Energy drinks are soft drinks that improve the mental alertness and physical activity of the consumer by providing energy through its stimulant contents. An energy drink will typically contain caffeine, vitamins, sugar, ephedrine, taurine, guarana, ginseng, or other herbal supplements to boost the energy. These contents and their presence in an energy drink is purely brand specific and may even vary within different labels of the same brand. These drinks are equally popular with low end to high end consumers and are used daily by millions of consumers worldwide.
Types of Energy Drinks
Let us now discuss some pros and cons of common types of energy drinks based on their contents to give you better insight into what is available in the marketplace.
* Caffeine-based drinks:
Pros:Caffeine is generally found in coffee, tea, and chocolate and has proven to be stimulating for a vast majority of people. Hence it happens to be the core content in many energy drinks. The adequate amount of caffeine is 100 to 200 mg.
Cons: It is proventhat excessive caffeine use can cause health risks, however adequate amounts are proven very beneficial)
* Sugar-based drinks:
Pros:The general effect of using sugar as an ingredient is a quick boost to energy level and physical strength. This is by far the most common form of energy drinks.
Cons : Sugar is a simple carbohydrate it has very little long lasting energy and often comes with a heavy crash.
* Taurine-based drinks:
Pros:Taurine is an amino acid with energizing effect on the consumer. Taurine also helps reduce stress and anxiety. It is a dynamic content in OHM.
Cons: In some studies high levels of taurine are linked to high blood pressure and stokes.
* Guarana-based drinks:
Pros: Guarana helps boost the energy level and mental alertness in the body. Coming from South American plant species, the effects of guarana intake are quite similar to those of caffeine.
Cons: It also carries the same risk as caffeine.
* Vitamin B-based drinks:
Pros:By far, these drinks are the healthiest and most effective ones available in the market. These drinks give an instant boost to physical activity and mental sharpness of the consumer.
Cons: Itsgenerally safe, very hard to overdose from the amount in energy drinks.
* Ginseng-based drinks:
Pros: If you wish to opt for herbal supplement in your energy drink, you should choose a drink based on Ginseng. Ginseng-based drinks give a boost to energy level and help fight stress and anxiety.
Cons:The most common side effects are nervousness and excitability that usually decrease after the first few days. The ability to concentrate may also be decreased.
* Ginkgo Biloba-based drinks:
Pros:Similar to the Ginseng, Ginkgo Biloba is a herbal supplement and constitutes a healthy energy drink. These drinks improve mental alertness and help fight stress. They further improve blood circulation and memory.
Cons: Ginko Biloba also acts as a blood thinner, so those on aspirin should watch their intake. Ginko Biloba is also not recommended for pregnant women.
* L-Carnitine based drinks:
Pros:An energy drink based on natural body nutrients is surely going to be healthy and effective. This exactly is the case with L-Carnitine based energy drinks which naturally catalyze your metabolism resulting in an increased energy level and better endurance capability for your body.
Cons: Users may have restlessness and difficulty sleeping if the levels of L-Carnitine in the bloodstream become to high.
* Antioxidants-based drinks:
Pros:Antioxidants are very helpful during recovery phase your body has to go through due to an injury or sickness. Hence energy drinks are increasingly using antioxidants to supplement the free radicals killing capability of your body and thus give a spur to recovery phase.
Cons(pros): No cons here, antioxidants have been proven to boost energy and immune function with no known side effects.
Effects of Energy Drinks
Just like any other discovery or invention, energy drinks can yield both benefits and disadvantages. That depends completely on how they are used. When used properly, the energy drinks consumption will result in a boost to your mental alertness, memory improvement, better physical activity, better metabolism, higher level of endurance, better blood circulation, and will help you fight stress and anxiety. Just remember as with any supplements, be safe and watch your intake levels.
