Energy drinks – energy depleting in the long run
Sonia Jones ND
If your diet is leaving you feeling tired and rundown you are on the wrong diet. Grabbing an energy drink is not the answer.
These drinks can include (they vary) methylxanthines (including caffeine), B vitamins, quarana ( a stimulant), taurine, ginseng (a mild stimulant), maltodextrin (a form of sugar), carbonated water, inositol, creatine, carnitine, glucuronolactone (a naturally occurring chemical compound produced by the metabolism of glucose in the liver).
How much sugar each one contains varies too – or they might come in a diet version with artificial chemical sweeteners.
These drink are generally centered around stimulants such as caffeine.
An 8oz drink can contain anything from 80mg of caffeine upwards and the newer ones a much as 400mg of caffeine!
There have been reports of nausea, and abnormal heart rhythms.
The main thing about energy drinks is they cause problems due to the “crash” that follows the energy ‘high’ after consumption.
France and Demark there are warning about the popular energy drink Red Bull (we have all heard of) after the death of eighteen-year-old athlete Ross Cooney, who died after he played a basketball game after consuming four cans of the drink.
In Britain they warn pregnant women not to drink it.
In the US Red Bull was introduced in 1997 and is the dominant energy drink with a market share of about 47%. In the US the energy drink market has grown to $3 billion in 2005, $5.4 billion dollars in 2007, and predicted to reach $10 billion by 2010! That is a lot of money for a mixture of water, sugar (or artificial sweetener) and caffeine.
Check out my article called Not good news for caffeine drinks – it can contributed to weight problems.