1. Topic: What are the perceptions of 4th year nursing alternative to the popular energy drinks out on the
students on the intake of energy drinks? market today. Some that are safe for you to drink,
without any of the high levels of caffeine. They are
Related Literature: 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.
Are energy drinks bad for you? That is the The Truth About Energy Drinks
million dollar question being asked by millions. Energy drinks are becoming increasingly popular
Unfortunately, the person drinking "more than their these days. You can buy them everywhere in grocery
share" are more than likely not the one searching out stores, supermarkets and even health food stores.
the answer.A woman recently wrote in to a popular With names such as Red Bull, Full Throttle, Amp,
forum after having had a heart attack. Her doctor had and Rush - you can see them advertised all over the
informed her to stop drinking energy drinks because place. Millions of people all over the world are
of the health risk to her body. But she continued to drinking these high powered beverages on a daily
drink 3 red bulls and 5 monster energy drinks a basis without giving it a second thought about how
day.Now she started seeing large amounts of blood in good or bad these drinks really are. Beverage
her feces and urine. She was pleading for someone to companies market various energy drinks as soft
help her out. But did she follow the doctor's request drinks that provide a boost of energy. Red Bull made
concerning the energy drinks? No way!! She did not by the Austrian company Red Bull GmbH, is one of
believe her doctor. I'm sure if she asks enough people the most popular in this category. Another one, Full
she will find someone that will give her the answer Trottle is made by Coca Cola. Generally speaking,
she wants to hear.I agree, this case may be the energy drinks are supposed to do just what the name
extreme, due to her present health condition. But I'm implies -- these are pick-me-up beverages that are
guessing that all of the sugar and taurine in the drinks high in caffeine, that can provide you with a jolt of
have to be causing her heart to pump at abnormally energy, but also with increased heart rate and blood
high levels! So, are energy drinks bad for you? The pressure.
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, Do you know what is in energy drinks?
sweating, nausea, diarrhea, chest pain, and
neurological symptoms. High levels of caffeine are Although each energy drink is different, most energy
not recommended for children, women who are drinks contain at least as much caffeine as an eight-
pregnant, diabetics, or people with heart problems. It ounce cup of coffee (about 80mg). Just to compare, a
is true that drinks spiked with high amounts of sugar 12oz. soda contains 18-48mg of caffeine. Another
will raise your insulin levels, and contribute to a host major component is sugar. Caffeine and sugar are the
of modern diseases such as diabetes and obesityA
better name for these energy drinks would be ingredients that are providing most of that "energy
"caffeine in a can". Most of the popular energy drinks boost".
are simply filled with sugar. You get your hour of
energy from the high dose of caffeine you just But this is only the tip of the iceberg as far as
consumed. After this spike of insulin passes through ingredients go. In addition to large doses of caffeine
your body, you need to be prepared for the crash, a and sugar, these drinks contain stuff you often never
drop in energy levels, sluggish feeling, possible mood even heard of and you have no idea what effects can
changes and dehydration.But the real trouble comes these substances have on your health, especially if
from what happens next. You grab for another can,
you are taking prescription medications or have any
for another burst of energy to get you off the
downward spiral from the last energy drink. This is medical conditions.
where one leads to two, which leads to three or more
a day.So, when we ask the question "Are energy Even the FDA has admitted that many of the
drinks bad for you?" Understand that high amounts of ingredients have not been fully tested as to their
sugar and caffeine are bad for you. If your energy safety. While this does not mean these components
drink is filled with sugar and caffeine, then IT IS are dangerous, it certainly means that we are not sure,
BAD FOR YOU!!But now there is a healthy and therefore caution - and moderation - is

2. recommended. We do know that caffeine and some caffeine that companies can add to products, and Red
ingredients in these energy drinks can be harmful, Bull exceeds that limit. Denmark and Norway have
especially if consumed in large quantities. That is also banned the drink. Other countries, such as
why many health experts advise pregnant women and Canada, require the can to carry a warning label for
young children to avoid them. pregnant women and children.
Energy Drinks Ingredients Consuming a lot of caffeine and other stimulants it
Here are some popular energy drinks components and can lead to heart palpitations, anxiety and insomnia --
what they do to your body: it also can make you feel jittery and irritable. It is
also a diuretic -- it causes the kidneys to remove extra
Taurine- A natural amino acid produced by the body
fluid into the urine. So drinking an energy drink
that helps regulate heart beat and muscle
while you're exercising can be particularly dangerous.
contractions. We normally get more than enough
The combination of the diuretic effect and sweating
taurine in out diet and the extra amount that we get
can severely dehydrate you.
from these beverage, depending on how much we
consume, can become toxic in our systems. OK, I'm not writing this to scare you. When used in
Guarana seed- A stimulant used as a dietary moderation, energy drinks are probably safe,
supplement that contains about twice the caffeine although caffeine and other stimulants can become
found in coffee beans. addictive over time.
Ephedrine - A stimulant that works on the central
nervous system. It is a common ingredient in weight- At the very least, this should at least get you think
loss products and decongestants, but there have been what you are putting into your body and the effects of
concerns about its effects on the heart. energy drinks and the ingredients in them.
Ginseng - A root believed by some to have several My Best Recipe for Energy Boost: A Glass of
medicinal properties, including reducing stress and Freshly Made Green Juice
boosting energy levels.
When it comes to boosting energy in a healthy way,
B-vitamins - A group of vitamins that can convert
nothing beats a glass of freshly pressed vegetable
sugar to energy and improve muscle tone.
and/or fruit juice. Forget coffee. Forget sugar. Forget
Carnitine - An amino acid that plays a role in fatty
stimulants. It takes more work to prepare the juice
acid metabolism.
yourself, but IT IS WORTH IT!
Creatine - An organic acid that helps supply energy
for muscle contractions. The simple truth is this: no other food is more
Inositol - A member of the vitamin B complex (not a enzyme-rich and nutrient-rich and easier to absorb by
vitamin itself, because the human body can our body, than fresh juice. Many people may be
synthesize it) that helps relay messages within cells skeptical, because when they think of vegetable juice
in the body. they typically picture a bottle of V-8 or tomato juice.
Ginkgo biloba- Made from the seeds of the ginkgo However, even the biggest skeptics can be converted,
biloba tree, thought to enhance memory. when they try this delicious Green Cocktail juicer
To me this list reads more like a label on a bottle of recipe, or V8 juice recipe and experience first-hand
nutritional supplements than a beverage. the benefits of juicing.
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 Just one can of Red Bull could raise the risk
the world. In France Red Bull was banned after it was of heart attack or stroke, even in young
linked to the death of an 18-year-old athlete. The people. Researchers have warnedit increases
teenager died after drinking four cans of Red Bull at the stickiness of the blood and decreases the
ability of blood vessels to stop the stickiness
a game. French laws dictate the maximum amount of
and it raises the risk of life-threatening clots.

3. Cardio disease, stress and high blood Your body will get use to the extra amount
pressure can be potentially dangerous. The of caffeine and will need more for you to
blood system is no longer normal, even one notice the difference.Common ingredients
hour after drinking Red Bull. Dr. Scott are Taurine, Guarana, Green Tea Leaf
Willoughby of the Cardiovascular Research extract, B-vitamins, sugar, and sodium.What
Centre at the Royal Adelaide Hospital in do they do? Guarana is a natural source of
South Australia, was “alarmed” at the results caffeine, Green Tea leaf has caffeine, There
of drinking a Red Bull. So were students is little evidence that they boost energy or
taking part in the results that were reported you have weight loss.All the caffeine might
in the Australian newspaper. They were not be a good idea especially for people with
drinking it to stay awake to study a night. high blood pressure, women with
During the study they found the caffeine and osteoporosis, certainly not recommended for
taurine did not mix well together pregnant women, people with heart
conditions or for children.What happens
Red Bull is banned in Norway, Uruguay and when you have caffeine in large amounts
Denmark because of health fears. On the greater than 400 mg? Nervousness,
opposite side of caution; Britain and other irritability, sleeplessness, increased
places are using Red Bull to mix in with urination, abnormal heart rhythms
popular mixer drinks at bars and (arrhythmia), and stomach upset.The
clubs.Energy drinks mixed with vodka or in concentration of sugar in a sports drink is
shots has led to an increase in the purchase recommended to be 6-7% carbohydrate to
of pre-mixed drinks also known as alco- allow maximum absorption and minimize
pops.Previous studies have warned the spikes and crashes in blood sugar. Higher
stimulant effect of Red Bull can mask some concentrations such as those seen in energy
of the tell-tale signs of drunkenness. When drinks will slow fluid absorption into the
Energy drinks are mixed with alcohol, you blood and energy system, increasing the
have the energy drink as a stimulant and the possibility of dehydration. When a high
alcohol as a depressant. The mix can be level of sugar is in the blood stream the
more hazardous to someone drinking body cannot get the water into the cells that
because the energy drink can mask the it needs because the water is busy trying to
influence of the alcohol in the dilute concentration of sugar in the blood
body.Normally fatigue would set in as large stream.Caffeine dosage is not required to be
amounts of alcohol are being consumed, but on the product label. There have been
the stimulating effect of energy drinks can reports of nausea, abnormal heart rhythms,
override this effect. No matter emergency room visits, seizures due to the
how alert you may feel, your blood alcohol crash following the energy high that occurs
concentration is the same as it would be after drinking an energy drink.
without the energy drink. This can lead
to poisoning and ultimately death. You In 2008, France banned Red Bull after the
won’t know when your body has had too death of eighteen-year-old Irish athlete Ross
much alcohol. When the stimulant effect Cooney, who died as a result of playing a
wears off, you will have the depressant basketball game after consuming four cans
effects of the alcohol which could cause of the drink. The French Scientific
vomiting in your sleep or respiratory Committee (J.D. Birkel) concluded that Red
depression.Both energy drinks and alcohol Bull has excessive amounts of caffeine.
are very dehydrating. Dehydration can Denmark also bannedRed Bull. Britain
hinder your body's ability to metabolize investigated the drink, but only issued a
alcohol and will increase the toxicity, and warning against its use by pregnant women
don’t forget about the hangover the next and children.You do not want to drink
day. Energy drinks give you a temporary energy drinks while exercising. The
boost that is damaging to the body. It is combination of losing fluid when sweating
short-term, not a long-term result. Drinks during exercise and the diuretic effect of the
contain caffeine that is the equivalent of 2 caffeine from the energy drink can have you
cups of coffee or more. severely dehydrated.Red Bull was created by
Dietrich Mateschitz, an Austrian who

4. adapted the energy drink from a Thai have no greater effect than walking up a flight of
beverage called Krating Daeng, a popular steps," the American Beverage Association industry
drink with rickshaw drivers in Thailand.The trade group said in a
key ingredient in the Thai energy drink statement responding to the findings.
was taurine, an amino acid that was first "So singling out energy drinks in a unique manner,
discovered in bulls (this association is particularly when compared to a more commonly
responsible for the Red Bull urban legend consumed caffeinated
that the drink's active ingredient is bull urine beverage like coffee, does not provide a full and
or semen). Red Bull was introduced to proper context for consumers."
Europe in 1987 and to the United States in BOOSTING ENERGY
1997.One of the biggest concerns is that we The products have names like Full Throttle, Amp and
just don't know enough about the effect of Rush. Red Bull, made by Austrian company Red Bull
the combination of ingredients in energy GmbH, is a market leader. Beverage companies
drinks. market various energy drinks as soft drinks that can
boost a person's energy.
Energy drinks jolt blood pressure, study finds Kalus declined to say which brand of energy drink
By Will Dunham was used in the study. He said the drinks generally
Tue Nov 6, 10:02 AM ET contain similar ingredients, adding, "By giving the
The increasingly popular high-caffeine beverages brand, it would dilute the message that all of these
called energy drinks may do more than give people a drinks need to be looked at."Coca-Cola Co. makes
jolt of energy -- they Full Throttle.
may also boost heart rates and blood pressure levels, The study participants were asked not to consume
researchers said on Tuesday. other forms of caffeine for two days before starting
The results of a small study prompted the researchers the study and then throughout a study in which they
to advise people who have high blood pressure or consumed two cans of energy drinks daily over seven
heart disease to days. Each can contained 80 milligrams of caffeine
avoid energy drinks because they could impact their and 1,000 milligrams of taurine.
blood pressure or change the effectiveness of their The volunteers' heart rates rose by about 8 percent on
medications. the first day and 11 percent on the seventh day.
The drinks generally have high levels of caffeine and Maximum systolic blood pressure -- the top number
taurine, an amino acid found in protein-rich foods in blood pressure readings that represents pressure
like meat and fish that while the heart contracts -- rose by 8 percent on the
can affect heart function and blood pressure, the first day and 10 percent on the seventh day, the study
researchers said. showed.
"We saw increases in both blood pressure and heart Diastolic blood pressure -- the bottom number that
rate in healthy volunteers who were just sitting in a gives the pressure when the heart relaxes between
chair watching movies. beats -- rose by 7 percent on the first day and 8
They weren't exercising. They were in a resting percent on the seventh day.
state," James Kalus of Henry Ford Hospital in The study did not identify ingredients responsible for
Detroit, who led the study, said in the changes, but Kalus said it probably was caffeine
an interview. and taurine. Kalus said the study did not address
The increases did not rise to dangerous levels in the possible health effects from the way some people
group of 15 healthy volunteers, whose average age consume these drinks, such as mixing them with
was 26, the alcohol.
researchers said. (http://www.checkoutkangen.com/files/Energy_Drin
But the increases potentially could be significant in ks_Report.pdf)
people with cardiovascular disease or those taking
drugs to lower heart rate
or blood pressure, they told a meeting of the Interesting Results of Study:
American Heart Association in Orlando, Florida.
"While the amount of caffeine in energy drinks or Can "Energy Drinks" Actually Improve Your
coffee may cause a slight and temporary increase in Strength, Endurance, and Energy Levels... Or is it
blood pressure, it would All in Your Mind?

5. Plus an important lesson on how to help your are doing will improve your results, it really CAN
mind control your exercise and diet results help your results. This is the placebo effect at its
best!
by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified
Nutrition Specialist One way that this phenomenon can be applied to
author - The Truth About Six Pack Abs your nutrition and workouts:
You may have noticed from a lot of my ezine 1. When you're performing certain exercises, you
issues that I speak a lot about the power of your mind need to really strongly BELIEVE IN YOUR
and how this controls the results you get in your MIND that those exercises are transforming your
body. body... in return, that strong belief will improve your
results in the gym MUCH more than just mindlessly
This is yet another example of the power of the going through the exercises.
placebo effect, and probably the only reason anybody
gets any results whatsoever from typical supplements 2. When you are eating healthy food, you need to
(I'm talking more about bogus "miracle" diet pill really strongly believe and think about how much
supplements rather than legitimate whole food or that food is making you leaner, stronger, and giving
herbal supplements). you more energy. If you believe strongly how much
that food is helping you, it WILL help you much
I recently read about an interesting study more than if you didn't think positively about what
regarding energy drinks and whether they actually you were eating. This is very powerful stuff! Your
give any results(sorry, I don't have the exact citation brain really CAN control your fitness results or lack
or the exact numbers involved), but here was the of results.(http://www.truthaboutabs.com/energy-
general details of the study.The researchers split the drink-mind-body-connection.html)
group into 2 large groups of people. The first group
they gave one of these typical "energy drinks" that Energy drinks: The coffee of a new generation?
you see everywhere (which I've mentioned before are February 6, 2009
a complete waste). It's not uncommon for students to consume energy
drinks to increase their concentration as they
Now here's the important part... the study throughout the night. "Energy drinks are
researchers specifically told this 1st group of people the coffee of a new generation," says Stéphanie
that the energy drink they were receiving would Côté, nutritionist with Extenso, a Université de
increase their strength and endurance levels and Montréal health and nutrition think-tank. "These
increase their energy output. The 2nd group received drinks are made up of sugar and caffeine and can
the exact same "energy drink" but was not told what have a negative impact on health."
the drink was, so nothing was said about it improving Live & Study in Australia - Study Accredited
anything. For all these people knew, they were just Courses at AIAS & Start a New Career. Free Guide.
being given a drink because they were thirsty. They - www.AIAS.com.au
were not told that this drink was an "energy drink".
According to a 2008 report by Agriculture and Agri-
Food Canada, 1.5 billion cans of Red Bull were sold
The very interesting results: The 1st group, which in the United States in 2004. Consumption in Canada
was told that the energy drink would improve their is said to be comparable and it is a growing trend for
strength and endurance, actually DID increase their 18-to 24-year-olds. This market segment is
strength outputs and endurance tests. However, the broadening as younger children are beginning to
2nd group, which received the EXACT SAME consume these drinks before doing physical activity.
"energy drink" was NOT TOLD that it would help But these drinks aren't recommended to either
anything, and therefore, they showed no measurable athletes or children under the age of 12. "Energy
signs of improvement on any of the tests! drinks don't hydrate the body efficiently," says Côté.
"Because they have too much sugar. And caffeine
Wow... yet another powerful example of how doesn't necessarily improve physical performance. In
it's ALL IN YOUR MIND! high quantities it can increase the risks of fatigue and
dehydration."
Energy drinks don't really help with anything, but if Several studies have demonstrated that strong doses
you strongly believe in your mind that something you of caffeine can increase hypertension, cause heart

6. palpitations, provoke irritability and anxiety as well Writing in the American Journal of Medicine,
as cause headaches and insomnia. Health Canada scientists at the University of Adelaide, Australia,
does not recommend consuming more than two cans looked at the impact of consuming one 250-ml
per day. energy drink on platelet and endothelial function.
But many young people do not respect this warning. This is because heart attack risk is strongly associated
Furthermore, close to 50 percent of 18 to 24-year- with platelet and endothelial dysfunction. The
olds claim to consume energy drinks mixed with researchers gave fifty healthy subjects a 250-ml can
alcohol. Vodka Red Bulls are in vogue despite of a sugar-free energy drink containing 80mg of
warnings against the mix. caffeine, 1000mg of taurine and 600mg of
"Usually when someone consumes too much alcohol, glucouronolactone, or a 250ml carbonated water
their head spins and they feel tired. Energy drinks drink (control).
cancel out these warning signs," explains Côté. "The
person feels good and therefore keeps drinking Results
without realizing they are drunk." While no changes were observed with the control
Source: University of Montreal group, the researchers observed an increase in
(http://www.physorg.com/news153127828.html) platelet aggregation, and an impairment of
Study: Energy drinks won't keep you alert endothelial function, among the volunteers one hour
July 21, 2006 after they consumed the energy drink. A significant
Researchers in England say for young people increase in arterial blood pressure was also recorded
caffeine is probably better than sugar if you want but there was no significant change in heart rate.
to stay alert.
Discussing the results, the scientists said it remains
ChanTest Corporation - Ion Channel Supplies and
uncertain which ingredients are responsible for the
Reagents Manual/HT Patch Clamp Validation
findings but they did suggest that glucouronolactone
- www.chantest.com
may be a major contributor. They concluded that
A study conducted at Londonborough more research is needed to determine the clinical
University found participants who had high-sugar, implications of the findings.
low-caffeine "energy drinks" didn't score as well on
attention tests as those who consumed sugar-free A spokesperson for the British Heart Foundation
drinks, WebMD reports."Sugar rushes" from energy agreed. “This research showed blood changes in
drinks don't appear to be very effective in young people, but we cannot say from the study that
overcoming sleepiness, the Londonborough this would lead to any heart problems occurring.
researchers found. Their study included 10 healthy However the study does illustrate the urgent need for
young adults who slept for only five hours before further research in this area.”
taking an attention test in which they clicked a button
Red Bull response
when a clock appeared on a computer
screen.Participants were given something to drink Red Bull, chief science officer, Andreas Kadi,
and then tested again. The researchers found that advised that the results of the study be put into
attention scores began to lag among the group that perspective.
had a high-sugar, low-caffeine energy drink.While
none of the participants were given a drink high in He told BeverageDaily.com: “The study does not
caffeine, the researchers concluded that caffeine is show an effect which would go beyond that of
probably more helpful than sugar in staying alert. drinking a cup of coffee. Therefore the reported
results were to be expected and lie within normal
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
physiological ranges.”
(http://www.physorg.com/news72707977.html)
Study links energy drinks to heart attack risk Kadi also suggested that the newly published
research is an old story. Lead author Matthew
By Guy Montague-Jones, 09-Feb-2010 Worthley published a paper called “Acute effects of
Red Bull on platelet and endothelial function” in
Related topics: Quality & Safety
2008 in Heart, Lung, and Circulation.
Energy drink consumption has been linked to BeverageDaily.com was unable to contact Worthley
heart attack risk in a newly published study, but for comment before publication.
Red Bull claims the research is old and the results
Source: American Journal of Medicine
would be no different for a cup of coffee.
doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2009.09.013
“Detrimental Effects of Energy Drink Consumption

7. 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)