What You Don't Know About Energy Drinks

Energy drinks are at it again, and in the news.  The 5 Hour Energy CEO has played the "I don't know" game along with "I'll have to get back to you with that information" and more prattle while avoiding the real issues. While 5 Hour Energy is not the only member of this product category, one thing for sure is that it does contain sucralose. And if you don't know about sucralose (marketed as Splenda) by now you can go here for more information. Another of my trusted sources, that today re-issued one of their older articles, has this to say:

Energy drinks are labeled wrong. They don’t energize you – they stimulate you. Research shows that beyond a brief caffeine high, there are actually no health benefits to energy drinks. In fact, the combination of different chemicals is likely to do more harm than good, especially for children. People need to stop over-reaching for that buzz that will not carry through the day. Drinking 3, 4 or even 5 Five Hour Energy shots in one sitting will not help you stay energized throughout the day. The circumstances suggest that, for some, it could be deadly.

Here's why: 5 Hour Energy Shots contain synthesized versions of Citicoline, Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, Taurine, Malic Acid, Glucuronolactone, and phenylalanine.

Besides the same amount of caffeine as 12 ounces of the leading cup of premium coffee, 5 Hour Energy does not contain carbohydrates, yet they claim it provides energy. 5 Hour Energy contains 2000% daily value of B6 and the 8333% of B12. All other ingredients including amino acids are in amounts considered to be healthy, but what about the amount of B Vitamins? The company states that the B Vitamins in their supplement; B6, B12, B3, and B9 are water soluble, any amount that is not absorbed is “expelled with no toxic effects.”  

What they fail to explain is that water, an essential ingredient that is needed to expel unused B Vitamins, should be mega-dosed to offset the mega-dose of B Vitamins in a 5 Hour Energy shot. Contrary to belief, it is possible to overdose on Vitamin B. Overdosing on Vitamin B happens when intolerable amounts are taken over a long period of time which can result in headache, dizziness, fainting, yellowing of skin, and temporary nerve/brain damage that can last 3 months to 3 years.

One case for toxicity reported 5,500mg for one dose, while another reported 500mg over a period of time (3 months or so), which happens to be the equivalent of B12 in one bottle of 5 hour energy. The recommended daily dose for B3 is 6mg, .8 for B6, and 30mg for B12. The amount of B3 in a 5 Hour Energy drink is 30mg, 40mg of B6, and 500mcg of B12. The amount of B Vitamins could potentially lead to an overdose. In the most extreme case, if taken daily and over a period of time 5 Hour Energy shots could very well cause temporary nerve/brain damage (in the most extreme cases). Symptoms such as numb hands and feet are signs of toxic levels. This is also the type of toxicity that can be expected from synthesized B vitamins.

If you are interested in a really unique, safe, and health promoting energy shot please be open to using our reliable and effective EVB Concentrate, you'll be glad you did!

SELECTIONS FROM NATURAL HEALTH NEWS

and there are about 30 more...

Natural Health News: Sports and Energy Drinks Again

May 02, 2012

More today on the dangers of commercailly available sports and energy drinks from Health Day. In the midst of this just remember this is the reason I created herbalYODA's sportZtea many years ago. This is an all natural and ...

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/

Natural Health News: Energy Drinks

Jan 17, 2012

Energy Drinks. UPDATE:15 January 2012. Once again energy drinks are in the news and it appears that it isn't good (no surprise!). Agence France-Presse reports that "Australia experts call for energy drink warnings".

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/

Natural Health News: Learn More Facts About Energy Drinks

Oct 13, 2009

For some time we have been writing about energy drinks, and out most recent update gives you information along with the several other articles we have posted about energy drinks here on Natural Health News. Safe Energy ...

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/

Natural Health News: Energy Drinks: Again!

Aug 20, 2010

Study authors Stephanie Ballard of Nova Southeastern University and colleagues Jennifer Wellborn-Kim and Kevin Clauson say energy drinks typically feature caffeine and a combination of other ingredients -- including ...

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Sports and Energy Drinks Again

More today on the dangers of commercailly available sports and energy drinks from Health Day.

In the midst of this just remember this is the reason I created herbalYODA's sportZtea many years ago.  This is an all natural and organic herb blend that allows you to make your own safe and health promoting sports and energy drink at home.

Find out more about herbalYODA's sportZtea here.

Please do heed the warning not to allow your children to chew sugarless gum as the Health day article states, or use articficial sweeteners when making my tea.  These chemicals are implicated in the rise of obesity and diabetes as well as more than 100 health concerns.

WEDNESDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- Sports and energy drinks are causing irreversible damage to the teeth of teens and young adults in the United States, the authors of a new study claim.
High acidity levels in the drinks erode tooth enamel, the glossy outer layer of teeth, the researchers contend in the May/June issue of the journal General Dentistry.
"Young adults consume these drinks assuming that they will improve their sports performance and energy levels and that they are 'better' for them than soda," study author Poonam Jain said in a news release from Academy of General Dentistry, which publishes the journal.
However, "most of these patients are shocked to learn that these drinks are essentially bathing their teeth with acid," Jain said.
For the study, the researchers analyzed acidity levels in 13 sports drinks and nine energy drinks. They found that acidity levels varied widely between brands and even flavors of the same brand. The effect on teeth of these acidity levels were assessed by immersing samples of human tooth enamel in each beverage for 15 minutes, followed by immersion in artificial saliva for two hours.
The cycle was repeated four times a day for five days, to simulate the exposure of teeth in teens and young adults who drink one of these beverages every few hours.
Damage to the tooth enamel was evident after five days, the researchers reported, and energy drinks caused twice as much damage as sports drinks.
Damage to tooth enamel is irreversible, the experts noted. Without the protection of enamel, teeth become overly sensitive and are more likely to decay and develop cavities.
The American Beverage Association (ABA), which represents the beverage industry, took issue with the study.
"This study was not conducted on humans, and in no way mirrors reality," the group said in a statement released Wednesday. "The authors used slices of tooth enamel samples from extracted molars, and then placed them in petri dishes of liquid for extended periods of time. People do not keep any kind of liquid in their mouths for 15-minute intervals over five-day periods."
The association added that the lab experiments could not mimic the environment of the human mouth, where saliva helps neutralize any acidity from food and drink.
The ABA also noted that other factors besides exposure to food or drinks -- things such as dental hygiene, lifestyle and genetics -- also influence tooth erosion.
According to the dentistry academy, an estimated 30 percent to 50 percent of U.S. teenagers consume energy drinks and as many as 62 percent consume at least one sports drink per day.
People "don't realize that something as seemingly harmless as a sports or energy drink can do a lot of damage to their teeth," Jennifer Bone, a spokeswoman for the academy, said in the news release.
She advised patients to minimize their consumption of sports and energy drinks, and also suggested that they chew sugar-free gum or rinse their month with water after consuming the drinks.
"Both tactics increase saliva flow, which naturally helps to return the acidity levels in the mouth to normal," she explained.
After consuming sports or energy drinks, patients should wait at least an hour before they brush their teeth. Otherwise, they will spread acid onto the tooth surfaces and increase the erosive action, Bone said.

SELECTIONS FROM NATURAL HEALTH NEWS

Natural Health News: There are healthy energy drinks

Mar 27, 2009

... Formula One (sold as ADVENTURX) in 2004. sportZtea is a blend of 5-6 herbs that provide you with nutrients supplying vitamins and minerals to support your health and hydration. No stimulants and no artificial sweeteners.

Natural Health News: Energy Drinks: Again!

Aug 20, 2010

Brewing up a jar of herbalYODA's sportZtea and belending it with pure cranberry juice can be very beneficial. Herbs in our organic tea blend are known to contain nutritional elements: vitamins a, b complex, c, d, e, f, k, p; ...

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/

Natural Health News: Energy Drinks

Jan 17, 2012

We encourage you to check out the almost two dozen articles we have posted on Natural Health News about this subject . We also invite you to consider our organic natural herbal blend, herbalYODA's sportZtea, in place of ...

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/

Natural Health News: Where There's A Will, There's A Way

Jan 12, 2009

In the interim I'd like to propose the benefits of natural support for sports performance and my organic tea blend, herbalYODA's sportZtea, along with my xtreme sports formula, ADVENTURX. (It's our new special: With each ...

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Energy Drinks

UPDATE:15 January 2012

Once again energy drinks are in the news and it appears that it isn't good (no surprise!).
Agence France-Presse reports that "Australia experts call for energy drink warnings".


We encourage you to check out the almost two dozen articles we have posted on Natural Health News about this subject .  We also invite you to consider our organic natural herbal blend, herbalYODA's sportZtea, in place of these drinks over loaded with caffeine, artificial flavoring, artificial coloring, and worst of all artificial sweeteners like aspartame, acesulfame K, and Splenda.  The sports food bars are not far off with too much sugar and too many GMO ingredients.

Learn more here and here.

Researchers in Australia called for health warnings on caffeine-loaded energy drinks following a spike in the number of people reporting medical problems after drinking them.
Health professionals from the University of Sydney's Medical School and the New South Wales Poisons Information Centre said reports of adverse reactions to drinks like Red Bull and V jumped from just 12 in 2004 to 65 in 2010.
Over the seven years to 2010, 297 calls for assistance were recorded with at least 128 people hospitalised with symptoms including heart palpitations, agitation and stomach upsets.
Of these, 20 people had more serious issues, such as seizures and hallucinations.
The study, published in the Medical Journal of Australia on Monday, said the average person affected was 17 years old and that they often mixed energy drinks with alcohol.
"Our study demonstrates the extent of the growing problem in Australia with energy drink consumption and toxicity, particularly among adolescents," the study's authors wrote.
"Given the clear evidence of toxicity and the growing number of hospitalisations associated with consumption of energy drinks... health authorities should increase awareness of the problem, improve package labelling and regulate caffeine content."
They recommended that "labelling and any marketing of these products should include appropriate health warnings and the national poisons hotline number". A can of energy drink may contain up to 300 milligrams of caffeine -- compared to an average 65-120mg for a cup of drip coffee -- and Poisons Centre medical director Naren Gunja called for more thorough regulation.
"Things to look at would be... how much caffeine do these drinks contain, how many can you buy at once, what age should you be when you buy them, should there be an age limit to being sold the drinks," he said.

Originally posted September 2008


Five years ago I released one of my long used herbal formulas on two college campuses to try to provide help to reduce college binge drinking. My formula makes it so you just don't drink too much, and certainly not enough to get drunk.

Learning that many people mix energy drinks with alcohol is also a concern to me.

In addition to the herbs to help stem the tide of drinking, and in relation to developing my sports enhancement formula (ADVENTURX), I revived the sports drink herbal blend I used to mix up for my kids and others years ago.

You can use my organic, herbal 'sportZtea' blend as the basis for your sports drinks while saving money and avoiding stimulants and caffeine. Using the 'tea' with ADVENTURX makes a lot more sense.

Energy drinks: What you need to know
By David Liu, Ph.D.
Sep 28, 2008
Editor's note: Please note that the statement "Energy drinks are soft drinks (meaning with alcohol) that ---" is incorrect. The author meant to say "Energy drinks are soft drinks (meaning without alcohol) that ---." By definition, soft drinks are non-alcoholic beverages! We apologize for the error.
Common Questions and Answers about energy drinks

What are energy drinks?

Energy drinks are soft drinks (meaning without alcohol) that contain caffeine and other stimulants such as ephedrine, guarana, and ginseng. The beverages may not contain more calories than normal soft drinks, but they are often believed to help enhance performance and boost alertness as some studies showed. Energy drinks are often marketed to people under 30, particularly to college students.

Is it true that energy drinks boost alertness and enhance performance?

At least two studies showed significantly improvements in mental and cognitive performance and increase subjective alertness in those who drank an energy drink. In repeated cycling tests in young healthy adults, an energy drink drastically increased upper body muscle endurance.

Are there any dangers to drinking energy drinks?

High doses of caffeine are known to pose a range of short-term side effects. The problem with energy drinks is probably that there is no regulation in the US about caffeine, which is a natural stimulant. Energy drinks may contain caffeine at a level anywhere between from 50 mg to 505 mg per can or bottle, according to a recent Johns Hopkins study. Without paying attention, people may over-ingest caffeine leading to unintentional caffeine intoxication. Normal adverse reactions induced by high doses of caffeine, particularly in those who are sensitive to the compound, include increased heart rate and blood pressure, in severe cases dehydration, and inability of falling into sleep.

One study showed side effects associated with caffeine in energy drinks include insomnia, nervousness, headache, and tachycardia. Four caffeine-related deaths and four seizures have been reported.

When should energy drinks not be used?

Energy drinks should not be used when exercising as fluid loss from sweating and the diuretic activity of caffeine can cause severe dehydration. Energy drinks should not be used in an attempt to offset the effect of alcohol on one's capability of operating a vehicle.

What would happen when energy drinks are combined with alcoholic drinks?

The real danger of caffeine to someone who is drinking is that caffeine could mislead him to believe that he is drinking the right amount of alcohol without realizing that actually he could have been drinking too much.

It is true that caffeine provide alertness. But it does not change the level of alcohol in the blood. Once the stimulant disappears, the depressant effect of the blood alcohol at high concentration would manifest leading to vomiting in one's sleep or respiratory depression.

Both energy drinks and alcohol can be very dehydrating and thus inhibiting the body's ability to metabolize alcohol and boosting the toxicity of alcohol and the hangover.

How safe is it to use energy drinks?

Energy drinks in itself are relatively safe. Most ingredients including ginseng, maltodextrin, inositol, carnitine, creatine, ginkgo biloba, taurine, vitamins and herbs appear to be safe. The only concern is probably caffeine, which varies in its content greatly from brand to brand.

A recent report authored by Reissig CJ, Strain EC, and Griffiths RR at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and published in the Sep 20, 2008 issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence calls for warning labels for energy drinks.

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