Celsius causes brain fog

Question

Celsius and other caffeinated drinks can lead to brain fog and fatigue.

Comments

While the referenced source contained well-examined links, external articles, and other proofs with authority, the title of this factcheck itself was somewhat misleading. It was indeed true that caffeine could possibly produce brain frogs according to the article attached, but there was not a single word or line that specified caffeinated drinks such as Celsius specifically. This title was leading the audience to target Celsius and other caffeinated drinks in a narrow way, regardless of the fact that caffeine was also in coffee or tea. The source provided only mentioned caffeine in general could lead to brain fog but any type of caffeine product. This factcheck could improved better by modifying the main message to "caffeine can lead to brain fog and fatigue". Other than this, the source being used was very convincing, since it contained proofs from professionals such as doctors.

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The response was well-written and descriptive, but the claim it addressed was overly broad and somewhat misleading. The article primarily discusses the effects of caffeine in general, using Celsius it just one example of a caffeinated beverage.

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I agree that it would be good for them to expand on how caffeine affects sleep, and how sleep, or the lack of, is the true cause of brain fog and not caffeine. I also agree with your stance on individual intake. Caffeine is something that each person has a different tolerance to, depending on how much they use it. It’s not as accurate when you test people who have different tolerances to caffeine.

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I agree that this is a good question especially for our generation. This generation takes caffeine in so many different forms. I think if this article was more specific with what drinks are worse than others it would be more credible. With all the different kinds of caffeine there are these days it doesn’t make sense to group them all into one category.

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I really like the way you worded this and fully agree I think the amount of caffeine we intake should definitely be somewhat of a worry

Answer 1

To fact check this claim, I first wanted to find similar sources to the one you listed. I found a blog post from thecenterforfunctionalhealth.com that lists the reasons why coffee makes brain fog worse, although it doesn't list any actual data as to why this occurs. I found another article from vogue, that lists caffeine as one of the reasons why you might have brain fog. In this section, they use a quote from a doctor, which claims “Caffeine can aggravate the symptoms of brain fog because, by using it excessively to help counteract the feeling of fatigue and lack of clarity, it can then impact your sleep, which in turn aggravates the symptoms even more,” explains Dr. McCarthy. but again, the article does not list any scientific evidence or data for this occurrence. Going back to your original article, there is a study listed from the national library of medicine, which is a government affiliated source, so it can be trusted. Although this study has no mention of caffeine being connected to brain fog, instead talks about the effects caffeine can have on sleeping habits. Because there is no real evidence to back up your original claim, this can't be declared as true or false. 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3805807/

https://thecenterforfunctionalhealth.com/blog/why-coffee-can-make-brain-fog-worse/

https://www.vogue.com/article/how-to-deal-with-brain-fog#:~:text=%E2%80%9CCaffeine%20can%20aggravate%20the%20symptoms,McCarthy.

Answer 2

An article claims that energy drinks, such as Celsius, cause brain fog and fatigue in the mornings. The article also references "Vail Health," stating that they do not recommend following a nutritious diet because blood sugar swings can cause inconsistent brain fuel, resulting in brain fog.

What Vail Health Actually Says

The Vail Health website discusses brain fog as a symptom of various factors, including poor sleep, high or low blood sugar (especially in diabetic individuals), and dehydration. The site recommends lifestyle changes such as better sleep hygiene, reduced alcohol and caffeine intake, regular healthy meals, and increased water consumption to mitigate brain fog.

Nowhere on the site does Vail Health discourage following a nutritious diet. Instead, it emphasizes balanced eating as a way to prevent issues like blood sugar swings.

Caffeine, Sleep, and Brain Fog

It’s well-established that caffeine consumption, especially late in the day, can disrupt sleep patterns. Poor sleep, in turn, contributes to brain fog and fatigue. However, this is an indirect effect. The claim that energy drinks directly cause brain fog lacks evidence in the article and in the referenced materials.

Additionally, the Vail Health site highlights dehydration as a major contributor to brain fog. This is an important point often overlooked in discussions about energy drinks, which can have a mild diuretic effect due to their caffeine content.

Clickbait Concerns

The article’s headline appears to overstate the connection between energy drinks and brain fog to attract clicks. While there is some truth to the idea that energy drinks, through their impact on sleep and hydration, could contribute to brain fog, the linked evidence does not conclusively support the claim that they are a direct cause.

Partially true, but misleading. Energy drinks like Celsius can indirectly contribute to brain fog and fatigue due to their caffeine content affecting sleep and potential dehydration. However, these effects are not unique to energy drinks and can occur with other sources of caffeine. The claim about Vail Health discouraging a nutritious diet is false and misrepresents the referenced material.

https://www.vailhealth.org/news/could-it-be-brain-fog

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3805807

Answer 3

While it is true and studied that too much caffeine can result in worsened brain fog, there are no articles or research to prove that Celsius, or energy drinks themselves, are specific causes of brain fog. Through my own research, I discovered that nowhere is it claimed that caffeine directly causes brain fog, but instead a reliance and over consumption can only worsen brain fog. As stated in, "Why Caffeine can Make Brain Fog Worse", published by The Center for Functional Health, "While caffeine may be good for a quick burst of energy, your health can take a hit if you are over-consuming it. Additionally, it doesn’t address the root cause of your brain fog...". While I do agree with the portion of the article that states caffeine consumption can have negative effects on sleep schedules, the overall claim that Celsius and other energy drinks directly cause brain fog is misleading and false.

https://thecenterforfunctionalhealth.com/blog/why-coffee-can-make-brain-fog-worse/

Answer 4

While searching on News Detective for a post to fact check, I saw one that caught my attention that said Celcius causes brain fog. I found this post interesting because I often drink Celcius and find myself having a hard time working on school work so I stopped drinking them. While doing research to see if this was a true fact, almost every article I opened said yes. There was one article that really went into depth about the causes behind the brain fog that might be a reaction from caffeine. The reason humans can experience brain fog is due to chronic fatigue syndrome or CFS. CFS has no known cause, cure, or no way to test for a diagnosis. Not only does caffeine cause brain fog but also “In addition to insomnia, coffee dependence could be causing a rapid heartbeat, increased anxiety and overall feelings of restlessness.” (Roche) I would say that after fact-checking the comment I found on News Detective would be correct because of scientific proof. 

Roche, Dylan. “Caffeine & Brain Fog.” LIVESTRONG.COM, www.livestrong.com/article/440331-caffeine-brain-fog/.

Answer 5

This article claims that caffeine causes brain fog. A popular brand was used in the heading to hook readers in, but was misleading. In the article it mostly talked about caffeine as a whole and not specific drinks. Brain fog is an annoying thing that a lot of people deal with, but in the article it said, “brain fog is a little hard to define because it's not an actual clinically diagnosed condition.” This article can’t be 100% truthful due to this. The brain fog that people feel related to caffeine happens on the comedown of it.