Common sense article on Energy drinks. I’m not a big proponent of them because they are generally overused by athletes. Like anything else moderation and occasional use would be the way to proceed. I prefer athletes use carbohydrates to fuel their workouts. Carbs will give an evenly paced, longer lasting form of energy. Instead of paying $3-4 for the next quick fix try popping a handful of almonds or dried fruit during a workout. “Beware the man selling magic beans”.
Scant proof is found to back up claims by energy drinks
By Barry Meier
New York Times
01/01/2013 08:43:20 PM PST
Energy drinks are the fastest-growing part of the beverage industry, with sales in the United States reaching more than $10 billion in 2012 — more than Americans spent on iced tea or sports beverages like Gatorade.
Their rising popularity represents a generational shift in what people drink, and reflects a successful campaign to convince consumers, particularly teenagers, that the drinks provide a mental and physical edge.
The drinks are now under scrutiny by the Food and Drug Administration after reports of deaths and serious injuries that may be linked to their high caffeine levels. But however that review ends, one thing is clear, interviews with researchers and a review of scientific studies show: the energy drink industry is based on a brew of ingredients that, apart from caffeine, have little, if any benefit for consumers.
“If you had a cup of coffee you are going to affect metabolism in the same way,” said Robert Pettitt, an associate professor at Minnesota State University in Mankato, who has studied the drinks.
Energy drink companies have promoted their products not as caffeine-fueled concoctions but as specially engineered blends that provide something more. For example, producers claim that “Red Bull gives you wings,” that Rockstar Energy is “scientifically formulated” and Monster Energy is a “killer energy brew.” Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., has asked the government to investigate the industry’s marketing claims.
Promoting a message beyond caffeine has enabled the beverage makers to charge premium prices. A 16-ounce energy drink that sells for $2.99 a can contains about the same amount of caffeine as a tablet of NoDoz that costs 30 cents. Even Starbucks coffee is cheap by comparison; a 12-ounce cup that costs $1.85 has even more caffeine.
As with earlier elixirs, a dearth of evidence underlies such claims. Only a few human studies of energy drinks or the ingredients in them have been performed and they point to a similar conclusion, researchers say — that the beverages are mainly about caffeine.
Caffeine is called the world’s most widely used drug. A stimulant, it increases alertness, awareness and, if taken at the right time, improves athletic performance, studies show.
“These are caffeine delivery systems,” said Roland Griffiths, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University who has studied energy drinks.
“They don’t want to say this is equivalent to a NoDoz because that is not a very sexy sales message.”
Here’s a article taking on the claims that companies make concerning energy drinks. I’ve never been a user of energy drinks because the active ingredient is caffeine and being the cheapskate that I am I never saw the sense in paying $3 for a can of caffeinated juice when a cup of tea (I’m not a coffee drinker) or caffeine tablet is just pennies and you cut to the chase without any other items.
