Energy Drinks – Are They Beneficial?
September 28, 2007 by Claire
Filed under Women's Health
Energy drinks are popping up left and right these days. Some are even low-calorie and formulated for women, such as the Tab energy drink in the pink can (which doesn’t taste like Tab, by the way). Can these drinks be part of a healthy diet?
We visited the Coke museum in Atlanta recently, and they gave us some cans of the “calorie burning” green tea energy drink Enviga. The taste has really grown on me, but I don’t agree with drinking it daily. Most energy drinks are extremely high in caffeine, which can spike insulin levels if you have enough (case in point – my aunt, who drinks a good 20 cups of coffee a day and has type II diabetes, although she is thin).
However, some think it’s a good idea to consume caffeine before a workout for an extra boost. I’ve never tried this, because I usually get plenty of energy from exercising in the first place, and I don’t want to push my heart rate over the top.
If you’re going to consume an energy drink, pick one that is low in sugar and in a smaller container (such as Sugar Free Red Bull) so you don’t OD on caffeine.
Oh, and stay away from alcoholic energy drinks – they’ll make you less able to realize that you’re intoxicated. Plus they taste terrible – which almost goes without saying 
Claire
(Image from Epinions)
Tea, coffee, cola, energy drinks and chocolate share the same nerve toxin (stimulant), caffeine. Caffeine, which is readily released into the blood, triggers a powerful immune response that helps the body to counteract and eliminate this irritant. The toxic irritant stimulates the adrenal glands, and to some extent, the body’s many cells, to release the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol into the blood stream.
If consumption of stimulants continues on a regular basis, however, this natural defense response of the body becomes overused and ineffective. The almost constant secretion of stress hormones, which are highly toxic compounds in and of themselves, eventually alters the blood chemistry and causes damage to the immune system, endocrine, and nervous systems. Future defense responses are weakened, and the body becomes more prone to infections and other ailments.
The boost in energy experienced after drinking a cup of coffee is not a direct result of the caffeine it contains, but of the immune system’s attempt to get rid of it (caffeine) An overexcited and suppressed immune system fails to provide the “energizing” adrenaline and cortisol boost needed to free the body from the acidic nerve toxin, caffeine. At this stage, people say that they are “used” to a stimulant, such as coffee. So they tend to increase intake to feels the “benefits.”
Since the body cells have to sacrifice some of their own water for the removal of the nerve toxin caffeine, regular consumption of coffee, tea, or colas causes them to become dehydrated. For every cup of tea or coffee you drink, the body has to mobilize 2-3 cups of water just to remove the stimulants, a luxury it cannot afford. This applies to soft drinks, medicinal drugs, and any other stimulants, As a rule, all stimulants have a strong dehydrating effect on the bile, blood, and digestive juices.
Get the real scoop on caffeine at http://www.CaffeineAwareness.org
And if you drink decaf you wont want to miss this special free report on the Dangers of Decaf available at http://www.soyfee.com
Wow, Sheila. Thanks for the information!