What's your take on energy drinks?

[DyslexicHobo]

I've been drinking a lot of energy drinks lately, and was wondering just how unhealthy they are. I've been drinking mostly Rockstar and Monster. I use them to stay up late to work on schoolwork, or drink them before I go to work after a long night of work the day before. I realize they're very high in sugar which is definitely unhealthy, but how bad the other energy supplements were.

For example, the Rockstar I'm sipping now contains:
Taurine - 2000mg
Ginko Biloba leaf extract - 300mg
Caffeine - 240mg
Guarana Seed Extract - 50mg
Inositol - 50mg
L-Carintine - 50mg
Panax Ginseng extract - 50mg
Milk Leaf Extract - 40mg

I've read several articles regarding a safe amount of caffeine to consume, and most of them say that my daily consumption is safe. I do get headaches when I don't have it, but I'll deal with that when the semester's over. I usually drink about one energy drink per day, and sometimes 10-12oz of coffee in the morning (~110mg caffeine).

 

[TecHNooB]

Water and excercise.

 

[DyslexicHobo]

Originally posted by: TecHNooB
Water and excercise.

Not really all too worried about losing weight or building muscle at the moment. I guess exercise would help me gain energy overall, but I'll worry more about that when there's a little less stress after the semester's over.

I was mainly worrying about the health side-effects of drinking so many energy drinks, such as my body becoming dependant on them.

 

[MegaVovaN]

Not an expert on energy drinks, but I've just read an article about caffeine and alertness. Can't find the link, but what it says is you feel drowsy and sleepy because of mild caffeine withdrawals overnight (you're already addicted to caffeine). The "boost" you get from caffeine is simply you returning to normal alertness level.

Try to ditch caffeine altogether, and you won't need a "boost".

 

[TecHNooB]

Originally posted by: DyslexicHobo

Originally posted by: TecHNooB
Water and excercise.

Not really all too worried about losing weight or building muscle at the moment. I guess exercise would help me gain energy overall, but I'll worry more about that when there's a little less stress after the semester's over.

I was mainly worrying about the health side-effects of drinking so many energy drinks, such as my body becoming dependant on them.

Yea I understand (I'm a student as well ~_~).

Excess caffeine is definitely not good for you though.. especially those energy drinks that boast they have 5x the amount compared to brand X. The sugar content isn't really helping either.

I wouldn't say stop drinking them altogether. Just stick to one that works for you and drink only when you absolutely need it, not everyday.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Search feature is your friend. That has a lot of info on it, just ctrl+f "caffeine" or "soft drink" or something. They're really not that great for you in excess, but I'm sure you'll survive. I think caffeine is lame 'cause many people use it as what it is - a drug. Meh, I just try to eat/drink naturally occurring things.

 

[Flapjacks]

Energy drinks, especially Rockstar, are PACKED with chemicals you wouldn't want to touch. For example, just the High content of High Fructose Corn Syrup will give you terrible skin, if you don't already have it; also, Nucleophilic Co2 they use doesn't help your digestive system and changes the PH in your stomach. Have fun.

 

[TallBill]

I wouldn't drink to many. I'll have about 1 a month on nights that I'm going out consuming alcohol and wrecking my body anyways.

 

[KoolDrew]

Everything in moderation.

 

[dealmaster00]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
Search feature is your friend. That has a lot of info on it, just ctrl+f "caffeine" or "soft drink" or something. They're really not that great for you in excess, but I'm sure you'll survive. I think caffeine is lame 'cause many people use it as what it is - a drug. Meh, I just try to eat/drink naturally occurring things.

QFT. I always stay away from crap like that. 8 hrs of sleep is whats most important for me. You can fit a lot into the other 16 hours each day.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: Flapjacks
Energy drinks, especially Rockstar, are PACKED with chemicals you wouldn't want to touch. For example, just the High content of High Fructose Corn Syrup will give you terrible skin, if you don't already have it; also, Nucleophilic Co2 they use doesn't help your digestive system and changes the PH in your stomach. Have fun.

Hm, I'm not quite sure how much CO2 will effect your stomach system since you have such a strong acid in there already. I'm sure your body just compensates by secreting more hydrochloric acid to bring your body back to a state of homeostasis; but I do agree with you. Energy drinks aren't very good for you. I think time management is more essential and useful overall.

 

[DanMart25]

I take energy drinks/coffee/tea in reasonably high quantities on a daily basis and off-late have started feeling my body to be a bit heavy; I have made it a habit to consume 3 large glasses of fresh lime water with moderate sugar and a pinch of salt; that's refreshing and its healthy as well. I'm cutting down on energy drinks though let me admit I can't resist them.

 

[dakels]

I think Guarana used in energy drinks is just more caffeine at this point no? Energy drinks on any regular basis are just terrible for you. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Just read the ingredients.

All that extra herbal stuff... One thing I have never understood about those gimicky herbal drinks (not that they don't work but they are definitely fad based) is why not just put in vitamins and minerals that everyone agrees is healthy and works... instead of some mystical plant extracts that by the time you factory process them may have very little in common to the original.

 

[girlchocolate]

I'm obviously not an expert but i'd have a hard time believing that the zero carb rockstars were bad for you. they contain sucralose instead of sugar, have 0 carbs, are only 20 calories per can... The only bad thing I've seen listed in this thread is the addiction...the other herbs and stuff they throw in could possibly be a gimmick but i doubt they're very "bad" for you...

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: girlchocolate
I'm obviously not an expert but i'd have a hard time believing that the zero carb rockstars were bad for you. they contain sucralose instead of sugar, have 0 carbs, are only 20 calories per can... The only bad thing I've seen listed in this thread is the addiction...the other herbs and stuff they throw in could possibly be a gimmick but i doubt they're very "bad" for you...

Eh, the carbonic acid itself is bad enough. It erodes teeth, decreases calcium stores in bones, etc. There are also some questionable, unnatural ingredients that I wouldn't be so sure would be very good for you.

 

[presidentender]

I used to drink lots of energy drinks, back when I had a lot of programming assignments. I swear I lost ten IQ points over the course of my freshman year.