Do Energy Drinks Really Work?
Whether your drink hawks B vitamins, taurine, or ginseng as its energy ingredients, chances are the hefty dose of caffeine and sugar are the real source of your energy boost. But is it helping you or hurting you? To help “separate science from the sales pitch,” Men’s Health recently took a look at five key ingredients in popular energy drinks, and their analysis is interesting to say the least:
- Caffeine
The most caffeine-packed energy drink contains the equivalent in caffeine of about two 8-ounce cups of coffee. Combined that with other caffeinated beverages throughout the day, the consumption of that much caffeine could cause headaches, sleeplessness, or nausea. For those struggling with high blood pressure, the the caffeine in two to three cups of coffee can cause blood pressure to spike by up to 14 points. - Glucose
Glucose is just a fancy word for sugar. The sugar shock that you consume in an energy drink can cause your blood sugar and insulin levels to skyrocket, signaling your body to stop incinerating fat. A 2006 New Zealand study revealed that caffeine combined with even the 27 g of sugar in, say, an 8.3-ounce Red Bull may be enough to temporarily inhibit your body’s ability to burn lard. - Guarana
Guarana is a South American shrub. While the amounts of guarana found in most energy drinks aren’t large enough to cause any adverse effects, researchers question the safety of consuming higher levels, which could conceivably be consumed by downing a few energy drinks in a brief time span. - Ginseng
Since the amount of ginseng in an energy drink is minimal, harmful effects are unlikely. If you’re on any medications, check with your doctor before knocking back an energy drink. Ginseng has been shown to interact with blood-thinning drugs like warfarin, potentially altering their effectiveness. - Taurine
Taurine is an amino acid found in your brain. According to a recent case report from St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, three people had seizures after drinking approximately two 24-ounce energy drinks in a short period of time. However, the researchers don’t know whether to blame the taurine or the caffeine, or what role preexisting health conditions may have played. The fact is, there’s been little research on taurine consumption in humans, so it’s impossible to conclude whether it’s safe to consume in high doses. Of course, there’s no strong evidence to support its role as an energy booster, either.
+ Read the full article on energy drink ingredients.
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