What Are Energy Drinks - FAQ & Tips

The energy drink phase is still young compare to soda but energy drink is actually older than most people think. Energy drink can be dated back to the early 1900’s, no one really knows when the first energy drink was created but some believed that the first energy drink was created in Scotland in 1901.

Defining what an energy drink is can be hard because there are so many varieties of energy drinks out there. In my opinion, energy drinks are beverages that contain vitamins, minerals, herb extract, caffeine, and other energy blends that are design to increase energy quickly but does a poor job hydrating the body. From my reviews, I noticed that most energy drinks have high levels of caffeine, sugar and energy blends, such as taurine, L-carnitine, Inositol, panax ginseng extract, glucose, guarana and B-vitamins.

Energy drinks didn’t become popular in the United States until the late 1990’s, Red Bull was the first energy drink to be introduced in the United States in 1997. At first only 4 states, California, Oregon, Colorado and Texas sold Red Bull but since it was such a big hit among teenagers and young adults. Red Bull decided to go nationwide and now owns about 47% of the market share, world wide Red Bull owns about 65% of the market share.

Fast forward to 2008 and energy drinks are everywhere, especially at convenience stores. Energy drinks are growing at an alarming rate and is suppose to reach $10 billion in retail sales by 2010. There are hundreds of different energy drinks to choose from but the most popular are Red Bull, XS, Monster, Rockstar, Full Throttle, Sobe and Amp. Most of these energy drinks can be found at convenience stores except for XS which is distributed by Quixtar and Independent Business Owners (IBOs).

The energy drink market is having tremendous success but along the way there had been many urban legends and confusion about its health benefits.

Energy drink urban legends, FAQs and tips

• Does Glucuronolactone cause brain tumors? Back in 2000, there was an email that began circulating on the internet saying that Glucuronolactone is an artificial stimulant developed by the American Government in the early 1960’s. The stimulant was designed to boost mental and physical energy in soldiers serving in Vietnam. Later on the stimulant was banned because of several deaths and cases involving brain tumors and severe migraines. Glucuronolactone is actually a naturally-occurring metabolite which is produce in the human liver. Glucuronolactone is popular in energy drinks because it helps increase energy and alertness. There has been no scientific proof showing that Glucuronolactone causes brain cancer, searches on the British Medical Journal and Food and Drug Administration’s web sites fail to back up this claim.
• Does energy drink dehydrate you? Energy drinks are great for giving you quick energy boost but is also great for dehydrating you. Most energy drinks have high levels of caffeine and sugar which gives you quick energy but has the negative side effect of draining your body’s energy afterwards. The best way to hydrate yourself is to drink pure water, Gatorade does a pretty good job hydrating your body too. If this is hard for you to believe, drink an energy drink before doing any physical activity and you will know what I mean. Make sure you bring a bottle of water with you because you will need it.
• Is taurine derived from bull testicles? Taurine is an organic acid that can be found in animals and humans, and is synthesized in the liver. Some of the reasons why people think that taurine is derived from bull testicles is because taurine is named after taurus which is a Latin word that means bull or ox. Taurine was originally found in ox bile and can also be isolated from the urine of female cattle. Taurine has been known to reduce muscle fatigue and raised exercise capacity in mice.
• Are energy drinks healthy? Most energy drinks are not healthy for you because of the high levels of sugar and caffeine. Then again most drinks high in sugar, such as sodas, sports drinks and fruit punch are not healthy for you either. Most energy drinks come with a lot of B-vitamins which are great for increasing energy but also lacks fiber. Consuming vitamins that have been extract from it main source may not get absorbed as well, to increase absorption of vitamins drink energy drinks after eating food. Some of the energy herbs in energy drinks have not been tested by the FDA, their effects may not be as claimed. Drinking a few energy drinks a week should be fine, just don’t drink 2 to 3 energy drinks everyday.
• When is the best & worst time to drink energy drinks? The best time is when you are tired and need a quick boost of energy. I don’t recommend drinking energy drinks on an empty stomach, especially in the morning. Drinking energy drinks on an empty stomach may give you stomachaches, it is similar to eating chocolate on an empty stomach. Most energy drinks have empty calories which give you a quick boost of energy but also give you energy breakdown. This is why it is important to drink them on a semi-full stomach so the food can replace the empty calories.

I love energy drinks but since most of them have high levels of sugar, caffeine and energy blends, I only drink them to write reviews for my readers. The energy drinks that I drink occasionally are the sugar-free and caffeine-free energy drinks. My favorites are XS energy drinks, Xyience and Red bull Sugar Free. XS has 10 different flavors, most of them have zero carbs, zero calories and some are available caffeine-free. Xyience energy drinks are low in sugar, carbs and have great taste, except for the “Clear” flavor. Red Bull Sugar Free is low in carbs and has no sugar but its taste and energy is still just as good as the original.

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