An energy drink is a beverage that contains ingredients to boost the drinker’s energy. They may or may not be carbonated.
The ingredients include caffeine, B vitamins, various types of sugars and certain ingredients such as taurine, glucuronolactone, guarana, ginseng, ginkgo biloba extract and l-carnitine. Caffeine stimulates neurons in the brain to keep us alert, releasing adrenaline, which sends a signal to the liver to pump more glucose into the bloodstream. With more glucose in the bloodstream and body, our brain is tricked into believing that we have more energy than we really do. Adrenaline makes heart beats faster and dilates the eyes. Energy drinks can cause some people to miss sleep since caffeine blocks the effects of adenosine, a brain chemical that helps us sleep and can lead to insomnia interfering with the ability to perform concentration heavy tasks.Consuming too much caffeine can produce a diuretic effect, which is also a cause of dehydration, anxiety, and irritability from too much of the stimulant. Full-blown panic and headaches can occur from the caffeine withdrawal.Taurine, an amino acid, regulates skeletal muscle contraction and may reduce exercise-induced damage thus encouraging improved athletic performance.
Also normal people who drink too many energy drinks will have increased heart rates up to an hour later. People with certain heart problems can go into cardiac arrest after having a few energy drinks since they cause more forceful heart contractions.A study shows the connection between energy drinks and cardiac problems such as abnormal heart rhythm risk. Another component, glucuronolactone claims to favor the body’s natural defense mechanism but little research has been done and so it is still unknown whether this compound is harmful or beneficial .B vitamins are water-soluble vitamins required as coenzymes for proper cell function. Because of the large amounts of sugar in these energy drinks, B vitamins are needed to transform those sugar into energy.
Guarana is a fruit rich in caffeine and it is used to increase energy. Still,the amount of guarana in energy drinks is less than the amount expected to deliver changes to our body. Ginseng,a popular herb, is also included in some energy drinks. Like guarana, the amount of ginseng in the energy drinks are not enough to cause a striking effect. Ginkgo biloba extract has been reported to have antioxidant properties However, no well-conducted research has shown that it has important clinical effects on healthy or ill persons. L-Carnitine,a compund made in the liver and kidneys ,increases metabolism.
It also increases maximal oxygen consumption and lower the respiratory quotient, increasing lipid metabolism and affects recovery from exercise stress. Sugars are the basic currency of energy in the body, with glucose being the main carbohydrate that can easily be oxidized by the muscles for energy synthesis. However, long-term exposure of the body to excesses of simple sugars is associated with obesity and insulin resistance. Over time, cells become unable to secrete sufficient insulin to maintain normal blood glucose levels eventually wearing out the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, which leads to type 2 diabetes. Heavily consuming these energy drinks may result in liver or nerve injury,vairous cardiovascular problems,seizures and ultimately death.Therefore,while energy drinks may provide short and rapid effects but in the long term they are not actually beneficial for our body.