ATHLETES and none athletes alike are attracted with the promises being made by energy drinks flooding the market hoping to benefit from the advantages advertised by energy drinks.
Aside from soda, energy drinks are one of the fastest selling beverages off the rack. But what is really in the drinks? Does it really boost one's energy? Does it really improve performance or effects are falsely advertised of its real content which causes the illusion that somehow convinces the customer what is advertised is true?
Energy drinks like any other food and beverages in the market have their nutritional contents or nutritional facts that could easily give away the idea of its advantage and disadvantage. But every consumer is guilty of what many term as "buy now read later" where we only read the nutritional facts of a product when something suspicious or something is wrong with the product has been sensed.
According to experts, the reason why nutritional facts of food and beverages are being ignored is because most consumers do not really understand what is the use of that label at the back of the product.
Consumers know it has fats, they know it has cholesterol, protein etc. but the question is so what if it has those? Doesn't every product do? Are customers knowledgeable in computing required nutritional intakes?
The answer is a big NO! So the real problem why products like energy drinks are thriving in the market is because of the lack of understanding on its good and bad effects to consumers and the clever presentation of advertisements that highlights its minimal benefit.
Energy drinks are stimulants containing caffeine among others and according to American Academy of Pediatrics, adolescents should only drink no more than 100 milligrams of caffeine per day and "stimulant-containing energy drinks have no place in the diets of children and adolescents."
Although caffeine intake and tolerance differs from person to person its consumption carries a risk of increased blood pressure, anxiety, shaking, elevated heart rate and increased urine production, which increases the risk of dehydration and none of these are good for anyone specially young athletes.
If caffeine is not enough to dislodge misleading beliefs on energy drinks, here are more contents that might surprise you. Some of these energy drinks contain significant amounts of sugar which, in too high a concentration, will slow the rate at which fluids are reabsorbed from the intestine into the blood making it difficult to stay hydrated. And once an athlete is dehydrated, his performance will suffer.
But far more importantly, dehydration can be dangerous, especially in the summer when it increases the risk of heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heatstroke. (Source; Healthy Living Blog from Fisher Titus Medical Center website)
So what is a recommended drink? Water! Water is nature's best drink that resolves hydration and flushing of unwanted elements in the body. Instead of energy drinks formulated water solution could also be an alternative to regain electrolytes or sports drinks that does not contain caffeine readily available in the market.
To make sure of getting the best benefit and not to be misled by clever advertisement, we should learn to read and understand nutritional contents or the best will be to go natural.
