WHATS THE DEAL WITH ENERGY DRINKS?

Our resident nutritionist Sarah drinks energy drinks on a regular basis *shock* *horror*.

How can she claim to be a healthy eater but still consume energy drinks?

Are they really as bad as you think?

Well, it depends

-Who is drinking it?

-When are they drinking it?

-What type of energy drink is it?

As a substance they are not necessarily unhealthy OR healthy, it’s context dependent.

There are two types of energy drinks: full calorie and zero calorie.

Full calorie are normally high calorie, high sugar, and high caffeine.

Zero calorie are very low calorie, no sugar, high caffeine and normally use a non-nutritive sweetener like aspartame in replacement of sugar.

Full calorie energy drinks

As a standalone product, they are not unhealthy, or healthy.

They are very energy dense, and sugar dense.

People who do not have a good concept of nutrition, energy intake, and who have inactive lifestyles can consume full calorie energy drinks not realising that this number of calories will cause them to over consume energy.

This can then lead to poor health outcomes like weight gain, or high caffeine levels which can affect sleep.

Caffeine itself is not unhealthy. In fact, it is one of the most important supplements for endurance sports.

The individual really matters here: A 15-year-old in a classroom does not need 180mg of caffeine and 32g of sugar, however, an athlete who is about to go on a long cycle could use this kind of energy and sugar intake to fuel a session.

Remember caffeine has a half-life of 5-7hrs so avoid drinking late afternoon or evening so it doesn’t affect your sleep.

Zero calorie drinks.

They get a bashing again for caffeine, which is not an issue if it’s consumed in the right context e.g. a coffee replacement, or for someone about to exercise who wants energy, or someone who needs caffeine to aid focus or performance if sleep deprived.

They also get a bashing for the artificial sweeteners contained in them.

Artificial sweeteners are not unhealthy.

We have so much research that shows the amount of sweeteners contained in energy drinks is entirely safe for human consumption, even studies looking at REALLY high doses have not found unhealthy effects in humans.

Zero calorie drinks do not run the risk of causing people to overconsume energy as they do not have calories, and this is why they are frequently consumed by gym-goers before they go to the gym. It’s just caffeine without the calories and sugar.

And this is precisely why I have them- as a pre-workout caffeine hit.

In the context of someone who has an energy balanced diet, exercises, and eats well – energy drinks (full calories or zero calorie) are not an issue.

What kind of rubbish is in energy drinks?

Only “rubbish” that has gone through multiple safety checks and stringent research by food health authorities and has been scientifically vetted as safe for human consumption.

There have been a few horror stories in the media about energy drinks, but what they fail to mention is underlying health conditions, sleep deprivation, and so much more that leads to these unfortunate events.

You could replace “monster” with “two cups of coffee” in these stories, but that wouldn’t make headlines.

All of this is to say that despite their negative reputation, the actual content of energy drinks often comes from natural plant-based sources, the artificial ingredients have been researched and approved as safe for human consumption, and the caffeine content is that of approx 2 cups of coffee (which can absolutely be a lot for some people – but it is not even close to dangerous levels).

The reason we consume energy drinks is for the fast stimulation they give us.

For example, there are four stimulants in Monster Energy Zero Ultra, which are all-natural.

Caffeine (obvs), ginseng and guarana are plants that can help to reduce fatigue— and taurine is an amino acid that’s important for brain and body development.

*Be aware that Ginseng can affect blood pressure and cause headaches and digestive issues in some people if consumed regularly or in large quantities.

It also contains some B vitamins, which have a positive impact on energy levels, general physical health, and mental well-being.

We’re not trying to vouch for endless consumption of energy drinks.

This is simply to make the point that we fear what we don’t understand based off inaccurate sources (media) and lack of education (not being able to read nutrition labels or find trustworthy sources of information).

The reason they have limited them for under 16-year-olds is the high sugar and caffeine content which is not advised for children and can be misused.

TAKE HOME

It’s all about context.

If it’s a fizzy energy drink containing carbonic acid, then it’s not going to be good for your teeth so limiting it for this reason is a good idea.

If you are dieting, then it’s not a good idea to be drinking your calories so always choose a sugar-free version.

Because of the high caffeine content be aware of taking these late in the day as they can affect your sleep.

As with coffee, tea and any other caffeine containing substances or tablets, too much is going to cause health problems so check the labels and know your limits.

Smashing 10x Red Bulls a day (Rob) to stay awake is not a good idea- address your sleep issues first.

If you want to use them on occasion for alertness or improved performance in the gym (pre-workout) then this is going to be completely fine.

Ergonomic dose for sports performance is 3-6mg/kg

(Outside of sports performance, the NHS recommends that adults should not exceed 400mg of caffeine a day. If a woman is pregnant or breast-feeding, then it is advisable to reduce caffeine levels to not exceed 200mg a day)

Regular Monster= 220mg caffeine/can

Monster Ultra=140mg caffeine/can

Coke=34mg caffeine/can

Coffee= 50-100mg caffeine/cup

Tea= 50mg caffeine/cup

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