Energy Drink Facts

Energy drink facts need to be separated from all the energy drink fiction that is being spread around both by marketers and the media.

So much hype and misinformation is being thrown around about energy drinks that it is easily possible to lose track of what they really are. With so much interest in the topic, it should be clear that energy drinks fill a need in today's world -- a need that has a tradition thousands of years long.

Energy drinks are merely the latest incarnation in humanity's use of herbal stimulants to sharpen and control their awareness, mood, and activity level.

Few today question the energy drink facts concerning tea and coffee, which have been found to have significant healthful properties. Modern energy drinks are new enough to still be under the harsh light of inquisition and suspicion. Exactly what are they?

On a general level, what most have in common is one or more stimulant compounds, fairly familiar ones such as caffeine, green tea extract, guaranine, yerba mate, kola nut, and L-phenylalanine. Added to this are flavorings, sweeteners, vitamins associated with the production of energy, amino acids (especially taurine), minerals, and modulators such as ginseng and milk thistle which smooth out the "rough edges" of the stimulants and help rid the body of toxins caused by the increased rate of metabolism.

On the surface, these energy drink ingredients are not all that alarming when we consider the huge quantity of scientific research that has been done on their safety.

Looked at in more depth, from a health perspective, there are wide differences in the advisability of choosing one brand over the others, based on the energy drink facts.

High levels of refined sugar -- especially high fructose corn syrup -- are known to lead to weight gain and diabetes(type 2). Most of the more popular brands contain 18-39 grams of sugars, which not only will contribute to developing diabetes and weight gain, but do not contribute to long-term energy. So we can divide energy drinks on that basis into healthy/effective and unhealthy/ineffective categories.

A lot of concern has been raised about the extreme levels of caffeine in some brands, which are largely marketed to teens. Compounding the problem is the fact that teens and youth, in general, tend to use these drinks to excess. Competitions to see who can drink the most can lead to caffeine overdose and has apparently caused a few fatalities, especially when connected with sports participation.

Again, the high sugar content may have some influence on the decision to drink another energy beverage when the sugar rush from the last one has turned into a downer. The problem is the buildup of caffeine which stays active in the bloodstream far longer than the sugar high. Another reason why sugar in quantity has no good purpose to be in energy drinks.

This brings us to the realization that much of the uproar against energy drinks in general is misplaced. Energy drinks, if formulated with health in mind, have not been found to cause any problems at all, if not abused.

Where the problems start is when some individual or perhaps one of the soft drink giants decides to capitalize on a booming market for energy drinks among young people age 10-25. They use every trick at their disposal to appeal to the youthful desire to push the envelope of extreme experiences. They pull out all the stops, using marketing images and language appealing to mostly teenage boys -- sexy models, extreme sports, fast cars, rock music -- and tie it all to drinking their product.

In formulating the product, which is almost an afterthought, they know that sugar will cause the consumer to drink more of it. They know that anhydrous caffeine is a cheap drug that will allow them to vie for the title of "strongest energy drink, so they put lots of it into the formula. They also know that, once someone has experienced a large dose of caffeine or whatever stimulant they're using, they will not be satisfied with a small dose in the future -- at least, not until their tolerance goes back down. This is one way they assure themselves repeat customers.

If you wanted to be critical about it, you could mention that this looks a lot like the process of addiction. It's ironic that Coca-Cola, creator of Full-Throttle Energy Drink, got its start selling an herbal tonic based on a secret mixture of sugar, flavorings, and coca extract, back when cocaine could be purchased in U.S. drugstores.

Now, of course, Coke has taken the "coke" out of Coke, but another sharp marketer got the bright idea of coming up with an energy drink and calling it "Cocaine". That's like putting a blonde wig and some lipstick on a pig and calling her "Lady Gaga" -- you may fool yourself, but don't take her home to your Mom and Dad.

The point of all this is that many so-called energy drinks are largely marketing devices to make money. They have little to do with creating sustainable healthy energy and few advantages over a cup of coffee, apart from tasting better to young people's palates.

And, yes, the energy drink facts do indicate that many of these highly-promoted drinks do offer great potential for abuse. But this is not because they are energy drinks, but rather due to their 1) High sugar content, and 2) High caffeine content, and 3) Because they are marketed in subtle ways that encourage abuse.

To wrap this up, it's a shame that a lack of understanding of energy drink facts is making it difficult to have an intelligent discussion about energy drinks. Not all energy drinks are alike, but in the public mind, it seems that all are considered to be evil and dangerous.

(My personal belief is that well-formulated energy drinks -- and they are few -- are a good thing, if used in moderation. I speak from experience here, when I say they are an improvement over coffee and tea.)

The blame needs to be placed where it belongs -- on the formulators and marketers who create unhealthy brands and then do the usual American-style song and dance implying that drinking their product will make one better looking, richer, stronger, and more attractive to the opposite sex.

Meanwhile many naive young people are being lured down the path of addiction to unhealthy levels of caffeine and sugar by the Pied Pipers of Profit.

What is needed is a clear understanding of the energy drink facts. Chasing ever higher doses of caffeine in the quest for the strongest energy drink is crazy, as is the habitual preference for syrupy-sweet energy drinks that will lead to diabetes in the long run. Healthy energy is more important than wild sensation -- but it may be futile to explain that to most teens.

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