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Invented by University of Texas at San Antonio medical student Vinicio Montes to help his fellow students stay mentally focused, Nerd is the latest niche energy drink to enter the marketplace. Unlike the candy Nerds, however, each can contains only a single flavor. The twist with this energy drink is...

By Jesse Hughey

April 9, 2009

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Invented by University of Texas at San Antonio medical student Vinicio Montes to help his fellow students stay mentally focused, Nerd is the latest niche energy drink to enter the marketplace. Unlike the candy Nerds, however, each can contains only a single flavor.

The twist with this energy drink is that it contains herbal supplements vinpocetine, huperzine A, DMAE and Chinese Gingko Biloba, intended to improve mental acuity, focus, alertness and memory.

And, speaking of mental acuity, the "supplement facts" tab on the brand's web page claims a serving has 110 calories, 28 g of sugars and 80 mg caffeine. Yet reviews consistently list the numbers as 165 calories, 42 g sugars and 120 mg caffeine. Maybe that's because the Nerd website doesn't say what the serving size is. You'd think it would be 12 oz., the amount that comes in a single can, but it looks like they're doing the old soda marketing trick of using an 8 oz. serving size--even though a caffeine claim elsewhere on the site boasts the amount of caffeine contained in each can.

Jesse Hughey

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