With sales expected to exceed $9 billion this year, energy drinks are experiencing rapid growth in the US market. Part of the growth can be attributed to the multimillion dollar advertising and marketing budgets that have been used to convince the public that they can increase their performance and concentration efforts while also adding to their coolness factor by consuming energy drinks.
However, a quick look at the ingredient label of an energy drink should say to the person running low on energy, that these liquids are the last thing you should consume.
Most energy drinks are loaded with sugar, making it wise to steer clear of these products. For example, Rockstar contains just over 100 grams of sugar. For a better perspective, the USDA recommends that if one’s diet consists of 1600 calories daily, sugar intake be limited to 22 grams. A single can of Rockstar over shoots this recommendation by almost 5 times. In addition, it seems that the manufacturers of these drinks are going to larger cans as they compete in the market. In addition to the sugar the energy drinks contain, take a look at the stimulants that have been added by the manufacturer in order to boost your energy. Typically they contain caffeine, taurine, guarine and/or ginseng in addition to all the sugar. These ingredients can increase the heart rate, cause high blood pressure, cause difficult breathing, lead to irregular heartbeat, increase anxiety, cause seizures, bring allergic reactions and cause insomnia. Each of the most common stimulants used in energy drinks are also highly addictive.
While they are wildly popular for use in the USA, other countries are banning them. For example, after an athlete died at age 18 after drinking 4 cans of Red Bull, it was banned in France. Red Bull exceeds the limits on caffeine in French law concerning consumable products. It has also been banned in both Norway and Denmark.
A final reason to consider stopping your use of energy drinks is their diuretic effect. A diuretic is a product that results in loss of fluid. This is particularly concerning as the typical American spends most of the time already dehydrated due to a lack of consumption of water. Only one third of Americans drink the USDA’s recommended 64 ounces of water every day. Health practitioners are convinced that humans actually need much more than the recommended 64 ounces recommended by the USDA.
The first sign of dehydration is fatigue. This means that if you are continually tired, the problem is not a lack of caffeine, ginseng, taurine or even sugar. The real cause of your fatigue is you are dehydrated as a result of not ingesting enough water into the body.
Watching the commercials presented by the manufacturers of energy drinks, one gets the idea that all professional athletes drink them by the gallon. However, due to the consequences of dehydration, energy drinks are actually dangerous to consume while exercising. The combination of perspiring and the diuretic effect should raise a red flag for anyone.
The best advise any health expert could give to anyone attempting to get healthier and lose weight is to trade the energy drinks for pure, clean water. You will increase your energy, remain more focused and increase performance on a daily basis.