Roar Organic is a better choice than a can of soda or a sugar-loaded sports drink, but calling it “healthy” requires some fine print. The coconut-water-based beverage keeps calories low (around 10 to 20 per can depending on the flavor), avoids added sugar in favor of stevia and erythritol, and includes B vitamins, vitamin C, and electrolytes. That ingredient list reads well on the surface. Dig into the research on each component, though, and you find a more complicated picture involving emerging cardiovascular concerns about erythritol, questions about whether the added vitamins do anything meaningful for most people, and citric acid that can quietly wear down tooth enamel.
What Is Actually in the Can
Roar Organic’s base is filtered water and organic coconut water, which supplies a modest amount of potassium and naturally occurring electrolytes. The drinks are sweetened with a combination of stevia leaf extract and erythritol, a sugar alcohol. They contain added B vitamins (B5, B6, B12) and vitamin C, along with citric acid for tartness and “natural flavors” sourced from plant extracts. No artificial colors or preservatives are listed. The calorie count stays low because the sweeteners contribute little to no metabolic energy. On paper, this looks like a hydration drink that skips the worst offenders found in mainstream sports drinks and sodas.
The “organic” certification applies to certain ingredients, primarily the coconut water, flavoring agents, and the stevia. It does not mean every component in the can was grown without synthetic chemicals, and it says nothing about whether the final product improves your health. More on that distinction later.
Stevia and Erythritol as Sweeteners
Roar Organic avoids cane sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, which is genuinely a point in its favor for anyone watching their sugar intake. But the replacements deserve their own scrutiny.
Stevia, a plant-derived sweetener, has a generally favorable profile in the research. A meta-analysis looking at its effect on blood sugar found that stevia consumption was linked to modest reductions in blood glucose, particularly in people with higher body mass, diabetes, or high blood pressure, though it did not significantly change insulin levels or long-term blood sugar markers like HbA1c.1Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews. Effect of stevia on blood glucose and HbA1C: A meta-analysis A separate trial in people with type 2 diabetes found that stevia in tea could serve as an alternative to artificial sweeteners without affecting blood glucose, insulin, or lipid levels.2PubMed Central. Effects of stevia on glycemic and lipid profile of type 2 diabetic patients: A randomized controlled trial For most people, stevia appears to be a benign sweetener that does not spike blood sugar.
Erythritol is more complicated. It is a sugar alcohol that occurs naturally in some fruits and fermented foods, and studies in both lean and obese subjects, including people with diabetes, have consistently shown that typical doses do not affect blood glucose or insulin levels.3PubMed Central. Erythritol: An In-Depth Discussion of Its Potential to Be a Beneficial Dietary Component From a blood sugar standpoint, erythritol looks clean. The trouble is elsewhere.
The Erythritol Cardiovascular Question
In 2023, a large study published in Nature Medicine found that circulating levels of erythritol were associated with a higher risk of major cardiovascular events, including heart attack, stroke, and death. In two independent groups of patients undergoing heart evaluations, people with erythritol blood levels in the top quarter had roughly 1.8 to 2.2 times the risk of a cardiovascular event compared to those in the bottom quarter. The same research team showed that at levels the body actually reaches after consuming erythritol, the sweetener increased platelet reactivity and promoted blood clot formation in lab and animal studies. In a small pilot study of healthy volunteers, drinking erythritol caused plasma levels to spike well above the thresholds linked to heightened clotting and remain elevated for more than two days.4PubMed Central. The artificial sweetener erythritol and cardiovascular event risk
A follow-up study reinforced the concern: healthy volunteers who ingested erythritol, but not glucose, showed enhanced platelet reactivity. The researchers concluded that the findings warranted a discussion about whether erythritol still deserves its “Generally Recognized as Safe” designation from the FDA.5PubMed Central. Ingestion of the Non-Nutritive Sweetener Erythritol, but Not Glucose, Enhances Platelet Reactivity and Thrombosis Potential in Healthy Volunteers-Brief Report
This does not mean a single can of Roar Organic will give you a heart attack. The observational data came from patients who were already at elevated cardiac risk, and the pilot intervention study was small. But the findings are serious enough that people who drink erythritol-containing beverages regularly, and who have existing cardiovascular risk factors, should be aware of them. Roar Organic contains a relatively small amount of erythritol compared to, say, dumping spoonfuls of it into your coffee, but the research has not yet drawn a clear safe threshold for daily intake.
Electrolytes and Hydration
Roar Organic markets itself as a hydration drink, and the coconut water base gives it some credibility on that front. Coconut water naturally contains potassium, magnesium, and sodium, though in amounts that vary by source and processing. The question is whether this translates to meaningful hydration advantages.
Research comparing coconut water to traditional carbohydrate-electrolyte sports drinks in exercise-trained men found no significant differences in body mass recovery, fluid retention, plasma osmolality, or time to exhaustion during exercise. All tested beverages, including plain water, were capable of promoting rehydration. The one notable downside: participants reported more bloating and stomach upset with coconut water than with the sports drink or water.6The FASEB Journal. Comparison of coconut water and a carbohydrate/electrolyte sport drink on measures of hydration and physical performance in exercise‐trained men
For casual daily hydration, Roar Organic works fine. For intense exercise or significant sweat loss, do not expect it to outperform water or a purpose-built electrolyte mix. The sodium content in coconut-water-based drinks tends to be lower than what you lose through heavy sweating, which is why serious athletes and people doing extended outdoor work in the heat typically need drinks formulated with higher sodium levels. If you are doing a normal workout or just want something more interesting than water at your desk, the electrolyte content is a mild bonus rather than a game-changer.
Added Vitamins and Whether They Matter
Roar Organic contains added B vitamins (B5, B6, and B12) and vitamin C, which sounds beneficial. The reality is that most people eating a reasonably varied diet are not deficient in these vitamins, so adding them to a drink provides little practical benefit. B vitamins are water-soluble, meaning your body does not store them and excretes what it does not need.7PubMed Central. B Vitamins: Functions and Uses in Medicine If your B vitamin levels are already adequate, the extra milligrams in the can mostly end up in your urine.
Vitamin C does serve genuine antioxidant roles, scavenging reactive molecules associated with cell damage, and contributing to vascular health and collagen production.8Ascorbic Acid – Biochemistry and Functions. Antioxidant Roles/Functions of Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) But a single orange or a cup of strawberries provides more vitamin C than a can of Roar Organic, along with fiber and other nutrients the drink does not contain. The vitamin C in the drink is not harmful, but framing it as a health benefit is a stretch for anyone already eating fruits and vegetables.
There is also a subtler issue with vitamin-fortified beverages in general. A study examining a widely available vitamin-fortified drink in adolescents found that beverages containing excessive B vitamin levels were not metabolically inert. Compared to a placebo, the fortified beverage led to about a 28 percent decline in insulin sensitivity, increased insulin and gut hormone secretion, and measurable changes in one-carbon metabolism.9PubMed Central. Metabolic consequences of discretionary fortified beverage consumption containing excessive vitamin B levels in adolescents That study used a product with far higher vitamin doses than Roar Organic, so the finding does not directly transfer. But it challenges the casual assumption that throwing vitamins into a drink is automatically a positive, especially for younger consumers who may be drinking several fortified products a day.
Citric Acid and Your Teeth
One ingredient that rarely gets attention in “healthy drink” conversations is citric acid, which Roar Organic uses for flavor. Citric acid is particularly damaging to tooth enamel because it works in two ways: the acid itself dissolves mineral crystals on the tooth surface, and the citrate molecule also grabs onto calcium ions and pulls them away from enamel through a process called chelation. This double action makes citric acid more erosive than many other acids at the same pH level.10Journal of Dental Hygiene Science. Effects of Titratable Acidity and Organic Acids on Enamel Erosion In Vitro
Lab studies confirm that citric acid causes substantially more enamel erosion than phosphoric acid (the type found in colas) across a wide pH range, and that high citric acid content combined with low pH creates the conditions for meaningful surface loss on teeth.11PubMed. The effect of pH on the erosion of dentine and enamel by dietary acids in vitro12Journal of the Formosan Medical Association. Erosive potential of soft drinks on human enamel: An in vitro study Roar Organic is not a soft drink, and occasional consumption is unlikely to cause dental problems. But sipping any acidic drink slowly throughout the day, which is how many people use these products, extends the time your teeth are exposed to that erosive environment. If you are choosing Roar Organic as a water replacement and drinking it continuously, your dentist would probably suggest rinsing with plain water afterward or at least not brushing immediately, since scrubbing acid-softened enamel can make the damage worse.
What the “Organic” Label Does and Does Not Tell You
The word “organic” on the label carries emotional weight. Research consistently shows that people perceive organic products as healthier and lower in calories than identical conventional versions, even when the nutritional content is exactly the same. This misperception, known as the organic health halo, persists across mood conditions and eating habits.13European Review of Agricultural Economics. The organic health halo: Influence of mood, restrained eating and healthiness perceptions One study found that the organic label specifically undermines accurate calorie estimation for high-calorie items, though the effect was less pronounced for low-calorie ones.14PubMed Central. The Organic Halo Effect: Perceived Caloric Disparities in High‐ and Low‐Calorie Foods and the Role of Nutrition Label Reading Frequency
Roar Organic is already a low-calorie product, so the calorie-underestimation problem is less of a concern here than it would be with, say, organic cookies. The real issue is the broader health inference. A systematic review of organic versus conventional food consumption found some positive associations with organic diets in longitudinal studies, including lower rates of certain conditions. But the review looked at people whose overall dietary patterns leaned heavily organic, not at people who added one organic beverage to an otherwise standard diet.15PubMed Central. A Systematic Review of Organic Versus Conventional Food Consumption: Is There a Measurable Benefit on Human Health? The takeaway: the organic certification on Roar Organic tells you something about how certain ingredients were sourced, but it says very little about whether the finished product will make you healthier.
How It Compares to Just Drinking Water
The honest benchmark for any “healthy drink” is water. Water has no sugar, no sweeteners, no citric acid, no calories, and no cardiovascular concerns. It hydrates as well as any commercial beverage for the vast majority of daily situations. Roar Organic’s practical advantage over water is taste. Some people simply do not drink enough plain water, and a flavored, lightly sweet drink can help them stay hydrated. In that narrow context, Roar Organic serves a real function.
Research on low-calorie and no-calorie sweetened beverages and weight management has found that most people who use them feel the drinks help control their total calorie intake.16PubMed Central. Low/no calorie sweetened beverage consumption in the National Weight Control Registry If Roar Organic replaces a daily soda or sugary iced tea, that swap clearly cuts calories and sugar. If it replaces water, you gain some flavor and minor electrolytes while introducing citric acid exposure, erythritol, and a few dollars of daily cost for vitamins you probably do not need.
Sweet Taste and What It Signals to Your Body
There is an ongoing conversation in nutrition science about whether non-caloric sweeteners, despite containing no sugar, still trigger metabolic responses simply because they taste sweet. Sweet taste receptors exist not only on your tongue but also throughout the gastrointestinal tract, and they appear to influence hormones involved in the hunger-and-fullness cycle.17PubMed. The sweet taste signalling pathways in the oral cavity and the gastrointestinal tract affect human appetite and food intake: a review A recent review noted that both artificial and natural sweeteners can have dual effects on metabolism, sometimes beneficial and sometimes adverse depending on the conditions.18PubMed. Effects of artificial and natural sweeteners on host metabolic health: A double-edged sword
In practical terms, a trial looking at beverages sweetened with different blends found small differences in fullness and desire to eat but no meaningful differences in how much food people actually consumed over the following 24 hours.19PubMed. Impact of acute consumption of beverages containing plant-based or alternative sweetener blends on postprandial appetite, food intake, metabolism, and gastro-intestinal symptoms So for most people, drinking a stevia-and-erythritol-sweetened beverage is unlikely to make you eat more later. But the science is still catching up, and the long-term effects of consuming non-caloric sweeteners every day for years remain an open question.
Who Gets the Most Benefit and Who Should Be Cautious
Roar Organic is probably a genuinely good swap for people who currently drink a lot of sugary beverages and need a stepping stone toward less sweet options. It cuts sugar to near zero, keeps calories minimal, and tastes good enough to make the switch stick. For people managing blood sugar, the stevia component may offer a slight advantage, and the erythritol will not spike glucose.
On the cautious side, anyone with existing heart disease or significant cardiovascular risk factors should pay attention to the erythritol research, particularly if they consume erythritol from multiple sources throughout the day (it appears in a wide range of “sugar-free” and “keto-friendly” products). People who sip acidic drinks all day long, rather than having them with meals, should be mindful of enamel erosion. And parents giving these drinks to younger children should consider that kids’ lower body weight means the relative dose of any sweetener, vitamin, or acidulant per kilogram is higher, and the long-term data in pediatric populations is thin.
The vitamins on the label make for attractive marketing but add little real-world value for people eating a varied diet. If you are relying on a flavored drink as your main source of B vitamins and vitamin C, the larger issue is what you are not eating, and no amount of vitamin fortification in a can will compensate for a diet lacking in whole fruits, vegetables, and proteins.