Advocare Spark is a nutritional energy drink that comes in handy stick form. It bills itself as a vitamin and Amino Acid supplement, providing all of your energy requirements.
So, is Advocare Spark vegan? Upon my research, I found Advocare Spark is not vegan. The ingredient in Advocare Spark such as Vitamin A, Niacin, and Riboflavin has linked with animal sources, making it a non-vegan product.
Although there is some debate over whether or not this product is vegan-friendly, the manufacturer has not issued a conclusive answer. Generally, for a product to be considered vegan, the ingredients shouldn’t be sourced from animals.
Because there’s a lack of a definite answer on the topic, I will show you all the ingredients that comprise the Advocare Spark energy drink and analyze its sources.
What is Advocare Spark?
Advocare Spark is a popular energy drink that contains more than 20 vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.
The famous energy drink company is Advocare International L.P., based in the U.S., founded in 1991.
It sells a variety of nutritional supplements, sports, and energy drinks and provides weight management services.
Keep reading as I discuss the ingredients in Advocare Spark (and their recommended amounts of daily consumption) to see why this drink can be good for you.
What exactly does a vegan diet comprise?
In the most strict definition, a vegan diet avoids animals or animal byproducts from one’s diet. This diet comprises vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, seeds, legumes, and a variety of other plant-based foods.
Vegan vs. Vegetarian
There’s a subtle difference between vegan and vegetarian.
Vegan and vegetarian are different due to their dietary choices.
Mainly, the motivations between the choices of the two groups are influenced by different factors.
One factor may be that vegetarians are often motivated by ethical reasons, whereas vegans tend to have more environmental concerns. Another factor is the aggression plant-based diet movements have shown toward one another in recent years.
The rise in militant activism has led to a divide between vegetarian and vegan activists who want to present a united front.
However, many of these factions believe that the only way they can succeed is by creating an even more restrictive diet that excludes one or more plant foods from animal sources.
Ingredients of Advocare Spark
Before I make my points, it’d be better to show you the facts about Advocare Spark’s ingredients. Based on this chart, I’ll find out the original source of each ingredient which will end up helping me make the evident-based comment on it.
Here’s the official nutritional chart of Advocare Spark.
| Ingredient Name | Amount |
| Caffeine | 120 mg |
| Total carbohydrates | 4 g |
| Taurine | 200 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 15 mg |
| Vitamin B12 | 45 micrograms |
| Niacin | 60 mg |
| Riboflavin | 3.4 mg |
| Pantothenic acid | 50 mg |
| L-tyrosine | 5000 mg |
| Choline | 500 mg |
| Vitamin C | 180 mg |
| Zinc | 3 mg |
| Inositol | 10 mg |
| Chromium | 24 micrograms |
| Vitamin E (D-alpha tocopheryl) | 20.1 mg |
| Copper | 200 micrograms |
| Choline | 500 mg |
| L-carnitine | 10 mg |
| Vitamin A (Beta-carotene) | 300 micrograms |
You can also read my deep dive article on Advocare Spark Nutrition Facts if you want to know more about each nutrient and the recommended amounts.
Vitamins in Advocare Spark
I put all the different vitamins used in this energy drink and mentioned their sources in this table.
| Vitamin | Sources | Is it vegan? Yes/No |
| Vitamin A | Animals, Fortified Milk | No |
| Vitamin B6 | Plants | Yes |
| Vitamin B12 | Plant-based food | Yes |
| Vitamin C | Plants | Yes |
| Vitamin E | Plants | Yes |
| Thiamin | Plants | Yes |
| Pantothenic Acid | Plants | Yes |
| Niacin | Animals, Plants | No |
| Riboflavin | Plants, Animals | No |
Let’s get into the details of significant vitamins below!
Vitamin B6, B12 and their sources
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), a water-soluble vitamin, is needed by the body for multiple purposes.
Its many functions are helping maintain nerve and skin heal prevent infections, regulating blood sugar levels, producing red blood cells and some enzymes.
So your body must have enough vitamin B6. An adequate amount keeps your body functions up and running and also treats chronic diseases.
On the other hand, vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin involved in synthesizing DNA and the metabolism of fatty acids and amino acids.
Among the other functions of vitamin B12 (cobalamin), red blood cell production and maintaining proper neuron function.
Source: plants
Decision: B vitamins like vitamin B6 and B12 are vegan.
Riboflavin
Advocare Spark contains 3.4 mg of riboflavin.
Riboflavin, also known as vitamin B2, is an essential part of two vital coenzymes which play significant roles in energy production, cellular function, and metabolism.
Source of riboflavin: Animal and plant
Decision: Riboflavin is not vegan.
Vitamin C
Niacin (also called Vitamin B3) is a molecule that plants and animals form from the amino acid tryptophan. It is essential to the human body because it is needed to produce energy from food.
This vitamin is quite helpful for keeping your digestive system, nervous system, and skin in good shape.
Source: Plant
Decision: Vitamin C is vegan.
Niacin
Organic molecules, such as nicotinic acid provide the body with essential vitamins. Tryptophan is an amino acid found in plants and animals.
It is a B vitamin that the body produces and converts into energy from food. The ingredients in this product support your digestive system, neurological system, and skin.
Source: Animals
Decision: Niacin is not vegan!
Sugar
Advocare Spark is a sugar-free energy drink.
Diabetes, high blood pressure, and other sugar-induced diseases are less likely to occur without the presence of added sugar.
You’re probably struggling to make sense of Advocare Sparks’ sweetness without the addition of sugar.
Sucralose is made of sugar that emanates from sugarcane plants. It is a plant-derived substance that is extensively used.
Caffeine
Caffeine is an entirely vegan component since it is produced from plants. If you’re following a vegan diet, you do not need to avoid it.
Caffeine is primarily available in coffee, soft drinks.
It plays an essential part in Advocare Spark. It also enhances brain activity and stimulates your central nervous system.
Advocare Spark contains 120 mg caffeine which undoubtedly allows you to improve your alertness.
Decision: Caffeine is vegan.
Minerals
Minerals are essential to the body’s proper function, even though it consists primarily of organic substances.
Minerals help the body balance water and electrolytes, as well as contract muscle and clot blood.
Here are the minerals Advocare Spark contains:
| Minerals | Is it vegan? Yes/No |
| Choline | Yes |
| Zinc | Yes |
| Chromium | Yes |
| Chopper | Yes |
Like vitamins and minerals, these minerals discovered and produced from vegan foods make them accessible.
And, if you see the reference table, it’s obvious that minerals are vegan.
Amino Acids
Amino acids perform many vital functions inside the human body. It helps in cellular differentiation, energy production, nutrient intake, and immune function.
| Amino Acids | Sources | Is it vegan? Yes/No |
| Taurine | Synthetic | Yes |
| L-Tyrosine | Synthetic | Unclear |
| Glycine | Organic | Unclear |
| Inositol | Plant-based | Yes |
| L-Carnitine | Organic | Yes |
Let’s get into the details of each amino acid.
L-tyrosine
L-Tyrosine is an essential nutrient that helps with memory and nullifies the effect of stress, making it a significant component of an energy drink.
Advocare Spark contains it.
Despite L-Tyrosine being produced from plant sources, it took several variants from animals, making it non-vegan.
Is taurine vegan-friendly?
Mainly, since synthetic taurine is available, vegans may consume taurine.
Animal-based items, including meat, fish, and eggs, contain taurine, a naturally generated amino acid in the human body.
They drive it; although taurine is from non-vegan sources, most of the taurine is in your regular items.
In the past, taurine has been the subject of considerable debate, with some claiming that they produced it from bulls’ semen.
This means that taurine is synthetic and hence vegan-friendly if it appears on the label of your energy drink.
It’s safe to assume that if you see taurine on the label of your energy drink, it’s synthetic and vegan-friendly.
Additional Ingredients
Additives to the Advocare Spark formula go beyond the primary components and nutritional supplements.
Food additives are chemicals used to preserve or increase the safety of a product they use it.
They aid in the conservation of items by expanding their life span and keeping them fresh. They are also crucial to improve the texture, coloring, and smell of goods.
| Ingredients | Purpose | Sources | Is it vegan? Yes/No |
| Maltodextrin | Keep fresh | Plant-based | Yes |
| Caffeine | Stimulant | Plant-based | Yes |
| Sucralose | Artificial Sweetener | Synthetic | Yes |
| Silicon Dioxide | Anti-caking agent. | Synthetic | Yes |
| Citric Acid | Natural preservative | Plant-based | Yes |
Is Advocare Spark gluten-free?
Advocare product lines processed are not in certified gluten-free facilities. Gluten-free products labeled are not on Advocare products.
Gluten-free means the products are free from wheat and other kinds of grains. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and triticale (a cross between wheat and rye).
A gluten-free diet is necessary for managing symptoms and signs of celiac disease as well as other medical problems linked with gluten.
Check out my more comprehensive answer to this question in this article.
Conclusion
This article should raise a red signal if you’re a vegan; since Advocare Spark is not a vegan product.
There are a few ingredients in Advocare Spark, such as Vitamin A, Niacin, and Riboflavin which are not vegan. I showed you all the facts about the ingredients and based on the facts. I put my data-backed opinion on it.
Remember, the only method to determine whether an ingredient is vegan is conducting a comprehensive study involving consulting with the product’s producer.
If you’re still skeptical, you may always contact the brands for confirmation.
But, the fact I showed you confirms that Advocare Spark is not vegan-friendly.