ENERGY DRINKS

          What is really in these drinks? What am I doing to my body whenever I pop the top?  Lets look at the ingredients - most are sugar, B vitamins, and caffeine, some have some exotic sounding ingredients, some have some herbal ingredients and some have amino acids.  But do they really give you energy?

          Taurine is a popular ingredient.  It is an amino acid.  It is essential for cardiovascular function, development of skeletal muscle, it also works in the central nervous system and the retina of the eye.  It has not been proven to be energy giving.  It works as a neurotransmitter in the brain and may work more as a sedative than a stimulant.  Instead of giving you wings - they may be clipped!

          Guarana has the same characteristics as caffeine. In testing with rats, guarana did show increased memory retention and better physical endurance.  People with high blood pressure or heart problems should avoid this.  The same is true with caffeine.  Both are stimulants.  You can overdose on both and you can get addicted to both.

          Ginseng is another common ingredient in energy drinks.  Briefly, ginseng is an adaptogen herb.  This means that basically, whenever you ingest ginseng it knows if you are male or female and can adapt to whatever you need.  Ginseng builds strength, gives energy and calms the body.  Usually in energy drinks the dosage is so small that it does not have any measurable medicinal effects. 

          B vitamins in mega doses are added to energy drinks such as 5-hour energy.  Although these vitamins are water soluble, which means simply what you don't use, you lose.  If you do not drink large amounts of water to dilute this mega dose, it can make you sick and you can overdose.  No one bothers to tell you that.  So a lot of people end up with a sick stomach after one of these or worse.

          Next we have sugar and caffeine.  Enough has been said about both, so I am not going to add anything here. 

          My verdict is avoid these high calorie drinks.  You are probably already consuming too much sugar.  If you need a caffeine boost, try unsweetened tea or unsweetened coffee. If you must have a sweetener, please do not use any artificial sweeteners, they are poison.  Use Stevia, which is an herb that is naturally sweet and will not cause you any problems.   These are much better choices.  They will give you an energy boost and not cause problems for your waistline. 

Stay Strong!