Topic: What are the perceptions of 4th year nursing students on the intake of energy drinks?

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Are energy drinks bad for you? That is the million dollar question being asked by millions. Unfortunately, the person drinking "more than their share" are more than likely not the one searching out the answer.A woman recently wrote in to a popular forum after having had a heart attack. Her doctor had informed her to stop drinking energy drinks because of the health risk to her body. But she continued to drink 3 red bulls and 5 monster energy drinks a day.Now she started seeing large amounts of blood in her feces and urine. She was pleading for someone to help her out. But did she follow the doctor's request concerning the energy drinks? No way!! She did not believe her doctor. I'm sure if she asks enough people she will find someone that will give her the answer she wants to hear.I agree, this case may be the extreme, due to her present health condition. But I'm guessing that all of the sugar and taurine in the drinks have to be causing her heart to pump at abnormally high levels! So, are energy drinks bad for you? The answer is, they can be. High levels of caffeine on a health risk patient can be deadly.Some of the side effects when consuming high levels of caffeine are nervousness, insomnia, heart palpitations, tremors, sweating, nausea, diarrhea, chest pain, and neurological symptoms. High levels of caffeine are not recommended for children, women who are pregnant, diabetics, or people with heart problems. It is true that drinks spiked with high amounts of sugar will raise your insulin levels, and contribute to a host of modern diseases such as diabetes and obesityA better name for these energy drinks would be "caffeine in a can". Most of the popular energy drinks are simply filled with sugar. You get your hour of energy from the high dose of caffeine you just consumed. After this

spike of insulin passes through your body, you need to be prepared for the crash, a drop in energy levels, sluggish feeling, possible mood changes and dehydration.But the real trouble comes from what happens next. You grab for another can, for another burst of energy to get you off the downward spiral from the last energy drink. This is where one leads to two, which leads to three or more a day.So, when we ask the question "Are energy drinks bad for you?" Understand that high amounts of sugar and caffeine are bad for you. If your energy drink is filled with sugar and caffeine, then IT IS BAD FOR YOU!!But now there is a healthy alternative to the popular energy drinks out on the market today. Some that are safe for you to drink, without any of the high levels of caffeine. They are even safe for kids to drink, lifts your mood with a burst of energy, without the side effects! It may be worth looking into, if you are health conscious.

The Truth About Energy Drinks

Energy drinks are becoming increasingly popular these days. You can buy them everywhere in grocery stores, supermarkets and even health food stores. With names such as Red Bull, Full Throttle, Amp, and Rush - you can see them advertised all over the place. Millions of people all over the world are drinking these high powered beverages on a daily basis without giving it a second thought about how good or bad these drinks really are. Beverage companies market various energy drinks as soft drinks that provide a boost of energy. Red Bull made by the Austrian company Red Bull GmbH, is one of the most popular in this category. Another one, Full Trottle is made by Coca Cola. Generally speaking, energy drinks are supposed to do just what the name implies -- these are pick-me-up beverages that are high in caffeine, that can provide you with a jolt of energy, but also with increased heart rate and blood pressure.

Do you know what is in energy drinks?

Although each energy drink is different, most energy drinks contain at least as much caffeine as an eight-ounce cup of coffee (about 80mg). Just to compare, a 12oz. soda contains 18-48mg of caffeine. Another major component is sugar. Caffeine and sugar are the ingredients that are providing most of that "energy boost".

But this is only the tip of the iceberg as far as ingredients go. In addition to large doses of caffeine and sugar, these drinks contain stuff you often never even heard of and you have no idea what effects can these substances have on your health, especially if you are taking prescription medications or have any medical conditions.

Even the FDA has admitted that many of the ingredients have not been fully tested as to their safety. While this does not mean these components are dangerous, it certainly means that we are not sure, and therefore caution - and moderation - is recommended. We do know that caffeine and some ingredients in these energy drinks can be harmful, especially if consumed in large quantities. That is why many health experts advise pregnant women and young children to avoid them.

Energy Drinks Ingredients

Here are some popular energy drinks components and what they do to your body:

Taurine- A natural amino acid produced by the body that helps regulate heart beat and muscle contractions. We normally get more than enough taurine in out diet and the extra amount that we get from these beverage, depending on how much we consume, can become toxic in our systems.Guarana seed- A stimulant used as a dietary supplement that contains about twice the caffeine found in coffee beans.

Ephedrine - A stimulant that works on the central nervous system. It is a common ingredient in weight-loss products and decongestants, but there have been concerns about its effects on the heart.Ginseng - A root believed by some to have several medicinal properties, including reducing stress and boosting energy levels.B-vitamins - A group of vitamins that can convert sugar to energy and improve muscle tone.Carnitine - An amino acid that plays a role in fatty acid metabolism.Creatine - An organic acid that helps supply energy for muscle contractions.Inositol - A member of the vitamin B complex (not a vitamin itself, because the human body can synthesize it) that helps relay messages within cells in the body.Ginkgo biloba- Made from the seeds of the ginkgo biloba tree, thought to enhance memory.To me this list reads more like a label on a bottle of nutritional supplements than a beverage.

Red Bull Banned in France

Red Bull may be the best selling energy drink in the United States, but it isn't so popular in other parts of the world. In France Red Bull was banned after it was linked to the death of an 18-year-old athlete. The teenager died after drinking four cans of Red Bull at a game. French laws dictate the maximum amount of caffeine that companies can add to products, and Red Bull exceeds that limit. Denmark and Norway have also banned the drink. Other countries, such as Canada, require the can to carry a warning label for pregnant women and children.

Consuming a lot of caffeine and other stimulants it can lead to heart palpitations, anxiety and insomnia -- it also can make you feel jittery and irritable.

It is also a diuretic -- it causes the kidneys to remove extra fluid into the urine. So drinking an energy drink while you're exercising can be particularly dangerous. The combination of the diuretic effect and sweating can severely dehydrate you.

OK, I'm not writing this to scare you. When used in moderation, energy drinks are probably safe, although caffeine and other stimulants can become addictive over time.

At the very least, this should at least get you think what you are putting into your body and the effects of energy drinks and the ingredients in them.

My Best Recipe for Energy Boost: A Glass of Freshly Made Green Juice

When it comes to boosting energy in a healthy way, nothing beats a glass of freshly pressed vegetable and/or fruit juice. Forget coffee. Forget sugar. Forget stimulants. It takes more work to prepare the juice yourself, but IT IS WORTH IT!

The simple truth is this: no other food is more enzyme-rich and nutrient-rich and easier to absorb by our body, than fresh juice. Many people may be skeptical, because when they think of vegetable juice they typically picture a bottle of V-8 or tomato juice. However, even the biggest skeptics can be converted, when they try this delicious Green Cocktail juicer recipe, or V8 juice recipe and experience first-hand the benefits of juicing.

Just one can of Red Bull could raise the risk of heart attack or stroke, even in young people. Researchers have warnedit increases the stickiness of the blood and decreases the ability of blood vessels to stop the stickiness and it raises the risk of life-threatening clots. Cardio disease, stress and

high blood pressure can be potentially dangerous. The blood system is no longer normal, even one hour after drinking Red Bull. Dr. Scott Willoughby of the Cardiovascular Research Centre at the Royal Adelaide Hospital in South Australia, was “alarmed” at the results of drinking a Red Bull. So were students taking part in the results that were reported in the Australian newspaper. They were drinking it to stay awake to study a night. During the study they found the caffeine and taurine did not mix well together

Red Bull is banned in Norway, Uruguay and Denmark because of health fears. On the opposite side of caution; Britain and other places are using Red Bull to mix in with popular mixer drinks at bars and clubs.Energy drinks mixed with vodka or in shots has led to an increase in the purchase of pre-mixed drinks also known as alco-pops.Previous studies have warned the stimulant effect of Red Bull can mask some of the tell-tale signs of drunkenness. When Energy drinks are mixed with alcohol, you have the energy drink as a stimulant and the alcohol as a depressant. The mix can be more hazardous to someone drinking because the energy drink can mask the influence of the alcohol in the body.Normally fatigue would set in as large amounts of alcohol are being consumed, but the stimulating effect of energy drinks can override this effect. No matter how alert you may feel, your blood alcohol concentration is the same as it would be without the energy drink. This can lead to poisoning and ultimately death. You won’t know when your body has had too much alcohol. When the stimulant effect wears off, you will have the depressant effects of the alcohol which could cause vomiting in your sleep or respiratory

depression.Both energy drinks and alcohol are very dehydrating. Dehydration can hinder your body's ability to metabolize alcohol and will increase the toxicity, and don’t forget about the hangover the next day. Energy drinks give you a temporary boost that is damaging to the body. It is short-term, not a long-term result. Drinks contain caffeine that is the equivalent of 2 cups of coffee or more.

Your body will get use to the extra amount of caffeine and will need more for you to notice the difference.Common ingredients are Taurine, Guarana, Green Tea Leaf extract, B-vitamins, sugar, and sodium.What do they do? Guarana is a natural source of caffeine, Green Tea leaf has caffeine, There is little evidence that they boost energy or you have weight loss.All the caffeine might not be a good idea especially for people with high blood pressure, women with osteoporosis, certainly not recommended for pregnant women, people with heart conditions or for children.What happens when you have caffeine in large amounts greater than 400 mg? Nervousness, irritability, sleeplessness, increased urination, abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmia), and stomach upset.The concentration of sugar in a sports drink is recommended to be 6-7% carbohydrate to allow maximum absorption and minimize spikes and crashes in blood sugar. Higher concentrations such as those seen in energy drinks will slow fluid absorption into the blood and energy system, increasing the possibility of dehydration. When a high level of sugar is in the blood stream the body cannot get the water into the cells that it needs because the water is busy trying to dilute concentration of sugar in the blood stream.Caffeine dosage is not required to be on the product label. There have been reports of

nausea, abnormal heart rhythms, emergency room visits, seizures due to the crash following the energy high that occurs after drinking an energy drink.

In 2008, France banned Red Bull after the death of eighteen-year-old Irish athlete Ross Cooney, who died as a result of playing a basketball game after consuming four cans of the drink. The French Scientific Committee (J.D. Birkel) concluded that Red Bull has excessive amounts of caffeine. Denmark also bannedRed Bull. Britain investigated the drink, but only issued a warning against its use by pregnant women and children.You do not want to drink energy drinks while exercising. The combination of losing fluid when sweating during exercise and the diuretic effect of the caffeine from the energy drink can have you severely dehydrated.Red Bull was created by Dietrich Mateschitz, an Austrian who adapted the energy drink from a Thai beverage called Krating Daeng, a popular drink with rickshaw drivers in Thailand.The key ingredient in the Thai energy drink was taurine, an amino acid that was first discovered in bulls (this association is responsible for the Red Bull urban legend that the drink's active ingredient is bull urine or semen). Red Bull was introduced to Europe in 1987 and to the United States in 1997.One of the biggest concerns is that we just don't know enough about the effect of the combination of ingredients in energy drinks. 

Energy drinks jolt blood pressure, study findsBy Will DunhamTue Nov 6, 10:02 AM ETThe increasingly popular high-caffeine beverages called energy drinks may do more than give people a jolt of energy -- they

may also boost heart rates and blood pressure levels, researchers said on Tuesday.The results of a small study prompted the researchers to advise people who have high blood pressure or heart disease toavoid energy drinks because they could impact their blood pressure or change the effectiveness of their medications.The drinks generally have high levels of caffeine and taurine, an amino acid found in protein-rich foods like meat and fish thatcan affect heart function and blood pressure, the researchers said."We saw increases in both blood pressure and heart rate in healthy volunteers who were just sitting in a chair watching movies.They weren't exercising. They were in a resting state," James Kalus of Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, who led the study, said inan interview.The increases did not rise to dangerous levels in the group of 15 healthy volunteers, whose average age was 26, theresearchers said.But the increases potentially could be significant in people with cardiovascular disease or those taking drugs to lower heart rateor blood pressure, they told a meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando, Florida."While the amount of caffeine in energy drinks or coffee may cause a slight and temporary increase in blood pressure, it wouldhave no greater effect than walking up a flight of steps," the American Beverage Association industry trade group said in astatement responding to the findings."So singling out energy drinks in a unique manner, particularly when compared to a more commonly consumed caffeinatedbeverage like coffee, does not provide a full and proper context for consumers."BOOSTING ENERGYThe products have names like Full Throttle, Amp and Rush. Red Bull, made by Austrian company Red Bull GmbH, is a market leader. Beverage companies

market various energy drinks as soft drinks that can boost a person's energy.Kalus declined to say which brand of energy drink was used in the study. He said the drinks generally contain similar ingredients, adding, "By giving the brand, it would dilute the message that all of these drinks need to be looked at."Coca-Cola Co. makes Full Throttle.The study participants were asked not to consume other forms of caffeine for two days before starting the study and then throughout a study in which they consumed two cans of energy drinks daily over seven days. Each can contained 80 milligrams of caffeine and 1,000 milligrams of taurine.The volunteers' heart rates rose by about 8 percent on the first day and 11 percent on the seventh day.Maximum systolic blood pressure -- the top number in blood pressure readings that represents pressure while the heart contracts -- rose by 8 percent on the first day and 10 percent on the seventh day, the study showed.Diastolic blood pressure -- the bottom number that gives the pressure when the heart relaxes between beats -- rose by 7 percent on the first day and 8 percent on the seventh day.The study did not identify ingredients responsible for the changes, but Kalus said it probably was caffeine and taurine. Kalus said the study did not address possible health effects from the way some people consume these drinks, such as mixing them with alcohol.(http://www.checkoutkangen.com/files/Energy_Drinks_Report.pdf)

Interesting Results of Study: Can "Energy Drinks" Actually Improve Your Strength, Endurance, and Energy Levels... Or is it All in Your Mind?

Plus an important lesson on how to help your mind control your exercise and diet results

by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialistauthor - The Truth About Six Pack Abs

You may have noticed from a lot of my ezine issues that I speak a lot about the power of your mind and how this controls the results you get in your body.

This is yet another example of the power of the placebo effect, and probably the only reason anybody gets any results whatsoever from typical supplements (I'm talking more about bogus "miracle" diet pill supplements rather than legitimate whole food or herbal supplements).

I recently read about an interesting study regarding energy drinks and whether they actually give any results(sorry, I don't have the exact citation or the exact numbers involved), but here was the general details of the study.The researchers split the group into 2 large groups of people.  The first group they gave one of these typical "energy drinks" that you see everywhere (which I've mentioned before are a complete waste).

Now here's the important part... the researchers specifically told this 1st group of people that the energy drink they were receiving would increase their strength and endurance levels and increase their energy output. The 2nd group received the exact same "energy drink" but was not told what the drink was, so nothing was said about it improving anything. For all these people knew, they were just being given a drink because they were thirsty.  They were not told that this drink was an "energy drink".

The very interesting results: The 1st group, which was told that the energy drink would improve their strength and endurance, actually DID increase their strength outputs and endurance tests. However, the 2nd group, which received the EXACT SAME "energy drink" was NOT TOLD that it would help anything, and therefore, they showed no measurable signs of improvement on any of the tests!

Wow... yet another powerful example of how it's ALL IN YOUR MIND! 

Energy drinks don't really help with anything, but if you strongly believe in your mind that something you are doing will improve your results, it really CAN help your results.  This is the placebo effect at its best!

One way that this phenomenon can be applied to your nutrition and workouts:

1. When you're performing certain exercises, you need to really strongly BELIEVE IN YOUR MIND that those exercises are transforming your body... in return, that strong belief will improve your results in the gym MUCH more than just mindlessly going through the exercises.

2. When you are eating healthy food, you need to really strongly believe and think about how much that food is making you leaner, stronger, and giving you more energy. If you believe strongly how much that food is helping you, it WILL help you much more than if you didn't think positively about what you were eating. This is very powerful stuff!  Your brain really CAN control your fitness results or lack of results.(http://www.truthaboutabs.com/energy-drink-mind-body-connection.html)

Energy drinks: The coffee of a new generation?February 6, 2009It's not uncommon for students to consume energy drinks to increase their concentration as they study throughout the night. "Energy drinks are the coffee of a new generation," says Stéphanie Côté, nutritionist with Extenso, a Université de Montréal health and nutrition think-tank. "These drinks are made up of sugar and caffeine and can have a negative impact on health."

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According to a 2008 report by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 1.5 billion cans of Red Bull were sold in the United States in 2004. Consumption in Canada is said to be comparable and it is a growing trend for 18-to 24-year-olds. This market segment is broadening as younger children are beginning to consume these drinks before doing physical activity.But these drinks aren't recommended to either athletes or children under the age of 12. "Energy drinks don't hydrate the body efficiently," says Côté. "Because they have too much sugar. And caffeine doesn't necessarily improve physical performance. In high quantities it can increase the risks of fatigue and dehydration."Several studies have demonstrated that strong doses of caffeine can increase hypertension, cause heart palpitations, provoke irritability and anxiety as well as cause headaches and insomnia. Health Canada does not recommend consuming more than two cans per day.But many young people do not respect this warning. Furthermore, close to 50 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds claim to consume energy drinks mixed with alcohol. Vodka Red Bulls are in vogue despite warnings against the mix."Usually when someone consumes too much alcohol, their head spins and they feel tired. Energy drinks cancel out these warning signs," explains Côté. "The person feels good and therefore keeps drinking without realizing they are drunk."Source: University of Montreal(http://www.physorg.com/news153127828.html)Study: Energy drinks won't keep you alertJuly 21, 2006Researchers in England say for young people caffeine is probably better than sugar if you want to stay alert.

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  A study conducted at Londonborough University found participants who had high-sugar, low-caffeine "energy drinks" didn't score as well on attention tests as those who consumed sugar-free drinks, WebMD

reports."Sugar rushes" from energy drinks don't appear to be very effective in overcoming sleepiness, the Londonborough researchers found. Their study included 10 healthy young adults who slept for only five hours before taking an attention test in which they clicked a button when a clock appeared on a computer screen.Participants were given something to drink and then tested again. The researchers found that attention scores began to lag among the group that had a high-sugar, low-caffeine energy drink.While none of the participants were given a drink high in caffeine, the researchers concluded that caffeine is probably more helpful than sugar in staying alert.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International (http://www.physorg.com/news72707977.html)Study links energy drinks to heart attack risk

By Guy Montague-Jones, 09-Feb-2010

Related topics: Quality & Safety

Energy drink consumption has been linked to heart attack risk in a newly published study, but Red Bull claims the research is old and the results would be no different for a cup of coffee.Writing in the American Journal of Medicine, scientists at the University of Adelaide, Australia, looked at the impact of consuming one 250-ml energy drink on platelet and endothelial function. This is because heart attack risk is strongly associated with platelet and endothelial dysfunction. The researchers gave fifty healthy subjects a 250-ml can of a sugar-free energy drink containing 80mg of caffeine, 1000mg of taurine and 600mg of glucouronolactone, or a 250ml carbonated water drink (control).

Results

While no changes were observed with the control group, the researchers observed an increase in platelet aggregation, and an impairment of endothelial function, among the volunteers one hour after they

consumed the energy drink. A significant increase in arterial blood pressure was also recorded but there was no significant change in heart rate.

Discussing the results, the scientists said it remains uncertain which ingredients are responsible for the findings but they did suggest that glucouronolactone may be a major contributor. They concluded that more research is needed to determine the clinical implications of the findings.

A spokesperson for the British Heart Foundation agreed. “This research showed blood changes in young people, but we cannot say from the study that this would lead to any heart problems occurring. However the study does illustrate the urgent need for further research in this area.”

Red Bull response

Red Bull, chief science officer, Andreas Kadi, advised that the results of the study be put into perspective.

He told BeverageDaily.com: “The study does not show an effect which would go beyond that of drinking a cup of coffee. Therefore the reported results were to be expected and lie within normal physiological ranges.”

Kadi also suggested that the newly published research is an old story. Lead author Matthew Worthley published a paper called “Acute effects of Red Bull on platelet and endothelial function” in 2008 in Heart, Lung, and Circulation. BeverageDaily.com was unable to contact Worthley for comment before publication.

Source: American Journal of Medicinedoi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2009.09.013“Detrimental Effects of Energy Drink Consumption on Platelet and Endothelial Function”Authors: M.I. Worthley, A. Prabhu, P. de Sciscio, C. Schultz, P. Sanders, S.R. Willoughby

(http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/Quality-Safety/Study-links-energy-drinks-to-heart-attack-risk)