Nutritional Composition and Labelling Profiles of Sugar-Containing Sports and Energy Drinks Available in Supermarkets in Egypt

Abstract

Energy and sports drinks are widely available in Egyptian supermarkets; however, local evidence on their nutritional composition remains limited. This cross-sectional study characterized the label-reported nutritional profiles of sugar-containing sports and energy drinks sold in selected major supermarket chains in Cairo, Alexandria, and Giza and compared package-level sugar and caffeine contents with selected Saudi Food and Drug Authority daily reference limits. Eighty unique products were included (38 sports drinks and 42 energy drinks). Nutritional information was extracted from product labels and verified against manufacturer sources when clarification was required. Between-category comparisons were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test, and exploratory principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify correlated nutrient patterns. Energy drinks had higher median concentrations than sports drinks of energy (44.7 vs 20.0 kcal/100 mL), carbohydrate (10.8 vs 5.0 g/100 mL), sugar (10.75 vs 4.45 g/100 mL), and caffeine (32 vs 0 mg/100 mL; all p<0.001). Sports drinks had higher label-reported magnesium and potassium contents (both p<0.001), whereas sodium did not differ significantly (p=0.916). Despite their lower sugar concentration, the larger package sizes of sports drinks resulted in substantial package-level sugar exposure: only 50.0% of sports drinks and 31.0% of energy drinks contained no more than 25 g sugar per package. All products were below both the 200- and 300-mg caffeine reference values per package; however, cumulative exposure, other dietary sources, individual body weight, and the adolescent weight-based criterion were not assessed. PCA identified two components explaining 70.3% of total variance: an energy-sugar-caffeine component (47.7%) and an electrolyte-mineral component (22.6%). These findings demonstrate distinct formulation patterns and show that lower nutrient concentration does not necessarily indicate lower package-level exposure. Clear per-package labeling, consumer guidance, reformulation, regulatory surveillance, and laboratory verification of label-declared values are warranted.