The Impact Of Energy Drink On Health

The chemical components of the most common energy drink are caffeine, Ginseng, Vitamin B, Sugar, Taurine, Guarana and Carnitine.

Caffeine – boosts energy. It stimulates the central nervous system and gives alertness and athletic performance. It also decreases blood pressure & the heart rate. After consumption, the heart rate returns to normal.

Ginseng – an extract made from the root of the ginseng plant. Panax ginseng is the species which is used most commonly. The ginseng content in energy drink typically ranges between 8 to 400 mg in 16 ounces. A recent view in American Family Physician determined that it doesn’t enhance physical performance but it may boost our brain power and work by increasing the uptake of blood glucose by the cells in the brain, so it lowers the blood sugar level. Avoid if u are taking diabetes medication.

Vitamin B – water soluble vitamins that are stored in the body and we need a regular supply for our daily needs. It helps to extract energy from the food we eat and plays a significant role in nervous function, the formation of red blood cells, and production of DNA and help to promote a healthy metabolism.

Sugar – which is the ingredient you will see on energy drink labels. Actually, it’s sucrose (combination of fructose and glucose). Many energy drinks contain 50 to 60 g of sucrose in a 16-ounce can. Our body runs mainly on glucose. A recent study in the Journal of Applied Physiology found s that man who guzzied a 6 percent glucose drink were able to bicycle 22min longer than those who went sans the extra sugar.

Taurine – one of the most abundant amino acids in our brain where it can act as a neurotransmitter (a chemical messenger that allows our cells to communicate with the others) and it may also boost athletic performance and metabolism.

Guarana – a South American shrub. One seed contains a caffeine content of 4 to 5 percent while a coffee bean contains 1 to 2 percent of caffeine. So it has the similar effects like caffeine.

Carnitine – an amino acid that pumps up endurance and promote fat burning. Generally, energy drinks can improve mental alertness, reaction times and concentration. They can be useful when you are training hard & need an extra boost for a touch session. If we used in right content, consuming energy drink in moderation as a part of balance diet can have advantages.

As an athlete or someone who is focusing on increasing fitness level, the one can gain benefits from carb contents of energy drinks. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations’ Sport Medicine Advisory Committee, most energy drinks are carb-based, containing between 18 to 25 g of carbohydrate per 8 ounces. Carbohydrates in energy drinks come predominantly from sugar. While sugar may often seen as a nutritional bad guy, carbohydrates can be beneficial under certain circumstances. When we sweat, our body doesn’t just lose water, it gets rid of electrolytes as well. If not replacing, those can lead to a drop in performance & dehydration.

To conclude, we must take in the right amount of energy drink when our body is weak or loss of sweat. If we take more than we need, the things containing in energy drink may increase or decrease our internal metabolic rates. So, they can only help for our health when we take in the right amounts as we need. If more, they can’t be good for health.