Functional Beverages Are Booming—But Do They Live Up to the Hype? Here’s What the Science Says

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Have you found yourself wandering the aisles at the grocery store and noticed that drinks aren’t just drinks anymore? There are mushroom coffees claiming to improve focus, prebiotic sodas that “feed the healthy bacteria in your gut,” electrolyte drink mixes marketed as hydration heroes, and energy drinks that promise to burn body fat. Our collective fascination with ready-to-drink beverages with added health benefits isn’t just a modern wellness trend—it’s been brewing for more than a century.

In 1886, a pharmacist in Atlanta named John Stith Pemberton was struggling with chronic pain. He began experimenting with painkillers in his lab and had the wild idea to concoct a cocaine-laced drink. Marketed as a “temperance tonic,” it promised to cure everything from reduced pain to improved digestion. Pemberton was onto something, because the beverage quickly took off. What started as “Pemberton’s French Wine Coca” would become one of the most-consumed and beloved functional beverages of all time: Coca-Cola. While the cocaine was eventually removed, caffeine was added—making Coke one of the first true energy drinks and an early pioneer in what would grow into today’s $208 billion beverage industry.

While many aspects of the wellness world have changed since then, the idea of a cure-all tonic with supposed health superpowers is more popular than ever. And according to a recent survey by Datassential, more than 80% of consumers are interested in trying them! With nearly every new drink hitting supermarket shelves boasting one health claim or another, it’s tougher than ever to separate fact from hype—especially since their claims are not reviewed or endorsed by the Food and Drug Administration. To help separate fact from fiction, we “poured” through the science—and yes, a few drinks too.

The Beverage Revolution  

Performance in a Bottle 

One of the most popular functional beverages of all time isn’t a new product, but rather something that was created over 60 years ago. An assistant football coach for the University of Florida questioned why players lost so much weight during games but rarely went to the bathroom. The university physician ran various tests on the players and found that their blood sugar and electrolyte levels were extremely low after competition. The researchers determined that losing significant amounts of sodium, potassium and other electrolytes through sweat actually weakened the players’ strength and energy. In 1965, the research team created Gatorade—named for the school’s mascot—to help athletes replace the electrolytes and glucose (aka sugar) they lost during play. Six decades later, it remains the most popular sports drink in the U.S.

Thousands of sports drinks and electrolyte supplements have become available in the years since. “The variety of products that exist serves different purposes for different people,” says Kelly Jones, M.S., RD, CSSD, a board-certified specialist in sports dietetics. For example, sports drinks with less added sugar can be helpful for those working out in the heat for under an hour—especially if they’re sweating out electrolytes but don’t need to replenish carbohydrates, Jones explains. Some people also have saltier sweat (a trait that can be genetic) and may benefit from drinks that are higher in sodium and other electrolytes, she adds.

There are also myriad protein drinks available, from shakes to smoothies to the new “clear protein” seltzers, that are marketed to athletes and active individuals. Lauren Manaker, M.S., RD, CLEC, says that drinks like these offer convenient ways to meet your daily protein needs, but there’s nothing particularly special about the protein they provide. “Whole foods come with added nutrients like vitamins, minerals and fiber, depending on your choice, which you won’t get [enough of] from a protein drink,” Manaker says. Still, with today’s hyperfocus on efficiency, it’s easy to see why these drinks keep flying off shelves.

The Evolution of Functional Beverages 

The functional beverage market has really boomed in recent years, perhaps most notably those aimed at gut health and specifically the prebiotic fiber and probiotic microbes that help your microbiome thrive. Kombucha, a fermented tea that originated in ancient China, gained worldwide popularity in part thanks to the billion-plus probiotics touted on commercially produced bottles. While probiotics can help add diversity to your microbiome and support digestive health, prebiotics are a type of fiber that helps feed these good gut microbes. More recently, sodas made with prebiotics have started trending both on social media and on supermarket shelves.

Other drinks with benefits, from lattes laced with adaptogens to THC-spiked mocktails, occupy a niche but growing corner of the wellness market. Nzinga Harrison, M.D., a double-board certified psychiatrist and addiction specialist, points to three types of commonly used ingredients that many of these functional beverages contain: adaptogens—natural substances like herbs or mushrooms that are thought to help the body manage stress; nootropics, which may support focus, memory or mental clarity; and botanicals like chamomile or lavender that can have soothing effects. “The science here is still early, but it’s an exciting space,” Harrison says. While it’s exciting, it can also be confusing. With so many claims and ingredients, it’s hard to know which bottles actually deliver.

Where Drinks Can Live Up to the Hype: Potential Health Benefits 

A critical mass of TikTok videos can make any wellness drink go viral, but popularity doesn’t equal evidence. Here’s the science that may actually support some of those health claims.

Hydrate Smarter 

If there’s one claim that actually holds up, it’s hydration. There’s plenty of research linking electrolyte drinks to improved athletic performance and hydration. “Fluid is critical to combat sweat losses, and the addition of electrolytes helps to regulate fluid balance [in your body],” Jones says. You lose both electrolytes and water through sweat, and having fewer electrolytes in your blood makes it harder to hold onto the water that you drink. The added sugar in most electrolyte beverages also serves a purpose, Jones says, since carbs help your intestines absorb the water you drink and help your muscles store it. 

It’s also worth noting that electrolytes aren’t just important for sports performance; they’re crucial for basic functioning. Sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium, calcium, phosphate and other electrolytes support fluid balance in your body. Those electrolytes not only help replenish your energy, they also send signals to your muscles (including your heart) telling them to contract and relax.

Reduce Added Sugar Intake 

Beyond hydration, one of the biggest wins from today’s drink innovations is how much less added sugar they pack. Yes, functional beverages can be loaded with it, but some have been formulated to have far less added sugar than many sodas, energy drinks and sweetened coffee drinks. To achieve this, they often include nonnutritive sweeteners (like stevia, monk fruit extract or aspartame), which Manaker says may be helpful when cutting back on added sugar but aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution. “Some people might not tolerate them well,” she says, warning that if you notice symptoms like bloating, gas, diarrhea or headaches after consuming one, you may want to avoid it. 

The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that most people get no more than 50 grams of added sugar per day to reduce chronic disease risk and support an overall balanced eating pattern. If you like to sip on something sweet, swapping traditional sodas for lower-added-sugar drinks can reduce your overall added sugar intake. For example, a regular Coke contains 39 grams of added sugar per 12 ounces, while Poppi’s cola flavor has only 3 grams per 12 ounces. So while low-added-sugar sodas won’t improve your health overnight, every sip could be a small step toward a healthier you.

Help You Cut Back on Booze 

The sober-curious trend isn’t just a fad—it’s reshaped how Americans drink, socialize and even shop. More and more American adults are giving up alcohol—46% reported abstaining in 2025, up from 38% in 2023. That’s the highest recorded number of nondrinkers since Gallup started polling Americans about their booze habits in 1939. The market has responded by branding some functional beverages as nonalcoholic alternatives to traditional beers, wines and liquors, while promising some of the perceived effects of drinking alcohol, like increased calmness or improved mood. “They give people an appealing, nonalcoholic option in social settings, which supports mental health and helps normalize drinking less or not at all,” Harrison says. 

Drinking less comes with myriad potential health benefits. It can lower your risk of cancer, heart disease, liver disease, depression, anxiety, dementia and other memory problems. It may also improve your performance at work or school and help with decision-making and coordination. The benefits, though, come from drinking less alcohol, not from what’s replacing it.

Improve Cognition

Of course, not every functional drink is defined by what it leaves out—some have added ingredients that promise to sharpen your focus or lift your mood. While Harrison notes that sipping a single adaptogenic or nootropic beverage isn’t likely to instantly enhance your mental state, she points out that many of these drinks also contain caffeine, which can have a short-term effect. There’s evidence that a low-to-moderate dose of caffeine (about 40 to 300 milligrams per day) may boost attention and focus. Some research also shows that moderate consumption of coffee specifically—not just any caffeinated beverage—can improve cognitive processing speed, attention and some executive functions like memory.

When it comes to beverages made with adaptogens and nootropics, psychiatrist Peter Hartmann, M.D., DLFAPA, says that it’s really hard to say what each one might do. He explains that because these drinks are typically considered dietary supplements instead of food products or drugs, they aren’t reviewed or endorsed by the FDA. Therefore, there’s no scientific oversight of the claims they make before they’re put on the shelves. Plus, there’s not enough research on the impacts of beverage-size doses of adaptogens, nootropics or botanicals to say whether or not they have measurable benefits, he says. So, while caffeine may give your focus a temporary boost, there’s still no magic potion for productivity.

What Drinks Can’t Do for Your Health  

The functional beverage aisle is packed with big promises. But not every drink delivers on its claims. For every option that offers real benefits, there’s another that’s mostly marketing. Debunking these myths can help you spot the difference. 

Myth #1: They Fix Your Digestive Issues

Gut health sells. In recent years, probiotics and prebiotics have become darlings in the wellness world. But do the products purporting to improve your gut really live up to the hype? “Generally speaking, probiotics can be helpful for promoting a healthy gut microbiome,” says Jasmine Hormati, M.S., RD, CDN, a registered dietitian and certified intuitive eating counselor. “When it comes to probiotic drinks, however, there isn’t enough research to show how they might positively impact a person’s digestive system.” While many of these drinks contain a billion-plus live probiotic cultures per bottle, there’s no way to know how many of these cultures are still alive when you consume the drink, let alone if the cultures will colonize (aka stick around in) your digestive system, which is already home to about 100 trillion bacteria.

Similarly, there’s not enough research on prebiotic sodas to say whether they actually impact your digestive health. For most people, their impact may be marginal at best. And for some, they may even lead to negative side effects. “In some cases, like if you have a digestive condition like IBS, these drinks could actually exacerbate your symptoms,” Hormati adds. This is because of hard-to-digest ingredients, such as inulin, which can cause gas, bloating and stomach pain when consumed in high doses. In short, a bubbly fiber-boosted soda isn’t a substitute for a gut-healthy lifestyle, and it won’t magically rebalance your microbiome.

Myth #2: They Burn Your Body Fat

The “fat-burning” claims on many popular energy drinks? Those are a bit of a stretch. While stimulants like caffeine may slightly boost calorie-burning in the short term, research doesn’t support a link between these thermogenic beverages and meaningful fat or weight loss. In some small studies, participants who consumed these drinks before exercise saw modest increases in fat metabolism or muscle mass. However, the effects were short-lived, and the overall results were minimal or statistically insignificant.

It’s also important to note that all of this research is over 15 years old, so newer research is needed to support these findings. Not only that, not a single study looked at how “fat-burning” drinks may impact body composition or weight in the long term. Yet professional marketers have spun these study results into impressive-sounding claims that may not be totally accurate. 

Myth #3: They Cure “Brain Fog” & “Adrenal Fatigue” 

You’ve probably heard the terms “brain fog” and “adrenal fatigue” used by social content creators, but you may be surprised to learn that these popular terms are not actual medical language. “These terms often emerge because people are trying to make sense of feeling unwell when tests come back ‘normal,’” Harrison says, noting that while they’re not formal diagnoses, they can certainly feel real and come with real symptoms.

Because these terms are vague and nonmedical, marketers use them to promote products. But Harrison says to be wary: “If a drink could truly cure brain fog, every doctor in America would not only be prescribing it, we’d also be taking it!” Sure, some active ingredients in functional beverages (like adaptogens and nootropics) have been linked to potential benefits, but this doesn’t necessarily translate to the drinks themselves.

Myth #4: They’re a Substitute for Healthy Habits

Like most things, functional beverages can have a place in a healthy lifestyle—but they aren’t a substitute for consistent healthy habits. Hartmann points out that many of these drinks draw on ancient Ayurvedic and Chinese medical traditions, both of which use a range of functional ingredients for various health treatments and benefits. “But [these traditions] do not usually prescribe herbal treatments by themselves,” Hartmann says, adding that they’re typically combined with dietary changes, meditation, physical activity, breathing exercises and other health behaviors. 

Hartmann says it’s nearly impossible to determine how specific functional beverages impact health claims like better gut health, improved focus or reduced stress. Each drink contains different active ingredients in varying amounts. Many include multiple active ingredients, which can interact in ways that either cancel out benefits or produce unexpected effects. Because dosage plays a critical role in how an ingredient affects the body, Hartmann notes that researchers would need to study each beverage individually to understand its true effects. That’s why it’s more helpful to evaluate functional drinks based on their key ingredients—and what the science says about them—rather than the promises on the label.

Health experts agree that the best way to take care of your health is by eating a nutritious and varied diet, exercising regularly, limiting alcohol consumption, avoiding tobacco, managing stress and getting enough sleep. Habits like these are a much more science-backed way to reach your health goals instead of taking a gamble on a trending drink.  

Myth #5: They’re Totally Harmless 

While you probably don’t need to throw away the mushroom coffee powder in your cabinet or yerba maté in your fridge, keep in mind that in some cases, functional beverages can actually be dangerous. 

Kratom, leaves from a tree native to Southeast Asia that can be brewed as tea, can have stimulant effects in small doses and sedative effects in larger ones, and can lead to symptoms that range from nausea to seizures. While it’s not technically a controlled substance, the Drug Enforcement Administration recognizes that it can be addictive. And clinical trials as well as scholarly reviews have echoed its addictive potential—as well as the possibility for intense withdrawal symptoms.

There’s also the possibility that some functional beverages might contain too much of a good thing. Some drinks contain high amounts of added vitamin B12—one popular kombucha packs 1,500% of the Daily Value into a 12-ounce can—claiming it can boost energy levels. However, some research links consuming high amounts of vitamin B12 over time to an increased risk of death in older adults. Though it’s unclear whether that’s due to supplementation or other factors, it’s still a reason to exercise caution. Similarly, consuming too much caffeine—from energy drinks and other functional beverages—can cause side effects like increased heart rate, sleep disruptions and digestive discomfort. The FDA recommends consuming no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, though individual tolerances can vary.

All of this is a reminder of how important it is to talk to a health care provider before adding any new drinks or supplements to your routine. 

Drink Recipes You’ll Love 

You don’t need the latest product or powder to reap the benefits of drinking more intentionally. In fact, there are several drinks you can make at home that support your health in similar ways. Homemade hydration drinks and smoothies can offer electrolytes and nutrients to help you maximize performance. Gut-friendly tonics can be mixed with chia seeds and spices for a sip that helps your microbiome thrive. And fizzy, fruity mocktails are perfect for when you want to sip on something special without the alcohol. Each of these drinks is vibrant, flavorful and can be easily made at home—saving you from the search for the right functional beverage and the price tag that comes with it. 

Our Expert Take

What began as a pharmacist’s experimental “tonic” is now a multibillion-dollar category that shows no signs of slowing down. But when you strip away the marketing and buzzwords, most functional drinks land somewhere between helpful and harmless. Trendy wellness drinks won’t magically solve your digestive woes or give you endless focus, but some do come with legit benefits. Electrolyte-packed sports drinks can help boost performance and recovery. Caffeinated energy drinks might give you a little brain boost. And swapping a cocktail or soda for certain functional beverages can help you cut back on added sugar and alcohol, which can reduce your risk of chronic disease and boost your physical and mental health. 

But are these drinks the key to improving your health? No. They’re no stand-in for eating a balanced diet, moving your body regularly, managing stress and getting adequate sleep. But if you want to try mushroom coffee with breakfast or an adaptogenic mocktail with dinner, there’s likely no harm in doing so.