What Are Energy Drinks – FAQ & Tips

The energy drink phase is still young compare to soda but energy drink is actually older than most people think. Energy drink can be dated back to the early 1900′s. No one really knows when the first energy drink was created but some believed that the first energy drink was created in Scotland in 1901.

Defining what an energy drink is can be hard because there are so many varieties of energy drinks out there. In my opinion, energy drinks are beverages containing vitamins, minerals, herb extract, caffeine and energy blends. It is designed to increase energy quickly but does a poor job hydrating the body. Many of them uses synthetic vitamins and minerals which is why I do not recommend drinking them on a regular basis. From my reviews, I notice that most energy drinks have high levels of caffeine, sugar and energy blends, such as taurine, L-carnitine, Inositol, panax ginseng extract, glucose, guarana and B-vitamins.

Energy drinks did not become popular in the United States until the late 1990′s, Red Bull was the first energy drink introduced in the United States in 1997. At first only 4 states, California, Oregon, Colorado and Texas sold Red Bull but since it was such a big hit among teenagers and young adults, Red Bull decided to go nationwide. Red Bull now owns about 47% of the market share. Worldwide Red Bull owns about 65% of the market share.

Fast forward to 2008 and energy drinks are everywhere, especially at convenience stores. Energy drinks are growing at an alarming rate and is suppose to reach $10 billion in retail sales by 2010. There are hundreds of different energy drinks to choose from but the most popular are Red Bull, XS, Monster, Rockstar, Full Throttle, Sobe and Amp. Most of these energy drinks can be found at convenience stores except for XS which is distributed by Quixtar and Independent Business Owners (IBOs).

The energy drink market is having tremendous success but along the way there had been many urban legends and confusion about its health benefits.

Energy drink urban legends, FAQs and tips

• Does Glucuronolactone cause brain tumors? Back in 2000, there was an email that began circulating on the Internet saying that Glucuronolactone is an artificial stimulant developed by the American Government in the early 1960′s. The stimulant was designed to boost mental and physical energy in soldiers serving in Vietnam. Later on the stimulant was banned because of several deaths and cases involving brain tumors and severe migraines. Glucuronolactone is actually a naturally-occurring metabolite which is produce in the human liver. Glucuronolactone is popular in energy drinks because it helps increase energy and alertness. There has been no scientific proof showing that Glucuronolactone causes brain cancer.
• Does energy drink dehydrate you? Energy drinks are great for giving you quick energy boost but is also great for dehydrating you. Most energy drinks have high levels of caffeine and sugar which gives you quick energy but has the negative side effect of draining your body’s energy afterwards. The best way to hydrate yourself is to drink pure water. Gatorade does a good job hydrating your body too.
• Is taurine derived from bull testicles? Taurine is an organic acid that can be found in animals and humans, and is synthesized in the liver. Some of the reasons why people think that taurine is derived from bull testicles is because taurine is named after taurus which is a Latin word that means bull or ox. Taurine was originally found in ox bile and can also be isolated from the urine of female cattle. Taurine has been known to reduce muscle fatigue and raised exercise capacity in mice.
• Are energy drinks healthy? Most, if not all, energy drinks are not healthy for you because they contain high levels of refined sugar and caffeine, and synthetic energy blends. Then again, most drinks high in sugar, such as sodas, sports drinks and fruit punch are not healthy for you either. Most energy drinks contain synthetic vitamins and minerals because they are more stable. Synthetic vitamins don’t work as well as natural vitamins and may be toxic to your body. Some of the energy herbs in energy drinks haven’t been tested by the FDA or private researchers. Their effects may not be as claimed. Drinking a few energy drinks a week should be fine, just don’t drink 2 to 3 energy drinks everyday.
• When is the best and worst time to drink energy drinks? The best time is when you are tired and need a quick boost of energy. I don’t recommend drinking energy drinks on an empty stomach, especially in the morning. Drinking energy drinks on an empty stomach may give you stomachaches. It is similar to eating chocolate on an empty stomach. Most energy drinks have empty calories which give you a quick boost of energy but also give you energy break down. This is why it is important to drink them on a semi-full stomach so the food can replace the empty calories.

Energy drinks are great for temporally boosting energy. As for health, they are horrible because most of them have high levels of refined sugar, caffeine, synthetic energy blends and synthetic chemicals. Because of this, I have decided to stop reviewing them. The energy drinks that I used to drink occasionally were the sugar-free and caffeine-free energy drinks. The sugar-free energy drinks are actually the worst to drink because it uses artificial sweetener. Realizing this, I decided that it is best to avoid sugar-free energy drinks.

Related Posts:

• Artificial Sweetener Danger
• Side Effects of Energy Drink

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