What are “Energy Drinks”?
Energy drinks are non-alcoholic beverages with the addition of so-called ‘energy enhancing’ ingredients. They claim to increase alertness and improve mental and physical performance. There are different variety of brands that are mainly available at supermarkets, convenience stores, vending machines, and even bars. These drinks contain important amounts of caffeine and sugar. Caffeine fuels most energy drinks “boost”.
The other ingredients are generally herbs (botanicals), amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Some herbal ingredients commonly found in energy drinks are taurine, guarana, green tea and ginseng. Research on these ingredients is ongoing, but evidence of health benefits is limited at this time. Guarana contains caffeine. Taurine is an amino acid naturally found in meat and fish with no special benefits. Green tea extract contains caffeine. Studies of ginseng have not shown any benefits. Experts recommend herbal ingredients to be consumed in moderation, if at all, until we have more information about their safety.
Are Energy Drinks Dangerous?
People definitely vary in their sensitivity to caffeine. However, there are important differences between a cup of coffee and a can of energy drink. The first is that a lot of Best Vitamin Supplements For energy drinks contain at least twice the amount of caffeine in a typical cup of coffee.
Moreover, energy drink labels do not include the caffeine amount naturally found in some of the herbal or tea ingredients. Thus, when more than one can is consumed in a day, it’s easy to drink too much caffeine and as you can imagine anything in high doses is bad for you.