2008 Woodie Awards
Energy drinks: Soda on steroids or canned goodness?
Mary-Jo Lomax
Issue date: 3/10/08 Section: Features
What are energy drinks and how do they differ from your average soda or espresso? Energy drinks are beverages that are super-charged with sugar, caffeine and other caffeine-like substances like ephedrine, ma huang and guarana. Some also have vitamins, "acid stabilizers" or other nutritious-sounding ingredients, too. Red Bull, Jolt, Amp and Hype are four such energy drinks.
Energy drinks are classified as "functional beverages" which are part of the bigger - and rapidly growing - nutraceutical food industry. Nutraceuticals are not really foods and are not really dietary supplements, either. For this reason, the Food and Drug Administration does not regulate nutraceuticals. The "function" of energy drinks is to boost your energy and ability to concentrate, not to quench your thirst.
Don't confuse energy drinks with sports drinks. Sports drinks are formulated to help provide energy to fatigued muscles and to help the body absorb water and glucose (sugar). Sports drinks are most beneficial if your workout exceeds one hour. For physical activity lasting less than an hour, plain water is all you need to quench your thirst and replenish body fluid.
Energy drinks, on the other hand, dehydrate rather than hydrate. On the topic of hydration, the Red Bull Web site says, "Since Red Bull Energy Drink has not been formulated to deliver re-hydration, we encourage people who engage in sports to also drink lots of water during intense exercise." This fact can be confusing to many people, especially because Red Bull and other energy drink companies sponsor intense sporting events.
Energy drinks and alcohol can be a dangerous mix. Many energy drinks are sold at bars as either an alternative to alcohol or as an alcohol mixer. This can be problematic.
First, as I mentioned earlier, energy drinks deplete your body fluids. Add that to a night of heavy dancing (and sweating), and you could easily pass out from dehydration. Second, mixing alcohol, a depressant, with an energy drink, a stimulant, sends mixed messages to your nervous system and can cause cardiac related problems. Over the past few years, several young people throughout the world have died after consuming energy drinks and either dancing or working out. There is no clear connection between their deaths and the energy drinks but some health officials suspect one.
Finally, mixing alcohol with an energy drink can mask how drunk you really are. You can feel quite energetic because of the high concentration of stimulating ingredients (caffeine, sugar, ma huang, etc).
So, what's the buzz? Despite their many "health" claims, energy drinks aren't necessarily healthy drinks. Their super-concentrated stimulating ingredients will indeed wake you up. Too much, however, causes sleep disturbances. As far as increasing your ability to perform better on tests, caffeine has been shown to improve simple mental tasks but not complex reasoning tasks. If energy drinks are part of your diet, consume them with caution.
Mary Jo Lomax is a health instructor at De Anza College.
Energy drinks are classified as "functional beverages" which are part of the bigger - and rapidly growing - nutraceutical food industry. Nutraceuticals are not really foods and are not really dietary supplements, either. For this reason, the Food and Drug Administration does not regulate nutraceuticals. The "function" of energy drinks is to boost your energy and ability to concentrate, not to quench your thirst.
Don't confuse energy drinks with sports drinks. Sports drinks are formulated to help provide energy to fatigued muscles and to help the body absorb water and glucose (sugar). Sports drinks are most beneficial if your workout exceeds one hour. For physical activity lasting less than an hour, plain water is all you need to quench your thirst and replenish body fluid.
Energy drinks, on the other hand, dehydrate rather than hydrate. On the topic of hydration, the Red Bull Web site says, "Since Red Bull Energy Drink has not been formulated to deliver re-hydration, we encourage people who engage in sports to also drink lots of water during intense exercise." This fact can be confusing to many people, especially because Red Bull and other energy drink companies sponsor intense sporting events.
Energy drinks and alcohol can be a dangerous mix. Many energy drinks are sold at bars as either an alternative to alcohol or as an alcohol mixer. This can be problematic.
First, as I mentioned earlier, energy drinks deplete your body fluids. Add that to a night of heavy dancing (and sweating), and you could easily pass out from dehydration. Second, mixing alcohol, a depressant, with an energy drink, a stimulant, sends mixed messages to your nervous system and can cause cardiac related problems. Over the past few years, several young people throughout the world have died after consuming energy drinks and either dancing or working out. There is no clear connection between their deaths and the energy drinks but some health officials suspect one.
Finally, mixing alcohol with an energy drink can mask how drunk you really are. You can feel quite energetic because of the high concentration of stimulating ingredients (caffeine, sugar, ma huang, etc).
So, what's the buzz? Despite their many "health" claims, energy drinks aren't necessarily healthy drinks. Their super-concentrated stimulating ingredients will indeed wake you up. Too much, however, causes sleep disturbances. As far as increasing your ability to perform better on tests, caffeine has been shown to improve simple mental tasks but not complex reasoning tasks. If energy drinks are part of your diet, consume them with caution.
Mary Jo Lomax is a health instructor at De Anza College.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
willimas kelly
posted 5/12/08 @ 3:12 AM PST
Dear Sir,
I got your name through online Buisness Directory as a manufacturer / Dealer of ENERGY DRINKS.
I am a beginning commision agent. There is a business opportunity which i will like to introduce to your products and I believe that this opportunity will be beneficial to the both of us if you co-operate. (Continued…)
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