Antimatter: The Cosmos Answer to Red Bull

When I was in middle school if you wanted to work up a solid caffeine buzz you pretty much were reliant on Mountain Dew or the rarer, but more treasured Jolt Cola. After all, with the tag line "All the sugar, twice the caffeine!", it was hard not to get excited at the prospect of pure, fast burning, twitch-inducing rocket fuel to pour down your throat.

When I was in middle school if you wanted to work up a solid caffeine buzz you pretty much were reliant on Mountain Dew or the rarer, but more treasured Jolt Cola. After all, with the tag line "All the sugar, twice the caffeine!", it was hard not to get excited at the prospect of pure, fast burning, twitch-inducing rocket fuel to pour down your throat.

Then college came and Mountain Dew became more of a routine, mid-morning replacement for coffee in order to power through early morning (9:00?! What is this, the third shift??) classes. Little did I know a revolution was about to unfold within the beverage industry,
when Red Bull, the grand daddy of energy drinks hit the market and put everything short of a triple-shot of espresso on notice.

It didn't take long for the market to flood with competition: Amp, Hansen's, Monster, Rockstar, Pimp Juice, Crunk, you couldn't swing a cat and not hit half a dozen new super-caffeinated, sugary 8oz
cannisters of wake up juice.

The ingredients lists were ever-expanding as all of these competitors vied to create more exotic and potent cocktails to capture the caffeine crazed market: Taurine, Ginseng, Guarana, B-6, B-12, you name it. Additives that you used to have to go Vitamin World or Chinatown to obtain could now found in volume at your local Circle K.

So how's a beverage supposed to create some excitement when seemingly every possible angle has been explored to create marketing buzz in a supersaturated market? Take it to the next level; into orbit.
Microgravity Enterprises has released Antimatter Energy Drink. Boasting "The World's First Space Energy Drink" and "produced from ingredients that have been flown into space", Antimatter claims to improve mental focus (to calculate reentry angles), reaction time (to avoid asteroid belts) and physical stamina (for those marathon space walks). Unfortunately I couldn't find details about what exact ingredients have been shot into space and then bottled for masses, but I'm certain this cosmic ride produces some tangible benefit, rather than just a clever marketing gimmick...

In addition to having travel out of our atmosphere, Microgravity has also thrown in a supplement list large enough to staff Kennedy Space Center: Niacin, B5, B6, B12, Cinnamon Extract, Inositol, Taurine,
Ginko Biloba, Ginseng Extract, Glucuronolactone (I don't know either but it supposedly "Improves Reaction Time, Increases Alertness, Detoxifies") Guarana, Grape Seed Extract, Gotu Kola Nut Extract and Milk Thistle. Currently you can only get all of this goodness within original Antimatter, however Green Apple, Antimatter Zero-Carb Regular and Zero-Carb Green Apple are coming soon.

Antimatter is available at select retail outlets or online through their web store. A case will net you 24 8.4fl oz cans and set you back $45 plus shipping. Unfortunately I could not find a local vendor in Boston to give this a taste test and see how it stacks up to its energy competition, but if Microgravity wants some more free press and PR they can certainly send me a few cases for my next Vodka & Antimatter House Party.

-Dan Wilkos

The ingredients lists were ever-expanding as all of these competitors vied to create more exotic and potent cocktails to capture the caffeine crazed market: Taurine, Ginseng, Guarana, B-6, B-12, you name it. Additives that you used to have to go Vitamin World or Chinatown to obtain could now found in volume at your local Circle K.

So how's a beverage supposed to create some excitement when seemingly every possible angle has been explored to create marketing buzz in a supersaturated market? Take it to the next level; into orbit.
Microgravity Enterprises has released Antimatter Energy Drink. Boasting "The World's First Space Energy Drink" and "produced from ingredients that have been flown into space", Antimatter claims to improve mental focus (to calculate reentry angles), reaction time (to avoid asteroid belts) and physical stamina (for those marathon space walks). Unfortunately I couldn't find details about what exact ingredients have been shot into space and then bottled for masses, but I'm certain this cosmic ride produces some tangible benefit, rather than just a clever marketing gimmick...

In addition to having travel out of our atmosphere, Microgravity has also thrown in a supplement list large enough to staff Kennedy Space Center: Niacin, B5, B6, B12, Cinnamon Extract, Inositol, Taurine,
Ginko Biloba, Ginseng Extract, Glucuronolactone (I don't know either but it supposedly "Improves Reaction Time, Increases Alertness, Detoxifies") Guarana, Grape Seed Extract, Gotu Kola Nut Extract and Milk Thistle. Currently you can only get all of this goodness within original Antimatter, however Green Apple, Antimatter Zero-Carb Regular and Zero-Carb Green Apple are coming soon.

Antimatter is available at select retail outlets or online through their web store. A case will net you 24 8.4fl oz cans and set you back $45 plus shipping. Unfortunately I could not find a local vendor in Boston to give this a taste test and see how it stacks up to its energy competition, but if Microgravity wants some more free press and PR they can certainly send me a few cases for my next Vodka & Antimatter House Party.

-Dan Wilkos

Comments

[ThankGodForAtheism]

I don't know my B5 from my Glucuronolactone, but this seems to me like "just another energy drink".

Red Bull:

"Summary. The effects of Red Bull Energy Drink, which includes taurine, glucuronolactone, and caffeine amongst the ingredients, were examined over 3 studies in a total of 36 volunteers. Assessments included psychomotor performance (reaction time, concentration, memory), subjective alertness and physical endurance. When compared with control drinks, Red Bull Energy Drink significantly (P < 0.05) improved aerobic endurance (maintaining 65–75% max. heart rate) and anaerobic performance (maintaining max. speed) on cycle ergometers. Significant improvements in mental performance included choice reaction time, concentration (number cancellation) and memory (immediate recall), which reflected increased subjective alertness. These consistent and wide ranging improvements in performance are interpreted as reflecting the effects of the combination of ingredients."

Source:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/xxdbgvjy9ke72wbl/

What is the point in this new Antimatter drink, and why is it being "advertised" on DG?

I get that it has been proven in space, but I don't think getting an energy drink to "perform" in space is really a number one priority... does Red Bull not work in one of those space drink packets?

I don't like any energy drinks whatsoever, though caffeine etc. have been proven to have health benefits, the decrease in overall satisfaction is not worth it... the large majority of people who give up energy drinks (including morning coffee fixes i.e. to "wake you up") report they have a dramatic decrease in mood swings and a much more consistent day. Not to mention the withdrawl symptons.

Sources:

http://coffeetea.about.com/od/caffeine/a/symptoms.htm
http://www.overcaffeinated.org/stories/index.php

P.s. Regarding just caffeine... I never thought something like coffee could cause LSD like effects but...
http://www.erowid.org/experiences/subs/exp_Caffeine.shtml