Young people love them and almost can not do without it, their names are really unique and "indicative" Samurai, Atomic, Dynamite, up to the most famous Red Bull.
Are energy drinks, under attack for some times in the Unite States for the consequences and serious disorders that can cause if consumed in excessive quantities.
The mix of ingredients in energy drinks contained in cans characterized by graphics and color of strong visual impact, is almost aways unknown to most of young consumers.
What matters is basically the message with whom the product is advertised, slogans whose strength is able to hit the intended audience: "simply the best for you", "enjoy yourself", "change your life", are messages that go perfectly with the search for particular research increasing stimuli in everyday life and achieve the best possible performance.
University of Bologna, have investigated the origin of these disturbances: if you suspend the administration of the drink, the symptoms regress spontaneously and autonomic tests repeated after one month, proves negative. The scholars have thus reached the conclusion that the abuse of this drink (relative the consumption of 4 or 5 cans per day) is the known cause of malaise.
But what are the substances that are under attack? All those stimulants present in each drink: a can "standard" 250 ml It contains 80 mg of caffeine, 1000 mg of taurine and other ingredients including the glucuronolactone, niacin, vitamins B6 and B12, sucrose and glucose. In particular, taurine and caffeine are recognized as active substances directly or indirectly on the nervous system cardiovascular both animals and humans.
The composition of the drink
Energy drinks, generally expensive compared to traditional drinks, contain most of the time besides water and sugar or sweeteners, minerals and aromatic, vitamins, flavorings, in fact, have nothing to do with refreshing drinks.
Most energy drinks contain up to 320 mg of caffeine per liter (about 80 grams per can). Although there are widespread opinion that the energy drinks contain an excessive amount of caffeine, we must consider that the coffee contains for example, according to the type of production, from 350 to 1100 mg / l of caffeine, black tea from 150 to 350 mg / l, while in bevrages like "cola" the value decreases and is contained between 90 and 200 mg / l.
We must therefore look at the amount of drinks consumed: if an adult takes 50-100 mg of caffeine can have a stimulating sensation, but when it exceeds 500 mg you may have symptoms such as increased heart rate and difficulty sleeping. In case of energy drinks symptoms "serious" arise after consuming at least 5 or 6 cans and young people have a lower risk threshold symptoms but larger.
The amino acid taurine is, from a quantitative standpoint, the main ingredient of energy drinks: in fact a can contains about 400 mg. However it is not scientifically proven whether taurine has an exciting function and in the case of these drinks, it is possible that this substance performs "only" a function flavoring.
Guarana is extracted from a plant found in the forests of the Amazon and in cans of energy drinks there is an amount equal to 2000 mg, which strengthens the stimulant effect (up to 6%). Attention to the used coloring in the composition of the drink as E104, quinoline yellow colorant to, or E122, azorubine, which, for allergic people, can be highly damaging.
The orange juice or lemon juice or red wine, often added to the ingredients explain alcohol levels (up to 2-3%) present in cans and their use is often justified with a beneficial effect on the metabolism that specialists, however, , have not yet ascertained. Meanwhile, the producers, not understanding well what are effectively the ingredients that make up the drink, they just write the labels phrases such as "not recommended for children, elderly and people who suffer from allergic reactions to caffeine."
Ready also: Banana Benefits
Ready also: Banana Benefits
American Studies
A research conducted at the University of Buffalo and published in the Journal of American College Health, explains how the substances contained in energy drinks, especially caffeine and taurine in most cases, have an effect "special" on the perception of danger and fear.
This can be extremely dangerous when the consumption of the energy drink is combined with the consumption of alcohol: you can achieve a deadly mix that causes the difficulty of the consumer to notice that they have overstepped the limits and that records a growing number of accesses to the emergency aid, with strong nausea and tachycardia, when problems occur worst, such as the absolute absence of fear that can lead the consumer to take risks for the health and personal safety just because of the "state" of the total lack of inhibition, just as happens when you consume a lot of alcohol.
According to another research conducted among students of 10 universities in North Carolina, the guys who mix alcohol and energy drink get drunk twice those who drink only alcohol. Caffeine in fact delay the feeling of having already reached the limit, but sooner or later you have symptoms as a nausea and tachycardia. The reply of the American companies, united in the American Beverage Association, which is on the cans is shown that these are products for adults and then for people aware and responsible.
It is significant, however, that the US market has been launched an energy drink with a singular name: "Cocaine". The effect of the drink seems to be similar to that caused by the homonymous drug but since that is not present in the beverage the drug, it is absolutely "legal" even if it contains about 350% more caffeine and 750 milligrams of taurine compared energy drinks celebrity, in addition to a secret substance that creates a clouding of the groove, similar to the one that causes the intake of cocaine itself.