A group of students sits outside a local nutrition store, holding clear cups with brightly colored drinks. These are “loaded teas,” drinks made using different flavored mixes that contain vitamins and large quantities of caffeine.

One of those students is Kori Edwards, a sophomore biomedical engineering major. Her drink is named after a popular sci-fi series and has layers of red and blue. When mixed, the drink becomes a murky purple.

Edwards has been drinking loaded teas in Starkville since she discovered the store in August. She said that she used to drink them when she was in high school in Richland, MS, as well.

“It’s a super convenient way to get my caffeine fix,” she said. “I always get this one because I like how it tastes, and I love the ‘Star Wars’ movies.”

Loaded teas have been around for over a decade. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact time when they emerged, but their popularity in Starkville began in the late 2010s, with Starkville Nutrition opening in August 2018. Now, in 2025, there are six nutrition stores across the town, showcasing the ever-growing popularity of the trend.

An employee who has been working at a local nutrition store for the last four years said that the majority of the store’s business comes from MSU students.

“I think they started off being popular from the color of them…” the employee said. “Also, the flavor. You don’t even have to get the caffeine in it, but it’s just the flavor that’s just, like, addicting, I would say.”

Mandy Conrad, a registered dietitian and assistant clinical professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Nutrition and Health Promotion at Mississippi State University, said that the loaded tea trend is largely popular due to the business model behind most nutrition stores.

“It’s multiple-level marketing,” Conrad said. “It’s not a nutrition store; it’s a business.”

All six nutrition stores in Starkville purchase their supplies from Herbalife, a dietary supplement company known for its multi-level marketing approach. This means that they have a network of business owners who sell their products to consumers. These business owners earn a commission by selling Herbalife products. In this instance, many nutrition stores sell teas to consumers to generate profits and earn additional bonuses from Herbalife. 

Herbalife was sued by the Federal Trade Commission in 2016 for deceiving individuals into believing that they could make thousands of dollars by opening their own nutrition stores. At the time, sellers were rewarded with bonuses when they had high sales or recruited other people to sell Herbalife products. The lawsuit ended in Herbalife paying out a total of $200 million to almost 350,000 people and restructuring its business model to reward members. 

The restructuring required that at least two-thirds of the financial bonuses that sellers received would be based on the amount of retail sales rather than how many people they recruit. Additionally, at least 80% of their products must be going to “legitimate end users.” This aims to prevent the previously common habit of Herbalife sellers buying more product than they could sell in their communities, therefore losing money on the products.

Herbalife is also now required to prohibit sellers from incurring the costs of leasing or buying a space to start nutrition clubs until the seller has successfully completed one year of distributing Herbalife products. Sellers must also complete a business training course before they are allowed to open a nutrition club.

Conrad said that the labeling of these stores as “nutrition” deceives many consumers into trusting that the teas are good for them. However, she said that most of the people running the stores do not really know what is in the teas, and they do not always share nutritional information with customers.

According to a journal article published by U.S. Pharmacist, loaded teas are, in practice, dietary supplements. Since they are not technically food, they do not have as many FDA regulations. Because of this supplement designation, stores can describe their teas any way they want, including as nutritional and healthy. 

“[Customers] feel like they’re getting health benefits from them, and while they may have vitamins or supplements added that could be associated with those things,” Conrad said. “I don’t know that people realize either that these are considered supplements, not food, so that is not regulated the same way that food is. They make claims about what’s in it, but it is really probably not that.”

Conrad said the most significant problem with this is the lack of awareness about the amount of caffeine in these drinks. While some stores in Starkville display nutrition information for their drinks, including caffeine amounts, others do not. Additionally, consumers may not be aware of what a “normal” amount of caffeine is.

While some may turn to coffee or energy drinks, a growing number of students drink loaded teas to get their daily boost of energy. The main difference lies in the amount of caffeine that loaded teas contain. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that the average eight-ounce cup of coffee contains about 95 milligrams of caffeine, and most popular energy drinks contain between 100 and 200 milligrams of caffeine per can. In comparison, U.S. Pharmacist says that loaded teas can contain 100 to 285 milligrams of caffeine.

The Herbalife website shows that one serving of “Liftoff,” an ingredient that is commonly added to loaded teas, contains 351 milligrams of caffeine. When combined with one serving of Herbalife N-R-G (Nature’s Raw Guarana) blend, which includes 40 milligrams of caffeine, a loaded tea can contain up to 391 milligrams of caffeine. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration states that 400 milligrams of caffeine is the amount most adults can consume in a day without experiencing negative consequences. However, Conrad said the problems start to arise for students when they are not aware of how much caffeine they consume.

“I don’t know that people realize just how much more [caffeine] they have than, like, a soda or a cup of coffee,” Conrad said. “If you couple that with a soda, a cup of coffee, pre-workout supplements that have caffeine, it’s just a lot of caffeine.” 

The FDA lists several side effects from consuming too much caffeine, including increased heart rate, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, insomnia, anxiety, jitters, upset stomach, nausea and headache.

Additionally, the National Institute of Health recognizes caffeine as an addictive substance. Conrad said that many students fall into a cycle of consuming caffeine to stay awake, not being able to sleep because of their caffeine usage and then using caffeine to stay awake again the next day. 

“Staying up may seem like a good thing, because you’re up and you’re able to study, but then the next day, once that stimulant is gone, and you haven’t actually gotten sleep, then you’re going to be tired, so then you feel like, ‘Oh, I need an energy drink,’” Conrad said. “It really just kind of perpetuates that cycle.”

In general, Conrad said that the takeaway about loaded teas and other energy drinks is that consumers should be aware of how much caffeine they are consuming.

“If you deal with trouble focusing, if you deal with anxiety, if you deal with issues sleeping, then seriously consider your caffeine intake,” Conrad said.