an energy drink, I normally buy an energy drink,” Moon said.

MacDonald said there is no harm in drinking an energy drink, but the high sugar and caffeine content is something to be aware of.

“High amounts of caffeine are not recommended because it has impacts on the nerves,” MacDonald said.

Energy products can also have side effects that might seem to contradict their purpose. The sugar and caffeine may be good for a short-lived alert feeling, but results in a debilitating crash.

“Sometimes getting more sugar intake makes you feel a little more with it and awake, but that quickly goes away so you can even feel less energetic,” MacDonald said.