For a campus that is constantly on the go, energy drinks have become a necessity. Students chug beverages full of sugar and caffeine to get them through long nights of studying or to pep for parties.

In this ever-growing market, it can be hard for products to stand out. But one new item – 5-Hour Energy – is gaining popularity by providing a sugar-free, low-calorie boost in a tiny, two-ounce bottle.

Advertisements for 5-Hour Energy boast the vitamin supplement will increase energy within minutes and provide hours of alertness with no “crash” effects when it wears off.

Sam Jones, a freshman in computer science and engineering, said he tried 5-Hour Energy to see if the hype was true. Overall, he seemed unimpressed.

“It does work for a really long time,” said Jones, a computer science and engineering major. “But you don’t get the buzz you get with other energy drinks.”

And, according to Jones, that is about all the 5-Hour Energy he can handle.

“It doesn’t taste good at all,” Jones said of the syrupy, berry-flavored drink. “You definitely need a chaser.”

The “buzz” Jones is missing could stem from the fact that 5-Hour Energy contains no sugar.

What the tiny bottle does contain is 8,333 percent of the required daily value of vitamin B12.

Though an inflated amount of vitamins might seem beneficial, wellness coordinator and registered dietitian Janele Bayless said that more is not always better.

“You really don’t need more than 100 percent of your daily value,” Bayless said. “For water-soluble vitamins, the body will really just take what it needs and excrete the rest. So it’s kind of pointless.”

As she compared nutrition labels, Bayless noted that 5-Hour Energy has one clear advantage over the competition; the drink contains folic acid, a vitamin that usually comes from leafy vegetables and other foods most college students avoid.

The energy drink also crushes its competitors in the calorie department. There are only four calories per bottle, whereas a can of Red Bull contains 110 calories.

Perhaps the most striking difference between 5-Hour Energy and its competitors is the size of the product.

Drinks such as Monster Energy and Rockstar are offered in cans ranging from eight to 32 fluid ounces; a bottle of 5-Hour Energy is only two fluid ounces, or approximately one-and-a-half shot glasses.

Though many students rely on caffeine and sugar, increasing energy can be as simple as finding the nearest treadmill.

“Exercise gives us energy,” Bayless said. “It gets our blood flow pumping and also helps boost our mood.”

Students can also increase their energy by eating smaller, more frequent meals to spread their calorie intake throughout the day.

Bayless also recommended cutting back on foods that are high in fat, which can shut the body down.

In the end, though, there is no substitute to good, old-fashioned sleep.

“Consuming energy drinks doesn’t guarantee that we’re going to perform better all the time,” Bayless said. “If we’re really deprived of sleep, these products really aren’t going to help.”

Kim Setliff can be reached at [email protected].