What You Need To Know About Energy Drinks

Energy drinks seem to be everywhere these days- in gas stations, drug stores, health food stores, even grocery stores and vending machnes. Why are these drinks so popular and what do you need to know about them?

Energy drinks like Red Bull, Full Throttle, Venom and Monster (to name just a few) are designed to give a burst of high energy to the consumer. How do they do this? Most energy drinks contain a combination of chemicals and herbs like ephedrine, methylxanthines, B vitamins, taurine, guarana, ginseng and creatine. Some of the other ingredients in energy drinks can be maltodextrin, inositol, carnitie, glucuronolactone and ginkgo biloba. Many contain extreme amounts of sugar although there are some available with artificial sweeteners added. Almost all energy drinks have caffeine added, sometimes as much as 80 mg. Compared to Mountain dew (37 mg) or Coca Cola (23 mg), that's a large amount!

So what are all those ingredients?

Taurine is an amino acid that regulates heartbeat and muscle contractions.

Guarana is extracted from plants in South America. It's a stimulant that is more dense in caffeine than coffee beans.

B Vitamins are used by the body to convert junk like sugar into usable energy.

Sugars are used because glucose is the body's fuel of choice. Sugar is a crabohydrate and provides a burst of energy.

Ginko Biloba is know to improve mmory retention, concentration and circulation. It's also thought to help symptoms of Alzheimer’s.

Energy drinks are marketed towards busy people, people on the go, students and unfortunately teenagers. These drinks can be very dangerous for children as well as adults.They can boost the heart rate and blood pressure, cause palpitations, dehydrate the body and of course prevent sleep which is what some consumers are looking for.

Although consuming an energy drink before exercising may sound logical to some people, caffeine and sweating can severely dehydrate your body. Opt for a sports drink like Gatorade instead.

If you're looking for reviews on the energy drinks available, this site has an extensive collection of them:

http://www.bandddesigns.com/energy/

Informative Information about Energy Drinks

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