Most energy drinks contain Taurine. Why? Because Red Bull, maybe on a hunch, added Taurine to their drink 20 years ago and no one ever asked why. That's why. It amazes me that over 7 billion cans of energy drinks are consumed every year (one for every human being!) despite the fact that they contain several highly questionable ingredients. Us humans definitely travel in herds!
The reality is that taurine in energy drinks is not only useless, several studies seem to indicate that it is actually bad for you. Especially the synthetic kind found in energy drinks (see Heart Problems with Synthetic Taurine), and even more specifically when combined with caffeine (see Taurine and Caffeine).
This might be why some countries such as France, Denmark and Sweden have banned Red Bull from their supermarket shelves. There are similar initiatives to regulate these products in other countries (Australia, Canada).
There is no doubt that energy drinks make us feel more mentally alert and help us perform. I drink some myself once in a while before a long drive or when working late at night. The same way I drink coffee or tea: as a stimulant when I need it.
What I find offensive is that most of these drinks come with so many other toxic ingredients (Taurine, HFCS, aspartame) that the overall risk of consumption outweighs the potential benefits. The same could be said of several drugs currently in the clinical trial phase. This is why the FDA is involved in reviewing and ultimately rejecting those drugs where the negative side effects outweigh the postive atttributes. There is no such review of these potentially toxic cocktails.
Some of the energy drinks I dislike are the usual culprits: Red Bull, Monster, Rockstar. They are basically carbon copies of each other. Some of the energy drinks I DO like are Guyaki Yerba Matte, GURU Energy Drink, and Sambason Energy. they all contain mostly what you need in an energy drink. A stimulant (natural caffeine, guaranine or yerba matte) plus a minimum of other ingredients, most of them organic.
Its encouraging to see that more and more mainstream youth are saying no to the chemical cocktails that have mushroomed onto our shelves of late. Rap superstar Kanye West recently annouced he was working on developing a low-calorie organic and natural product with GURU Energy Drinks. This should teach us that younger can sometimes mean much smarter.
The reality is that taurine in energy drinks is not only useless, several studies seem to indicate that it is actually bad for you. Especially the synthetic kind found in energy drinks (see Heart Problems with Synthetic Taurine), and even more specifically when combined with caffeine (see Taurine and Caffeine).
This might be why some countries such as France, Denmark and Sweden have banned Red Bull from their supermarket shelves. There are similar initiatives to regulate these products in other countries (Australia, Canada).
There is no doubt that energy drinks make us feel more mentally alert and help us perform. I drink some myself once in a while before a long drive or when working late at night. The same way I drink coffee or tea: as a stimulant when I need it.
What I find offensive is that most of these drinks come with so many other toxic ingredients (Taurine, HFCS, aspartame) that the overall risk of consumption outweighs the potential benefits. The same could be said of several drugs currently in the clinical trial phase. This is why the FDA is involved in reviewing and ultimately rejecting those drugs where the negative side effects outweigh the postive atttributes. There is no such review of these potentially toxic cocktails.
Some of the energy drinks I dislike are the usual culprits: Red Bull, Monster, Rockstar. They are basically carbon copies of each other. Some of the energy drinks I DO like are Guyaki Yerba Matte, GURU Energy Drink, and Sambason Energy. they all contain mostly what you need in an energy drink. A stimulant (natural caffeine, guaranine or yerba matte) plus a minimum of other ingredients, most of them organic.
Its encouraging to see that more and more mainstream youth are saying no to the chemical cocktails that have mushroomed onto our shelves of late. Rap superstar Kanye West recently annouced he was working on developing a low-calorie organic and natural product with GURU Energy Drinks. This should teach us that younger can sometimes mean much smarter.
About the Author:
Dr. Frederik Gupta is an authority in health matters and consults with different food and beverage companies. You can read his blog on Wordpress at Dr. Gupta.
0 comments:
Post a Comment