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Energy Drinks - To Drink or Not to Drink?
Energy Drinks – To Drink or Not to Drink?
Energy drinks seem to be the latest craze for children and adults alike. Whether it’s on the way to work in the morning, a quick boost after school or a hit before the gym at night, more and more people are relying on energy drinks for that ‘caffeine buzz’ every day. What many people don’t realise is that these drinks not only contain a large amount of caffeine, they also contain a number of other ingredients that can affect health, not to mention a large amount of sugar and kilojoules. In addition, it is often worrying to see what people are consuming with these energy drinks. High fat snacks such as chocolate and potato chips, or worse, a cigarette. Imagine the stress these people are placing on their bodies in one hit with all that caffeine, fat, sugar and other potentially harmful substances.
What are energy drinks?
Energy drinks are a cleverly marketed item, targeted at those looking for a quick energy hit throughout the day. They are said to increase physical performance and are promoted with flashy advertisements and fancy cans. These advertisements are targeted towards adults and children, and there are even specifically designed cans available on the market just for kids. So do energy drinks do what they claim they do, and are they bad for your health, and the health of your children?
Let’s look at the ingredients!
The majority of energy drinks on the market contain caffeine, taurine and glucuronolactone. There are also several new drinks on the market that contain ingredients such as opium poppy seed extract or ephedrine.
Taurine
Taurine is an amino acid occurring naturally in the body. Amino acids are the building blocks that make up all the proteins in the body. The body uses small amounts of tuarine during physical activity, so the idea behind their inclusion in energy drinks is as a tuarine replacement or taurine booster.
Glucuronolactone
Glucuronolactone is naturally produced in the body when carbohydrate is broken down. It is thought that this breakdown product is used as an energy source, hence its inclusion in energy drinks.
Caffeine
We all know caffeine is a stimulant. It works on the central nervous system to speed up the messages to and from the brain. Caffeine leaves us feeling more alert, and gives us the well known ‘energy boost’. Coffee has an average of 150 mg per Cup while decaffeinated as about 3 mg. Regular tea as about 40 mg.
The caffeine content of some popular energy drinks and soft drinks:
Caffeine content (250ml)
• Red Bull 80 mg
• Naughty Boy 80mg
• 'V' 78 mg
• Coca-Cola 49 mg
• Diet Coke 48 mg
• Diet Coke Caffeine-Free 2 mg
• Pepsi 40 mg
• Diet Pepsi 44 mg
• Pepsi Max 44 mg
How bad are energy drinks for your health?
Energy drink manufacturers continually try to promote the positive health effects of their products, however there is currently very little known about the actual effects these drinks have on the body. These manufacturers claim energy drinks can increase physical performance, improve reaction time and increase mental alertness, concentration and metabolism. They are cleverly marketed to appear fun and popular, making them seem like the ‘in thing’ for adults and children. What is worrying, is that children are being targeted, and are being coaxed into drinking these drinks because they believe it’s the ‘cool’ thing to do.
Although caffeine, taurine and glucuronolactone occur naturally in the body the amount present in energy drinks is much higher. Research has shown that caffeine can have an effect on the developing child’s brain. Health authorities have not yet outlined every drink as bad for health, but they have highlighted a number of concerns and suggested certain groups of the population should avoid their consumption.
Children
There are a number of un-healthy side effects of energy drinks on children. As little as one can per day can leave children with sleep problems, bed-wetting, anxiety, irritability and hyperactivity. Energy drinks have little to no nutritional value, so it questionable as to why parents would even offer them to children. Children do not require caffeine, not to mention the added sugar and kilojoules these drinks will add to their diet. Even if the energy drink claims to contain added vitamins and minerals, children should be getting these from a healthy, varied diet.
Pregnant women
Guidelines for healthy eating during pregnancy advise to limit caffeine intake, so it is no question that pregnant women should avoid energy drinks, which can contain up to 3 times more caffeine than a cup of coffee.
Athletes and Regular Exercisers
Although energy drinks are designed to increase energy levels, they are not a great choice when exercising. The level of caffeine in these drinks actually acts as a diuretic, further increasing dehydration during exercise. Athletes are better off consuming energy and electrolyte replacements such as Gatorade and Powerade which work to replace lost electrolytes and prevent dehydration.
Energy drinks and alcohol
Caffeine is a stimulant that works by speeding up the production of nerve impulses, thereby increasing the activity of the brain, making you feel more alert. Conversely, alcohol is a depressant that slows down the nerve impulses and the message sent to and from the brain. In effect, alcohol reduces reaction time and concentration.
Research out of the United shows that the mixing of alcohol and energy drinks can decrease a persons awareness of how intoxicated they actually are. This can lead to bad decision making, injury and even death.
To drink or not to drink?
The concern with energy drinks is how mainstream they have become, and how they are now being consumed by adults and children as if they were regular soft drinks. Manufacturers state on their labels that consumption should not exceed 2-5 cans a day. However this is confusing to some, and many people then believe they must consume this amount per day to get the energy boosting effects. It is extremely important to monitor your children’s usage of energy drinks. Children under 10 years old should not be consuming energy drinks, and it is wise to limit their intake in older children. Be aware of any side effects you may notice when your child is consuming these drinks, pay particular attention to their mood and behaviour. As adults, it is also wise to limit consumption of these drinks. Not only are there concerns regarding their caffeine content, they are also high in sugar and kilojoules and have no nutritional benefit.
Added to site on : Monday, 26 March 2012