Food
10 Things You Didn’t Know About G Fuel
Unless you’re a gamer, you might not know a lot about G Fuel – or even what it is, for that matter. However, if you are, then chances are, you’re drinking some right now. If you want to know more about your favorite brand of caffeinated drink, or simply curious as to what the heck it is, stay tuned for this Top 10 Untold Truths Of G Fuel.
10. 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 – Blue Ice, Fruit Punch, and Lemon Lime, 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.”
9. 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%! After the company made the list for the fifth straight year, G Fuel founder and CEO Cliff Morgan said they were “grateful to have such dedicated employees, and honored by the support of their loyal partners and millions of fans worldwide… and that the best was yet to come!” 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.” Not too shabby G FUEL, not too shabby.
8. 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? Or that the official food delivery app of the NHL is Skip The Dishes? 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.”
7. 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. And even then… We don’t think Sheldon Cooper has a tribal YooHoo armband tattoo, and as far as we know, Carrie Bradshaw doesn’t have “cosmopolitan” tattooed on her lower back. 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!
6. 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 accounts for up to 0.1% of total human body weight. Taurine 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.”
5. 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 exact same 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. Sixteen ounces (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. So, as with anything, moderation is key. Especially for younger guys and girls who are generally the ones consuming energy drinks. 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.
4. 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.
3. 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.
2. 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.
1. It’s Good, But Not as Good as Water
When it comes to any energy drink, there is 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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