Energy Drinks
Are they a new fad in thirst quenching?

What is an energy drink?

An Energy Drink is a bottled concoction that usually contains fruit juice with any number of herbal extracts created to give you a physical or mental “boost”. Some Energy Drinks are also called “Sports Drinks” designed to give you an energy boost while working out. They can also contain large amounts of caffeine, sugar, minerals, and/or vitamins.

Some of the herbal ingredients that these energy and sports drink contain are:

• Guarana

• Siberian Ginseng

• Green Tea

• Echinacea

• Ginkgo Biloba

• St. John’s Wort

• Kava Kava

• Damiana

• Mate

• Schizandra

Some of the different names to look for are:

• Red Bull

• SoBe

• Gatorade

• Powerade

• Snapple “Elements” line such as Rain, Earth, Fire, Voltage, Moon, etc. just to name a few

• Kava Sutra

• Niagara

• Guru

What do they do to your body?

Some of these drinks claim to boost our intelligence, our immune system, energize us, increase our potency and make us more reflective.

There are “drinks” that are thought to have antidepressant and aphrodisiac qualities. Others are designed to improve mood and ability to concentrate.

Beverages such as Gatorade and Powerade have been on the market for years now and are known by athletes to replenish electrolytes during vigorous exercise or playing sports. Others are fairly new and contain herbs and ingredients that have not been researched.

Rosie Schwartz, a nutritionist, author and columnist warns that the new energy and smart drinks are the “snake oil of the 21st century”. If these drinks contain a therapeutic dose of an herbal ingredient, what can one dose do? How much of these drinks do you need before you see some beneficial effect? Can some of these ingredients interact with medications that a person may be taking or cause an allergic reaction? Some of the ingredients in these drinks have warnings on their labels that indicate persons sensitive to caffeine or individuals with high blood pressure should not drink them.

The bottom line is it is not known whether these so called energy drinks have a proven track record for doing what they say they will do.

It is recommended that you read the label and do a bit of research before you buy an energy drink.

A new trend is emerging in bars and nightclubs. Bartenders are mixing these energy drinks with alcohol. Some of the herbs contained in the energy drinks are very dangerous when mixed with alcohol and can make adverse affects for the person drinking it.