Most energy drinks contain Taurine. Why? Because Red Bull, maybe on a hunch, added Taurine to their drink 20 years ago and no one ever asked why. That's why. It amazes me that over 7 billion cans of energy drinks are consumed every year (one for every human being!) despite the fact that they contain several highly questionable ingredients. Us humans definitely travel in herds!
Several studies indicate that taurine and caffeine together are a highly toxic mix (see Taurine and Caffeine). So taurine in energy drinks apparently is not only useless, several studies seem to indicate that it is actually damaging for your health, especially when it is synthetic (see Heart Problems with Synthetic Taurine).
This might be why some countries such as France, Denmark and Sweden have banned Red Bull from their supermarket shelves. There are similar initiatives to regulate these products in other countries (Australia, Canada).
Energy drinks are great stay alert longer and to get a mental boost. I like to drink them in the morning before my coffee. They help me start my day on a good foot.
The problem with most energy drinks is that, for marketing purposes, they include all kinds of other unnecessary and sometimes dangerous ingredients (artificial sweeteners, High Fructose, artificial vitamins). This increases the likelihood that at some time in the future, some health issues will develop. One could argue that many drugs currently being reviewed by the FDA also have potentially overwhelming side-effects. This is why the FDA reviews and rejects drugs where the negatives outweigh the postives. The FDA does not review energy drinks.
So is there another choice? Coffee on its own is not a bad alternative as it doesn't come with all the artificial ingredients found in the Red Bulls and other products. Then there are some natural energy drinks which basically contain a stimulant (coffee, guarana or tea) plus a minimum of other ingredients. I recommend Guyaki Yerba Matte), GURU Energy Drink), and Sambason Energy. In the case of GURU and Sambason, they also have gone the extra step of making them with entirely organic ingredients. - 16955
Several studies indicate that taurine and caffeine together are a highly toxic mix (see Taurine and Caffeine). So taurine in energy drinks apparently is not only useless, several studies seem to indicate that it is actually damaging for your health, especially when it is synthetic (see Heart Problems with Synthetic Taurine).
This might be why some countries such as France, Denmark and Sweden have banned Red Bull from their supermarket shelves. There are similar initiatives to regulate these products in other countries (Australia, Canada).
Energy drinks are great stay alert longer and to get a mental boost. I like to drink them in the morning before my coffee. They help me start my day on a good foot.
The problem with most energy drinks is that, for marketing purposes, they include all kinds of other unnecessary and sometimes dangerous ingredients (artificial sweeteners, High Fructose, artificial vitamins). This increases the likelihood that at some time in the future, some health issues will develop. One could argue that many drugs currently being reviewed by the FDA also have potentially overwhelming side-effects. This is why the FDA reviews and rejects drugs where the negatives outweigh the postives. The FDA does not review energy drinks.
So is there another choice? Coffee on its own is not a bad alternative as it doesn't come with all the artificial ingredients found in the Red Bulls and other products. Then there are some natural energy drinks which basically contain a stimulant (coffee, guarana or tea) plus a minimum of other ingredients. I recommend Guyaki Yerba Matte), GURU Energy Drink), and Sambason Energy. In the case of GURU and Sambason, they also have gone the extra step of making them with entirely organic ingredients. - 16955
About the Author:
Dr. Frederik Gupta is a renowned and sometimes contreversial proponent of natural food options and consults with different food and beverage companies. You can read his blog on Wordpress at Dr. Gupta.
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