Energy drinks

by Olga
(El Paso, Texas)

I am surrounded by individuals who swear by "energy" drinks as a substitute for an entire meal or for the boost they need to get through part of the day without eating. I am not convinced as to their benefit nor to the cost of supporting such a habit. I prefer to eat a.well rounded, balanced diet. How should I counter my position? Is there any benefit to these drinks? I found the first ingredient is "water" and caffeine is listed as well.

Thanks,

Olga


Answer from Mary, the Healthy Diet Mom

First, some information: Last year, Americans spent $4.2 billion dollars on energy drinks. The drink formulas have stayed the same for almost 10 years, because Americans keep buying them. Most energy drinks contain caffeine, sugar, and smaller amounts of guarana, ginseng and taurine.


Are they safe? Maybe. Most energy drinks have the same amount of caffeine as 2 cups of coffee, which can make some people jumpy. Too many energy drinks in one day or other sources of caffeine combined with one energy drink can cause headaches, sleeplessness, nausea, and increase in blood pressure by up to 14 points according to one study. Excess caffeine can stimulate your appetite, causing you to eat more than you need.


Combine the sugar in energy drinks with the caffeine, and you have lots of glucose dumped into your body quickly, spiking your blood sugar and insulin levels. When this happens your body stops burning fat. A 2006 study found that one 8.3 ounce Red Bull may be enough to cause this to happen.

The amount of guarana, ginseng, and taurine in most energy drinks is minimal. None of these ingredients have been proven to be an energy booster. There are not large enough quantities of these items to cause many adverse affects in one energy drink. When you down several drinks in one day, the taurine has been suspected of causing seizures, and the ginseng can adversely react interact with blood thinning medications.


To answer your question, there are no benefits to energy drink. It may be a very short term energy boost, but people who use these drinks as meal replacements are sacrificing the nutrition necessary for the long term health of their bodies. They are risking the headaches, sleeplessness, and nausea caused by caffeine addiction. After the initial energy drink rush, the combination of caffeine and sugar can increase their appetites and may increase their blood pressure.

Stick to your healthy, balanced diet and you will have plenty of energy all day long.