Energy drinks controversy!? :S

[KenTheEagle]

I am a cafeine lover, I really enjoy a cup of coffee in the mornings, but I also have a guilty pleasure for the controversial energy drinks. its almost an addiction..... now a lot of people tell me that they are extremely harmful (specially for the heart), also the media make the look xtremely bad (almost as bad as alcohol or tobacco if not worse), with all these negative comments Ive tried to leave the energy drinks once and for all, but when I take a look into the ingredients, I find it very difficult to believe that these drinks are that bad, so I think that they are maybe bad only if you drink more than 1 can a day, right? I always research the compounds and supplements that I use. So basically an energy drink is caffeine+taurine+sugar+b complex and sugar. now how are these ingredients bad? The max amount of caffeine that one can consume (if you are not sensitive to caffeine) is 400 mgs max, a can have no more than 300 mgs (being 180 minimum) now Taurine seems to be good for the heart, Ive read some studies (I can post the references of scientific research to back this claim) B complex is also good for the health and everyone knows that So then what is wrong with the energy drinks? can it be the combination of all ingredients? how bad can these drinks be for the heart? Any input would be appreciated! ... are the energy drinks that bad? (I try to use the ones with low sugar)

 

[Attila de Hun]

I believe energy drinks have done more harm to my health then steroids...i have stopped them all together at the direction of my doctor...i dont have any hard evidence to back it up but have had some bad heart palpatations in the last few months

 

[snagencyV2.0]

I believe energy drinks have done more harm to my health then steroids...

these various energy drinks that are all over the place, are very similar to steroids, in the fact that if you do not know what you are doing, are not discerning about ingredients, and do not know or understand how to use properly (ie limit use to responsible levels) -- then surely, they can cause problems

bottom line: it is not the products that are the problem (despite what media would lead you to believe)..
it is simply operator error, in those ppl who use these things cluelessly, ignorantly, and recklessly

OP make your own choice intelligently, and stop letting the media dictate your beliefs

 

[T-Bone]

Energy drinks are marketed towards youngsters in their 20's. I've never been interested in them. The flashy,colorful,shiny cans seem to attract these kids. Most likely kids and young adults do not have to common sense to even read the can or bother with what the ingredients are. You can't market to these youngsters and not expect problems.

 

[De__eB]

Energy drinks cause problems in two groups of people to my knowledge:

-Those overly sensitive to stimulants
-Idiots who think drinking 5 energy drinks while also binge drinking is a good idea

 

[Dr.Veritas]

I think the underlying concern lies in the type of consumer of energy drinks. Generally younger individuals with low caffeine tolerance and general lack of awareness of what they are consuming is the problem. As mentioned above, drinking and energy drinks go hand in hand now. As for the caffeine content it's relatively low compared to a cup of starbucks and many pre-workouts out there. Rockstar/Monster/Redbull have approximately 70-80mg/serving or 8.2 ounces. This is not much at all quite frankly

 

[bill86]

i've actually wondered... what's the real difference between energy drinks and coffee? i mean, we constantly hear about how bad energy drinks are for you, but how is a sugar-free redbull worse for your heart than coffee? other than artificial sweeteners, of course, the only real difference is the addition of taurine and vitamins; as someone already mentioned, taurine has been shown to have positive effects on the heart.


attila - how much were you drinking? i always figured it was the caffeine, but nowadays it seems like people are suggesting that having a single redbull is worse for you than a single cup of coffee (which has a similar amount of caffeine). i often times can't tell if they're suggesting that energy drinks are bad because of overconsumption (drinking like 4 a day... although, that would still only be 320mg of caffeine for redbull), or if they're bad in any amount.

 

[KenTheEagle]

Thanks for all the feedback guys, I am with bill86 how can an energy drink can be more bad than coffee? (besides the sugar content) Ive read that it may be the combination of taurine and caffeine? but it would not make sense if you take a look on each compound and its effects taurine is being used widely and it is a natural amino acid, I also agree that moderation is the key but then pre workouts may also be a concern but these are used widely.

 

[Jstrong20]

lol Energy drinks are fine. The caffeine is not a big deal. Long before they came along people would drink pots of coffee a day and get a ton of caffeine. The ld50 dose of caffeeine is very high. Unless your drinking 1000mgs at a time I wouldnt worry.