I bought 2 Piranha Energy Drinks in the supermarket because it was on sale and it said energy drink on it. I was curious how it fared against Carbo Rush which I liked and recommended. Unlike Carbo Rush, Piranha can be bought in supermarkets rather than vitamin stores.

What is Piranha?

Piranha is a liquid drink, which comes in an 8.4-fluid ounce, narrow metal can. I paid $.99 for it on sale from $1.29. It has a pop-top like a can of soda making it very difficult to carry around in the gym for fear of it spilling. I also found that remnants of the liquid linger around the top of it after I drink it.

It is considered an energy drink with the following warning on it “One serving contains about as much caffeine as a cup of coffee. Not intended for young children and persons sensitive to stimulants such as caffeine or for use with products that may contain stimulants such as medications for allergies, asthma…..Do not use if pregnant or lactating, or with alcohol.”

It is also available in 16-ounce cans and is intended for the high performance athlete or extreme sports enthusiast. The suggested retail price of the larger size is $2.49. I bought Phunky Fruit Passion. It also comes in Piranha Outrageous Orange Pineapple, Bone Crushing Citrus and 2 new flavors, Wild Watermelon Kiwi and Pucker Up Apple.

These products contain what the company claims is an energy-producing combination of caffeine, zhi-shi, guarana, naringin and green tea that “allows Piranha drinkers to grab the speed and power they require when and where they need it. (www.eas.com) We are told on the can to “bite back with a high intensity taurine energy blend." (Details of these ingredients are coming.)

This product is made by EAS, the company started by Bill Phillips (of Body for Life fame). The expiration date is on the bottom of the can.

Piranha has 35 grams of sugar, (as compared to 0 in Carbo Rush) They both have 10 mg. of sodium. Piranha has 140 calories and 35 grams of carbohydrates. The calories and carbohydrates are 1/2 of that contained in Carbo Rush but it is less than 1/2 the size so the differences among those two ingredients are not significant.

It contains no cholesterol, no fiber and no protein. This is not a meal replacement drink and it isn’t intended to be.

There are no vitamins in this product so let’s see what is in it.

Naringin, zhi-shi and guarana are extracts from fruits that help prolong energy. It also contains caffeine, and green tea.

Naringin is an extract from grapefruit, and has been shown in studies to have a potent effect on the half-life of caffeine in the body (extending the rate at which caffeine is broken down). As such, naringin may effectively prolong the thermogenic activity of caffeine in the body so that it may continue to exert a fat burning effect for a longer period of time.

What this means is this: Something non-thermogenic should help my body process fat more efficiently and there is some increase in my metabolism. Carbo rush is non-thermogenic. Non-thermogenic has no stimulants. Thermogenic is a stimulant- like Ephedra (Ephedra is also known as ma huang, a plant, which has stimulant effects, aids in weight loss and increases energy in many individuals )and caffeine, which you’ll find in some products like Hydroxycut. Since I already take Xenadrine adding more caffeine to my body may not be the best idea but let’s see what affect Piranha had on me.

Zhi-shi also known as Synephrine is similar in chemical structure and function to ephedrine, although the stimulatory effects elicited from this product tends to be more mild. Unlike ephedrine, synephrine does not cross the blood-brain barrier and directly stimulate the central nervous system, but it still may offer many of the same effects as a facilitator for bodyfat reduction.

Green Tea offers several beneficial effects, including glucose disposal, antioxidant protection, and thermogenic activity. Green tea's thermogenic properties stem from the fact that it naturally contains caffeine.

Other ingredients include: water, sugar and regarding the above ingredients that should give you the energy you need, according to the can “contains less than 2% of the following: proprietary synergistic energy complex (which is the caffeine, taurine, naringin, green teal leaf extract, zhi-shi extract and guarana seeds.) It also contains natural and artificial flavors, citric acid, malic acid, potassium (though since it isn’t listen on the nutrition facts there must be very little), calcium edta (preservative), red #40 and Blue #1.

Taurine is the second most abundant amino acid in muscle tissue. Supplemental dietary taurine may have a "cell-volumizing" effect. This means that taurine may help to drive more water into muscle cells, creating an anabolic environment for muscle growth. It also may aid in driving more nutrients into muscle cells. (Please note the many "may haves" in these statements.)

Guarana has the same chemical composition as caffeine, theine and cocaine, and the same physiological action. Its benefit is for nervous headache or the distress that accompanies menstruation. It is not recommended for chronic headache or in cases where it is not desirable to increase the temperature, or excite the heart or increase arterial tension.
http://www.symmetrix.ch/Public/guarana/

What is it for and who should use it:

As is told to us by the company with the non-thermogenic affects this should only be used by adults and those adults who are working out for close to 2 hours or doing extreme sports. Given that this formula is less than 2% of the drink I do question its usefulness but we’ll come to that in a moment. I am glad that unlike Carbo Rush there is a statement saying this is not for children.

We are not told when to drink this (before, during or after a workout) so if you choose this and like it, you may have to play around with it to see when it works best for you.

What did it do for me?

Unlike Carbo Rush, this did nothing for me. I drank it before my workout since I knew the pop-top was going to be a problem in the gym. I drink decaf in the morning and would just prefer to have a cup of coffee. If I felt any extra energy, it wasn’t much. One cup of coffee is not usually enough caffeine to give a weight lifter enough of a rush to get through a grueling workout, in my opinion. Xenadrine does give me energy and although I am not recommending it in this review (It is controversial and can be harmful.) if it is a boost you want, one small can of Piranha will not do it. They have added the larger can recently. We now have the equivalent of 2 cups of coffee which for $.99 isn't a bad deal.

What does it taste like?

Well, this is the bottom line really, because no matter how well it works (which it doesn't but if it did) if I can't swallow it, the product is useless to me.

I said that Carbo Rush wasn’t delicious enough to drink in one long gulp. Again, just my opinion based on one flavor, this is awful. I could barely drink it and I really felt sick for most of the day from that one drink. Although it only costs $.99 I will return the other can, just so the store knows that at least one consumer didn't like it.

It smells like cherry flavored cough syrup and tastes like bad tasting cherry flavored cough syrup. There is a bit of a fizz to it, which doesn’t add anything positive to it. It just makes it harder to swallow. When they tell us on the can that it bites back, it sure does. It has quite a bite and not one I will try again. In fact, I wouldn’t even try another flavor, although I do like kiwi but I wouldn’t bother.

I see no reason for this product. I like many of Bill Phillips' products and EAS has also made Piranha in chips and snacks, though I haven’t seen them in the stores yet. Perhaps they taste better and will give me a boost. Right now, though, you can only get those by calling a number on the website, not something I am doing really soon.

My final thoughts:

I can’t recommend this for anyone. I think it is a waste of money. Buy yourself a cup of coffee instead. The ingredients that might give you energy seem to be limited in percentages. Even if the percentages were great I can’t recommend it because I could barely get it down. In my opinion, this is one of the worst tasting products I have encountered. Stay away from it, though the picture of the Piranha on the can is kind of cute.

Other than Guarana, the ingredient's definitions have come from www.eas.com.

Feel free to e-mail me or leave a comment if you have any questions.

Other reviews that you might find helpful:

Ultra Pure Protein Shake
Power Gel
Piranha Energy Drinks
Carbo Rush
Xenadrine
Hydroxycut
Spirut-tein shake
Kashi GoLean Bars
Spirut-tein Bars
Power Bar Harvest Dipped
Ensure Bar
Power Bar Pria
Propel Water
PowerBar Protein Plus
Atkins Advantage Bars
Multivitamins
Labrada'sLean Body for Her Bar
Balance Bar Gold
Myoplex Lite
Power Bar
Optimum Soy Protein
EAS Myoplex Shake
Choosing A Sports Nutrition Formula
Atkins Diet
Carbo Rush

























Recommended: No