Want to know more about G Fuel, your favorite brand
of caffeinated drink? Or are you wondering what the heck it even is? Either way, here
are the Top 10 Untold Truths Of G Fuel.
It's Sugar-Free
G Fuel was launched in 2012 by Gamma Labs, a company in West Babylon, New York. The goal
of the company was to create the healthiest, most effective Energy Formula for gamers and
compete with all of the other energy drinks out there. The first product they released
was a caffeinated energy drink powder that you could mix with water. It started out
with only 3 flavors, but it quickly grew into much more, from ready-to-drink cans and edible
energy crystals. However, what really made them stand out from the rest of the energy
drink crowd was that G Fuel is sugar-free. The idea is that, without the use of sugar, consumers
would avoid that CRASH when the effects of the drink wore off. This is a pretty solid
idea, and when you look at the other energy drinks out there, you do see a good amount
of sugar in them. A can of Red Bull has 10g of sugar, Monster energy drink has 11g, and
AMP has 12g. G Fuel is then the perfect substitute for anyone wanting the kick but without the
sugar. The product also hypes the fact that they use more natural ingredients than their
competitors, as well as the fact that G Fuel is gluten-free and “packed with tons of
antioxidants and b-vitamins.”
A Fast Growing Company
In 2020, G Fuel announced that it had made the Inc. 5000 list, which names the 5000 fastest-growing
private companies in the United States. That’s an impressive list to be a part of and not
bad at all for a company that only launched in 2012. However, what is even more impressive
is that they also made the list in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 - so, they're no stranger to
success! To make the 2020 list, Inc looked at percentage revenue growth from 2016 to
2019. In that time, G Fuel saw a growth of over 195%! G Fuel's explosive growth is mostly
fueled by continuously growing its presence in the thriving gaming and esports community
and constantly trying to better itself. To quote from the press release, “With over
200,000 5-star Shopper Approved Ratings, a shipping network that spans over 125 countries,
a newly-forged nationwide retail campaign, and a global social media footprint of over
625 million followers, G FUEL maintains the industry's largest and most passionate community
of fans.”
The Official Drink of Esports
These days, it seems like every sports league has an “official” something in almost
every category. Did you know that Bridgestone is the official tire of the NFL? Some of these
“official” partnerships might not make much sense. It's more of a way for the sports
organizations to grab the cash and companies to get mega-exposure even if what they’re
selling doesn’t really relate to the actual sport itself. But this isn't the case with
the “official” partnership between G Fuel and Esports. This partnership makes total
sense. Esports athletes need to stay aware, alert, and focused for long stretches at a
time. Playing video games professionally isn’t as easy as many people think, and energy drinks
have always been a part of that world. However, the excess of artificial ingredients and sugars
in most of these drinks can have long term negative effects on a gamer's health. G Fuel
wants to provide gamers with a healthier, more performance-driven alternative to standard
energy drink products. As G Fuel points out on their website, their “first customer
was a professional eSports athlete who wanted an immediate increase in Energy, Focus, and
Endurance; without the use of toxic chemicals or additives found in typical Energy Drinks.” Since
then, they have only expanded their Esports representation, and now, they feature a whole
host of popular gamers, Twitchers, and YouTube celebs as part of their “Team Gamma.”
Lots of Collaborations
Over the years, G Fuel has released a whole variety of flavors. Some were limited editions,
and others have since been discontinued, but one thing that the company loves to do is
team up with athletes and various celebrities and entities in the gaming world to create
collaboration flavors. There was a couple of video game collabs released in 2020, including
a Sonic the Hedgehog-inspired Peach Rings flavor they created in partnership with SEGA.
Then in October of last year, they teamed up with Activision to create the “Wumpa
Fruit” flavor - which was inspired by the video game Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About
Time. Besides those two, the company has also released flavors inspired by other games,
including DOOM Eternal and Resident Evil 3. One of G Fuel’s most recent collaborations
came in October of 2020 when they teamed up with FaZe Clan to celebrate the clan’s 10th
anniversary with “FaZe X.” But wait, there’s more! In 2019 they introduced a new flavor,
“KSI’s Banana Strawberry,” in collaboration with British YouTuber KSI. They also had a
collab flavor with controversial YouTube star Keemstar. However, the company quietly discontinued
his flavor and severed ties with him after conflict arose between him and another YouTuber
who brought to light many less-than-pleasant things about the dude. However, they do still
associate and hype their relationship with mega YouTube celebrity PewDiePie - another
YouTuber who has raised eyebrows and caused some controversy because of some things he
has said.
G Fuel and Tattoos
G Fuel has a bit of a history with tattoos. Like the 2019 video posted on Facebook of
a guy getting a G Fuel tattoo of a can of the stuff. Sure, it was probably a publicity
stunt, but it was also a real tattoo. So, you gotta love a drink a whole lot to get
it inked into your skin forever. An even cooler tattoo fact about the company is something
they posted on Twitter a couple of years back concerning tattoos and their employees. On
National Tattoo Day, back in 2018, G Fuel posted the fun fact that 83% of the company’s
employees have at least one tattoo. How does this compare to the rest of the population
as a whole, you ask? Good question! Well, in 2019, a poll reported that 30% of Americans
have at least one tattoo. And in 2017, another stated that 38% of 18-25-year-olds were inked.
Given those numbers, it actually makes the G Fuel “fun fact” pretty impressive. It
also gives you a good comeback to all those older folks in your life who tell you not
to get a tattoo because it will hurt your chances of finding a job. Although, with that
being said, you might want to think twice about getting a Mike Tyson-Esque face tattoo.
But in the end, you do you!
Taurine
One of the ingredients in G Fuel is taurine, and the makers of G Fuel have been criticized
by some people for not disclosing exactly how much of the stuff is in their product.
Taurine is an organic compound that is widely distributed in animal tissue. As a major constituent
of bile, Taurine is found in the large intestine and is essential for cardiovascular function
and development, and of skeletal muscle, the retina, and the central nervous system. Besides
being found in some energy drinks, Taurine is also used in some cosmetics and contact
lens solutions, among other things. In response to the criticisms about the compound in the
drink, the G Fuel CEO has said that “there is nothing wrong with taurine, especially
in small amounts.” And the science would seem to bear that out. Although, according
to one study, while there is probably nothing wrong with taurine in the amounts being used
in the drink, there probably aren’t any benefits to having it in there either. A 2008
study concluded that “the amounts of guarana, taurine, and ginseng found in popular energy
drinks are far below the amounts expected to deliver either therapeutic benefits or
adverse events.”
Caffeine
While G Fuel, unlike most of its competitors, is sugar-free, it definitely isn’t lacking
in caffeine. Now, caffeine is one of those things that is regulated differently in different
countries, so the exact amount per serving will vary depending on where you are living
(just like how Americans and Canadians haven’t been getting the same exact Mountain Dew for
years). Generally, the amount of caffeine in one 16 ounce serving of G Fuel is 150mg.
This is a little lower than the amount in the same serving size of Red Bull. However,
there are newer cans of G Fuel that have been introduced that contain double the amount
of caffeine, 300mg. Compared to the most popular caffeine delivery system in the world, coffee,
G Fuel certainly holds its own. 2 cups of coffee brings with it about 200mg of caffeine.
So is it safe? Well, there is no real consensus on caffeine safety levels, but once you start
getting over 300mg per day, it can start having adverse effects on your system - depending
on the person - including nausea, headaches, sleep difficulties, or increased anxiety.
There have also been studies suggesting that it only takes 100mg per day to start creating
a dependence. All that being said, for those trying to avoid caffeine altogether, G Fuel
does offer a G Fuel Hydration Formula line that is non-caffeinated.
Lead Lawsuit
In 2018, G Fuel settled a lawsuit with California's Environmental Research Center over lead contamination
in their G Fuel products. The CERC sued G Fuel for not labeling its product properly
under the rules of State Proposition 65. CEO Cliff Morgan explained the issue to the public
in a Twitter post, saying that due to the natural ingredients that G Fuel uses in its
product, there are some trace amounts of lead that get absorbed into them, as is the case
with all “natural vitamins, minerals, fruits and vegetables grown in soil.” According
to Morgan, the amount of lead found in G Fuel is well below the FDA guidelines, but that
California’s Proposition 65 has stricter guidelines, and they require warning labels
on any product that “causes an exposure of 0.5 micrograms of lead per day.” (The
FDA Limit is 75.0 for adults and 6.0 for children). He tweeted that, “My kids and entire family
drink G Fuel. I stand behind the product.” With the lawsuit settled, G Fuel now puts
the proper warning labels on their products in California.
The Cans are Pretty New
It was only a couple of years ago that the only way you could enjoy G Fuel in a can was
to get an empty can, pour in some G Fuel powder, add water, shake and enjoy. When Gamma labs
first introduced G Fuel to the world, it was only available as a powder that the consumer
would have to mix with water to make their own fuel. This obviously did well for them,
and the company's sales grew bigger year after year. But while the powder was doing well,
all of their competitors’ drinks came in single-serving cans. So it was only a matter
of time before G Fuel started doing the same and soon found their cans on store shelves
and in fridges. Well, that was in the summer of 2019. And when they did it, they did it
big by releasing their fuel in 16-ounce cans. For those who don’t know, eight fluid ounces
is equal to one cup. And you don’t have to be a math wiz to know that 16 ounces would
then be equal to two cups. That’s quite a bit of caffeinated fuel for one person.
Even on their website, the company says, that for their canned products, they recommend
you do not exceed one serving per day.
It’s Good, But Not as Good as Water
When it comes to any energy drink, there’s always a safety concern. What's exactly in
it, and given how much some people consume, can it do harm? Well, the folks at Esports
Healthcare did a total breakdown of G Fuel to determine if it was safe. This is particularly
important given that it's the “official energy drink of Esports.” The investigation
broke down every single supplement in G Fuel, looking at what it does and how much is in
each serving of the drink. For example, a serving of G Fuel (one scoop) contains 10
to 25 calories (depending on the flavor), which is not much at all and, as they say,
“will not drastically alter any daily consumption goals you may have.” One of the supplements
in G Fuel is Sucralose, which may have “an inhibitory effect on the growth of healthy
bacteria in the gut.” However, the research on this is still uncertain. And according
to the FDA, the amount in a G Fuel serving is within acceptable guidelines. We won’t
bore you with every single supplemental fact check, but we will quote their conclusions,
which state, "compared to other energy supplements targeted for gamers, G FUEL is an excellent
choice… and a healthier alternative to sugar-loaded energy drinks. However, at the end of the
day, we still suggest drinking water vs. any artificially flavored beverage. And, if you
want a boost, consider black coffee, green tea, or other natural sources of caffeine.
Ultimately, natural and unaltered ingredients are usually a healthier option.” So basically,
choose that next drink carefully.
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