ENERGY DRINKS: A HEALTHY, VIABLE OPTION?

Up late? Big project to finish? Well aside from coffee and loud music, there's a new option out there. Energy drinks like Red Bull and Lipovitan can be the quick energy boost you need to keep you wired. They can also come in handy on the days where you've got plenty of motivation, but just don't have the energy to get any serious exercie done. Of course, being a smart consumer, you want to know just what you're getting yourself into. Are they wonder drugs, the next caffeine or… what?

Well let's start with the obvious, they're expensive. At around $4.00 a can, it's not something every university student can afford to live off of. The cost is justified though; Red Bull really does give you wings. These drinks can keep you awake and going like nothing else out there, including coffee.

"Red Bull® Energy Drink is an energiser, developed particularly for periods of mental and physical stress and strain. It can be drunk in virtually any situation: during sports, at work, whilst driving and in leisure activities." (www.redbull.com)

Numerous studies have been conducted to verify these claims as to the effects of these functional energy drinks. Two studies published in the journal Amino Acids (University of the West of England and the University of Vienna), as well as one published in Physiological Behaviour (Loughborough University) examined the benefits of functional energy drinks under sleep deprived conditions, the first two in a university context and the later with respect to driving drowsy. All three concluded the ability of these drinks to incur improved motor reaction time, concentration, memory recall, subjective alertness, physical endurance and mood under sleep deprived circumstances with respect to control cases.

"The findings clearly indicate that the mixture of three key ingredients of Red Bull Energy Drink used in the study (caffeine, taurine, glucuronolactone) have positive effects upon human mental performance and mood." (Alford C, Cox H, Wescott R.)

Great! So this stuff is perfect for late night study sessions when you need that extra jolt or maybe for leading into a heavy workout when you haven't been eating. Yet while the effectiveness of these drinks has been scientifically tested, the question must still be answered, "What the heck am I drinking here?"

Among vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates, most energy drinks include caffeine, taurine (an amino acid) and glucuronolactone (a broken down form of glucose). Most people are already familiar with the effects of caffeine, but the other two are less well known. Taurine is an amino acid, and glucuronolactone is a broken down form of glucose, both are supposed to help detoxify the body. All three are present in our bodies, either naturally or through the food we eat, but in energy drinks these occur in much higher concentrations than the average person is used to. After testing by the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Food (SCF), the levels of caffeine in the drink have been approved as safe. In the case of taurine and glucuronolactone however, the SCF has yet to state a position.

So down to the major question… are energy drinks a good option? The drinks CAN help raise energy levels, especially if you're not eating nutritious meals. Note however, that the effects are short term, and in no way should be considered as a long term source of energy. Instead of regularly relying on such drinks, nutritionist recommend considering starchy diets, as the breakdown of carbohydrates provides a constant source of energy throughout the day.

But what about cram time? In study situations it works better than coffee, and just may be what you're looking for. Just remember to drink lots of water, as the high levels of caffeine can lead to dehydration. Most importantly, these energy drinks should NEVER BE MIXED WITH ALCOHOL. The combined effect has not been researched, but it is a suspected cause of death concerning two Stockholm youth who mixed it with vodka (Chan, W).

Red Bull Energy Drink:

o improves performance and reaction speed improves vigilance improves the emotional status

o increases concentration and reaction speed

o improves vigilance

o improves the emotional status

o stimulates metabolism

Red Bull® Energy Drink is an energiser, developed particularly for periods of mental and physical stress and strain. It can be drunk in virtually any situation: during sports, at work, whilst driving and in leisure activities.