Drink at Your Own Risk

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By Duston Morris, Ph.D., ABD, M.S., ACE, USAT

 
It seems like everyday I have someone asking about supplements or drinks that boost their performance. At this point my favorite response is to quote triathlete great Dave Scott: “You can take a million milligrams of energy producing herbs, but none of it will ever make up or a lack of physical preparation.” Even with such great advice coming from such a great athlete, people are still taking and drinking everything that is given a commercial and shelf space at their local GNC store. However, new research may make some people reconsider.

A team of researchers recently shed light on why regular (nonalcoholic) energy drinks might pose just as great a threat to individual and public health and safety. Energy drinks are beverages that contain modest to relatively high levels and concentrations of caffeine (range: 50-505 mg caffeine/serving; 2.5-35.7 mg caffeine/oz) compared with other caffeinated beverages such as a 12-ounce cola (range 34-54 mg; 2.9-4.5 mg caffeine/oz) or a 6-ounce cup of coffee (range 77-150 mg; 12.8-25 mg caffeine/oz).2 In contrast, energy “shots” are low-volume (1-2 oz) beverages and therefore have an even higher concentration of caffeine than other energy drinks (range 100-350 mg; 90-171 mg caffeine/oz).

 That’s not all…since the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) considers energy drinks to be dietary supplements, caffeine content limit of 71 milligrams per 12-ounce can doesn't apply. As a result, there is no regulation on ingredients and levels of caffeine & other stimulants can vary greatly which can lead to numerous problems. For example, one study found that energy drink consumption significantly increased the likelihood of jolt and crash episodes. These sudden changes in energy balance are likely to impact physical and mental homeostasis. In the same study, 22 percent of the people who consumed energy drinks reported having headaches, and 19 percent reported heart palpitations. The long-term effects of energy drinks are not clear but a greater number of researchers agree that there are very dangerous and result in potential life-threatening side effects on blood pressure, heart, and brain function.

Too many athletes and non-athletes are relying way too much on drinks that still provide no solid evidence that they work, let alone are safe. What is even more alarming to me is that these drinks are available to all ages…and I see plenty of ten and eleven year old kids buying them. The truth is Dave Scott was right. When it comes to physical improvement (and I will even include mental improvement) practice makes perfect…not some energy drink that really holds no credibility. Think about it for a moment…why do you REALLY drink it? Chances are it is either because your friends turned you on to it, you saw others drinking it, saw it on TV marketed by athletes (who many times don’t use the product), or read about it in your favorite magazine, and the reason it is there is because the company paid the magazine for the spot to advertise…so really…how do we know it works? Yet there is plenty of evidence that suggests it has the potential to create real problems.

In 1982, Dave Scott won the Ironman with a time of 9:08:23...and he did it without any of the energy drinks/supplement drinks that are currently on the market. So take a chance and go the natural route. Train right, eat right, and sleep right…what do you have to lose? I can already tell you that at least you won’t face the high health risk related to energy drinks and chances are your outcomes will be better!