How can energy drinks be healthy? They are usually full of artificial caffeine, HFCS (ref: Double Danger of HFCS), Taurine and of course, to somehow validate everything, Synthetically produced vitamins. This cocktail of chemicals will eventually kill people. It already has.
Many of today's youth consume energy drinks regularly. Some are starting to suffer from intestinal, kidney and heart problems. Additionally, these chemical cocktails affect one's liver, skin and reproductive organs.
This generation is graduating into adulthood without the previous generations' coffee addiction, but with a more potent daily stimulant: the energy drink. Many spend hours surfing the net or watching TV, instead of playing sports, which compounds the problem with soft drinks, increasing the incidence of diabetes and other diet-related diseases.
Why should we be concerned about this new variety of mental stimulant? A cup or two of coffee every day has never caused serious health effects. The big difference relates to where the buzz comes from: natural coffee beans vs. laboratory produced synthetic caffeine.
Like with other natural products, the caffeine in the coffee beans includes many other substances which are not easily separated from the caffeine. It comes with fibrous and other materials, which actually reduce the speed of absorption of the caffeine stimulant.
In most energy drinks, the caffeine is synthetically produced in a factory, usually in India or China. This synthetic caffeine has one advantage over natural caffeine: it is extremely potent. All of the natural byproducts that come with natural caffeine from coffee beans or Guarana are not present with laboratory caffeine. It is also much cheaper to produce than natural caffeine, another great thing, from the manufacturer's point of view. Unfortunately, from a consumer's point of view, this concentrated caffeine blast is absorbed into the bloodstream almost as soon as it hits the stomach.
Natural products like Guarana or tea, on the other hand, are absorbed more slowly by the body. They are also less concentrated and therefore less poisonous than the white powdered caffeine. There are a few advantages with the natural versions of caffeine (whether it be in coffee, tea or Guarana). Firstly, the duration of the increased mental clarity will be longer. Instead of the instant buzz you get from most energy drinks and then the inevitable crash, you get a prolonged feeling of alertness for a several hours and the effect eventually wears off gradually.
A second good thing happens over the medium and long term. Continuous usage of synthetic caffeine tends to over saturate the nervous system. If this excessive use continues, our nervous system rebels. This is our body's way of telling us to reduce the intake of this toxic substance. Our hands start shaking, nervous tics can develop; we start to see the same signs of stress as you would from depression or anxiety. This often leads to bigger problems.
With natural caffeine or guaranine, the body can more easily flush out the excess quantities and not overtax the nervous system. But even with natural caffeine, one must use moderation. It is best to stick with one regular cup of coffee or tea (not the large Starbucks which is really like 6 coffees) or one 12 oz can of a natural energy drink or unsweetened cold tea.
Organic coffees are your best alternative if you choose to drink coffee. Whole Foods Markets has a wide variety of these.
Two natural energy drinks that I like are GURU Energy Drinks from Canada and Syzmo from the US. They are made exclusively with natural caffeine from Guarana and/or coffee. The big plus for GURU is that its Organic and doesn't have added vitamins. Syzmo is excellent quality but much more expensive, and the taste needs getting used to. GURU has an all natural low-cal energy drink sweetened with Stevia called (GURU Lite), which is an added bonus (see my post on Benefits of Stevia: (ref: For Dollars (will) Authorize (FDA)).
With regards to teas; cold, brewed teas will provide the best combination of anti-oxidants and natural caffeine. A brand I like is ITOEN, from Japan. Itoen Teas seems to be the purest, unsweetened product out there. The Zen taste grows on you after a couple of bottles. See their website at: Itoen Teas. Another cool brand is the US based Honest Tea, but they recently sold out to Coke and now it seems they're selling out to the sweeter American taste buds.
Many of today's youth consume energy drinks regularly. Some are starting to suffer from intestinal, kidney and heart problems. Additionally, these chemical cocktails affect one's liver, skin and reproductive organs.
This generation is graduating into adulthood without the previous generations' coffee addiction, but with a more potent daily stimulant: the energy drink. Many spend hours surfing the net or watching TV, instead of playing sports, which compounds the problem with soft drinks, increasing the incidence of diabetes and other diet-related diseases.
Why should we be concerned about this new variety of mental stimulant? A cup or two of coffee every day has never caused serious health effects. The big difference relates to where the buzz comes from: natural coffee beans vs. laboratory produced synthetic caffeine.
Like with other natural products, the caffeine in the coffee beans includes many other substances which are not easily separated from the caffeine. It comes with fibrous and other materials, which actually reduce the speed of absorption of the caffeine stimulant.
In most energy drinks, the caffeine is synthetically produced in a factory, usually in India or China. This synthetic caffeine has one advantage over natural caffeine: it is extremely potent. All of the natural byproducts that come with natural caffeine from coffee beans or Guarana are not present with laboratory caffeine. It is also much cheaper to produce than natural caffeine, another great thing, from the manufacturer's point of view. Unfortunately, from a consumer's point of view, this concentrated caffeine blast is absorbed into the bloodstream almost as soon as it hits the stomach.
Natural products like Guarana or tea, on the other hand, are absorbed more slowly by the body. They are also less concentrated and therefore less poisonous than the white powdered caffeine. There are a few advantages with the natural versions of caffeine (whether it be in coffee, tea or Guarana). Firstly, the duration of the increased mental clarity will be longer. Instead of the instant buzz you get from most energy drinks and then the inevitable crash, you get a prolonged feeling of alertness for a several hours and the effect eventually wears off gradually.
A second good thing happens over the medium and long term. Continuous usage of synthetic caffeine tends to over saturate the nervous system. If this excessive use continues, our nervous system rebels. This is our body's way of telling us to reduce the intake of this toxic substance. Our hands start shaking, nervous tics can develop; we start to see the same signs of stress as you would from depression or anxiety. This often leads to bigger problems.
With natural caffeine or guaranine, the body can more easily flush out the excess quantities and not overtax the nervous system. But even with natural caffeine, one must use moderation. It is best to stick with one regular cup of coffee or tea (not the large Starbucks which is really like 6 coffees) or one 12 oz can of a natural energy drink or unsweetened cold tea.
Organic coffees are your best alternative if you choose to drink coffee. Whole Foods Markets has a wide variety of these.
Two natural energy drinks that I like are GURU Energy Drinks from Canada and Syzmo from the US. They are made exclusively with natural caffeine from Guarana and/or coffee. The big plus for GURU is that its Organic and doesn't have added vitamins. Syzmo is excellent quality but much more expensive, and the taste needs getting used to. GURU has an all natural low-cal energy drink sweetened with Stevia called (GURU Lite), which is an added bonus (see my post on Benefits of Stevia: (ref: For Dollars (will) Authorize (FDA)).
With regards to teas; cold, brewed teas will provide the best combination of anti-oxidants and natural caffeine. A brand I like is ITOEN, from Japan. Itoen Teas seems to be the purest, unsweetened product out there. The Zen taste grows on you after a couple of bottles. See their website at: Itoen Teas. Another cool brand is the US based Honest Tea, but they recently sold out to Coke and now it seems they're selling out to the sweeter American taste buds.
About the Author:
Dr. Jones is an authority in health and alternative medicine issues. He writes and consults with a variety of companies providing alternative foods, drinks and medicines. For more, read his blog on Squidoo at Natural Foods & Drinks
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