It seems like an oxymoron at first. Energy drinks are usually laced with artificially produced caffeine, High Fructose Corn Syrup, synthetic Taurine (ref: Dangers of Taurine with Caffeine) and of course, for marketing effect artificially produced vitamins. How can any of this be good for you. It isn't.
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 are energy drinks worse than coffee? One could say that many more people drink a cup or two or three of coffee every day and have never had any of the health issues associated with Taurine and energy drinks. This is because coffee derives its caffeine from coffee beans.
Like most natural substances, the caffeine in the coffee beans cannot easily be separated as a distinct molecular structure. It comes with many other elements, including fibrous membranes, which actually reduce the speed of absorption of the active caffeine.
With these newly concocted energy drinks, the caffeine is produced in sleek factories, usually in Europe or Southeast Asia. This synthetic caffeine is definitely much better than natural caffeine in one regard: it is much more potent. All of the organic substances that come with the coffee or Guarana or tea do not exist with factory produced caffeine. Artificial caffeine is also less expensive to make than natural caffeine, another great thing for the large corporations that make it. Unfortunately for consumers, this highly potent and toxic caffeine is absorbed into our body as soon as it hits the digestive system.
Natural caffeine, on the other hand, is more gradually absorbed into the body. It is also less potent and therefore less toxic than artificial caffeine. There are two distinct advantages that come from a more natural stimulant (whether it be tea, coffee or Guarana). The first is that the period of heightened alertness will be longer. Instead of the huge instantaneous rush you get from energy drinks and then the commensurate crash an hour later, you get a sustained feeling of alertness for a few hours and the effect tends to wear off just as gradually.
Advantage #2 has to do with the jitters. Concentrated exposure to potent artificial caffeine tends to over saturate one's nervous system. If overexposure is repeated, nervous system goes haywire. Nature's way of saying: Enough! Hands shake, nervous tics develop; our body shows the same signs as it would under sustained stress and anxiety. Not a good thing.
With guaranine or tea or natural coffee beans, our digestive and circulatory system can easily eliminate the excess quantities without unduly affecting the nervous system. But even with natural stimulants, they must be used carefully and not in excessive amounts. It is best to stick with one cup per day; of coffee (not the grande which is really like 6 coffees) or one 12 oz can of a natural energy drink or unsweetened cold tea.
Organic coffee doesn't have any of the artificial additives found in industrial agricultural operations. Whole Foods Markets has many of these types of coffees.
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 cold teas; naturally brewed products provide anti-oxidants in addition to the natural caffeine. A brand I like is ITOEN. They have some unsweetened products with a unique taste that grows on you after a while. Teas Teas.
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 are energy drinks worse than coffee? One could say that many more people drink a cup or two or three of coffee every day and have never had any of the health issues associated with Taurine and energy drinks. This is because coffee derives its caffeine from coffee beans.
Like most natural substances, the caffeine in the coffee beans cannot easily be separated as a distinct molecular structure. It comes with many other elements, including fibrous membranes, which actually reduce the speed of absorption of the active caffeine.
With these newly concocted energy drinks, the caffeine is produced in sleek factories, usually in Europe or Southeast Asia. This synthetic caffeine is definitely much better than natural caffeine in one regard: it is much more potent. All of the organic substances that come with the coffee or Guarana or tea do not exist with factory produced caffeine. Artificial caffeine is also less expensive to make than natural caffeine, another great thing for the large corporations that make it. Unfortunately for consumers, this highly potent and toxic caffeine is absorbed into our body as soon as it hits the digestive system.
Natural caffeine, on the other hand, is more gradually absorbed into the body. It is also less potent and therefore less toxic than artificial caffeine. There are two distinct advantages that come from a more natural stimulant (whether it be tea, coffee or Guarana). The first is that the period of heightened alertness will be longer. Instead of the huge instantaneous rush you get from energy drinks and then the commensurate crash an hour later, you get a sustained feeling of alertness for a few hours and the effect tends to wear off just as gradually.
Advantage #2 has to do with the jitters. Concentrated exposure to potent artificial caffeine tends to over saturate one's nervous system. If overexposure is repeated, nervous system goes haywire. Nature's way of saying: Enough! Hands shake, nervous tics develop; our body shows the same signs as it would under sustained stress and anxiety. Not a good thing.
With guaranine or tea or natural coffee beans, our digestive and circulatory system can easily eliminate the excess quantities without unduly affecting the nervous system. But even with natural stimulants, they must be used carefully and not in excessive amounts. It is best to stick with one cup per day; of coffee (not the grande which is really like 6 coffees) or one 12 oz can of a natural energy drink or unsweetened cold tea.
Organic coffee doesn't have any of the artificial additives found in industrial agricultural operations. Whole Foods Markets has many of these types of coffees.
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 cold teas; naturally brewed products provide anti-oxidants in addition to the natural caffeine. A brand I like is ITOEN. They have some unsweetened products with a unique taste that grows on you after a while. Teas Teas.
About the Author:
Dr. Jones is an authority in health and alternative medicine issues. He workswith a variety of companies providing more natural alternatives to everyday consumer products. For more, read his blog on Squidoo at Natural Foods & Drinks
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