The last thing you want to think about when you sip your refreshing recovery or energy drink is how much chlorine you are ingesting. That just sounds nasty.
But if you are drinking a beverage sweetened by the nearly-zero-calorie artificial sweetener known as sucralose, you are consuming a significant amount of the same chemical used to disinfect swimming pools. It gets worse: Chlorine is also a major ingredient in commercial pesticides.
Bottoms up on that Bang, Rockstar, or Monster, all of which are sweetened with sucralose. Maybe you want to think again.
What Is Surcralose?
Sucralose—known on the shelf as Splenda—was invented in England in 1976 by chemists who found a way to molecularly bond sucrose (sugar) molecules with good old chlorine. One of the scientists was asked to “test” the chlorinated compound but, not hearing the word “test” right, actually “tasted” it instead. There is no photo of the resulting facial expression, but imagine what face someone would make if they mistakenly tasted something that was 600 times sweeter than sugar.
Since sucralose is made from “real” sugar, many originally thought it was a safe alternative for calorie counters; a simple switch from sugar to sucralose, and, voila, that many fewer calories consumed, that much more weight lost.
Since then, studies have demonstrated time and again that the sugar-chlorine hybrid can increase inflammation in the body, cause seizures and migraines, and lead to blurred vision. Among other side effects, enough of it can actually backfire and lead to obesity and diabetes by stimulating appetite while destroying healthy gut bacteria.
What Is Ace-K?
As if one questionable sweetener in some popular energy drinks was not enough, many of them—including Bang, Monster, and Red Bull—add a second chemical sweetener. This one goes by the name of acesulfame potassium, or, understandably, Ace-K for short. Great nickname for a baseball pitcher; terrible chemical compound for a beverage.
Ace-K, which is 200 times as sweet as sugar, has been around since 1967, when German chemist Karl Clauss, working for Hoechst AG, one of the world’s largest generic drug manufacturers, wanted to see what exciting things happened when he mixed 2-Butyn and fluorosulfonyl isocyanate. One report said, “Even the most fearless chemists would be inclined to show respect for the interaction of two such reactive materials.”
But Clauss, instead of seeking shelter, actually licked his chemical powdered fingers. That’s when he discovered it tasted sweet and not like battery acid at all.
Where Is Ace-K Made?
It took until 1983 to bring Ace-K to market, but since then, there are some 300 factories pumping out the stuff. More than 250 of those factories are in China, so the odds that the Ace-K in your energy drink—including, remember, Bang, Red Bull, and Monster—was created in a country with, um, questionable manufacturing standards and practices.
What Does Ace-K Do Inside the Human Body?
Because of its entirely unnatural origin, Ace-K cannot be broken down by the human body. When you consume it, the chemical circulates in your body until it’s finally eliminated in urine. Meanwhile, it disturbs your intestinal flora—that all-important gut bacteria—which causes a number of knock-on health issues (see: sucralose).
Does Kill Cliff Endanger Me Like Bang and the Others?
Kill Cliff, unlike many of the other brands of energy and recovery beverages on the market, does not include any unnatural ingredients, including greatest hits as acesulfame-K, saccharin, and sucralose.
Instead, Kill Cliff keeps things pure with erythritol (a carb that’s not absorbed by the intestine and therefore does not add to weight gain or spike insulin levels) and stevia, derived from the green plant that has been sweetening foods since pre-Columbian times.
Stevia is an impressive, but not overwhelming, 200 times sweeter-than-sugar substitute that not only works as a successful antioxidant but contains the compound kaempferol, which has shown promising results in reducing pancreatic cancer risks.
The Bottom Line on Kill Cliff
Kill Cliff IGNITE is a sugar-free energy drink naturally sweetened with erythritol and stevia that delivers the jolt you crave with 150 mg of naturally-sourced green tea caffeine (about a cup and a half of coffee).
Additionally, Kill Cliff IGNITE includes only FDA-regulated ingredients in its specialized blend of B-vitamins and electrolytes. It provides 10 percent of your daily values of magnesium and potassium, which helps regulate hydration and blood flow.
Now you know.
Real Science + Killer Taste = Kill Cliff CBD. Enjoy.
