http://www.care2.com/greenliving/rethink-energy-drinks.html
Rethink Energy Drinks
Q: Are energy drinks bad for you?
A: I think this answer might hinge on your definition of “bad.”
Truthfully, why does anyone need to drink anything other than water? Why do you want to ingest excess calories and chemicals if you don’t need them? (and even “natural” energy drinks are full of preservatives and other things you probably can’t pronounce).
If you are an energy drink junkie, it’s probably because you are addicted to the energy buzz you get from the caffeine, sugar, and other ingredients. While kicking the habit may be hard, it can be done. Try reducing your intake by one can a day–or even half a can–until you get down to zero. Also, take a look at your diet. If you are suffering from energy lows during the day, it’s probably because you are not eating a good balance of proteins and carbohydrates.
If you are someone who drinks multiples of these drinks a day, there is a real danger of heart arrythmias.
Dr. Brent Ridge is the health expert for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. You can call and ask him a question live every Tuesday at 2 p.m. Eastern on Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 112 (1.866.675.6675). You can also follow along as he learns to grow his own food and raise goats on his farm in upstate New York by visiting www.beekman1802.com.
Got a health question for Dr. Brent? E-mail him at drbrent@care2.com.
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16 comments
add your comment »I would like more information on energy drinks as I am attempting to write a term paper on the subject of energy drinks. My conclusion...non at the moment...not enough information...Any one with any real info please
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thanks...
Kabin
Konteyner
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If you need the extra energy I suggest getting it naturally by eating properly and drinking lots of good, healthy, nonchemical water. If you'd like to know more about this and other natural body-healers, go to http://DebbieRoth.heartlandselect.net.
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I noticed that no one once mentioned that many of these energy drinks are also loaded with high fructose corn syrup, which is bad in of itself. What was already said about the jump-start, the high and the crash is absolutely true. If it's true of your coffee, it's that much more so in these so-called energy drinks that are also loaded with so many other potential toxins. If you're an adult and you want this on occasion in moderation, don't worry about the guilt-trip. But, anyone who has children to care for, should be concerned. If it's bad for us as adults, how much worse is it for smaller, younger, growing minds and bodies? I'm not a parent, but if I were, I would certainly do what I could to educate my young ones about the risks and dangers of this stuff and do what I could to keep it out of their hands. I know that must be a daunting task. That's one reason I chose not to have children.
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One year, I drank energy drinks all the time. All the promises that they made. I worked out almost everyday but, due to the energy drinks, I couldn't lose a pound. I didn't start losing weight until I STOPPED drinking them. LOL
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What kind of school wouldn't allow a student to bring his or her own snack?? Our school actually recommends children to bring fruit and veggies rather than sweets or chips! I always congratulate my students when they bring something healthy. I also question the children when they bring something unhealthy - "Where's your fruit and veggies? You can't grow up strong and healthy and beautiful and smart if you don't eat your fruits and veggies!" :)
I don't care for the taste of energy drinks anyway, and I don't care to get addicted either. I've cut way down on coffee and soda because my gut responds poorly to them.
No processing, no packaging is the way to go. As God made it, that's how I prefer it! :)
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Jeeziz Cheerist: From the moment we are born, we start dying. We are just trying to decelerate the process a tad.
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Oh yeah, I forgot, the school angle--besides the conservtron innoculation nonsense--my child isn't permitted a homemade (healthy) snack from home or even a piece of organic fruit during the day, but she can have Frito-Lay & Minutemaid products loaded with crap. When she runs low on energy, she can also have a Starbucks iced mocha drink but she will be suspended if caught with a "controlled substance" such as Jolt. What in the world is wrong with people? I had to get my daughter's doctor to give her a note to take to school giving her permission that a fresh fruit or homemade snack during the day before or after lunch was "medically necessary" for her and that the corporate crap available at the school store or cafeteria was not an option for her. Something is very very wrong with that.
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I'd like to have had a more science-based answer from Dr. Brent. What specifically is in those energy drinks that is so terrible and what compounds are addictive (actually addictive--there's entirely too many people claiming addictive properties to all manner of things in spite of scientific evidence to the contrary--e.g., THC)?
It's not sufficient in this day and age of propaganda and political agendae to simply say energy drinks are "bad" and then give out some fluff definitions. That Dr. Brent feels one should only ever ingest water tells me volumes and I'm already questioning his conclusions.
This is troublesome for me as my kids are being subjected to Republikaaner nonsense day after day in public school under the guise of ProjectALERT. The local PTSA is sponsoring a "discussion" (a talk-at event where two local cops, the former DARE coordinators) on the horrors of kids using the internet and sports drinks. This kind of nonsense needs to stop. If there's compounds that have negative health effects, name them and cite to scientific evidence to support your claim. Frankly high-fructose corn syrup in just about every soda and juice beverage served to kids in the cafeteria is as bad for some kids as the crap in energy drinks and the health impact is far worse, but here we are... the devil under every carpet syndrome. Enough.
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It's interesting that nobody has considered the question from another side. Are energy drinks bad in general? Everything is bad for you in excess, even water. Why didn't Dr. Brent answer the question as it was? Why take the easy road and judge the misuse of energy drinks? I take occasional energy drink when I am driving long distances during the night. They keep me awake for that extra hour to get me home. I don't drink coffee, so I can't get that boost from there. Would you consider energy drinks so harmful, that one shouldn't drink even one. Or are they acceptable when consumed in moderation?
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