Health concerns about energy and sports drinks: Is it boost or bust?
Health & Fitness By KEMI ILORI
Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Have you ever heard the description that someone is looking like lucozade? Well, that is what I am doing right now with regards to the new craze for energy drinks. We seem to be having a bit of unfolding drama and I am observing the human experiment that is going on. My first cousin, Ayo, witnessed one such experiment at a party. A guy opened and enthusiastically gulped down a can of energy drink. Within minutes, he was prostrate on the floor.

He had collapsed!! He was rushed to a nearby hospital and investigation showed that he was an undiagnosed diabetic and had gone into hyperglyceamic coma. This guy was trying to boost and went bust! While the average Nigerian does not bother about important vital signs, like blood pressure, they are quite eager to jump on the new trend train, with regards to drinks, food, etc. We all know that there are a lot of hypertensive people (of all ages, because a lot of young people are now involved), working around undiagnosed and oblivious of their condition.

Now the frightening thing is that the same goes for blood sugar ! We now have a lot of insulin resistant, borderline diabetic and diabetic people who are undiagnosed!!! The diabetes explosion which we thought was a problem amidst black Americans is catching on here; and rapidly too. The culprit for this problem that has reared it ugly head; is LIFESTYLE. Part of the three main problems being:
• Diet
• Lack of Exercise
• Stress

In this column, I have written extensively and intensively about each of these points with regards to diabetes. Number one, diet is an issue of additional concern to us today, because of the new aggressive entrance of energy and sport drinks. Energy and sport drinks have their positive uses, but could be a serious health threat to certain groups of the population and people need to be aware of this. There are downsides to the use of energy drinks and potential dangers if these types of drinks are used improperly (overused or misused). That is why these products have been banned in some countries. Canada and some European countries banned some or all energy drinks

What are "Energy drinks and ‘Sport drinks’?
"Energy drinks" are highly caffeinated drinks that may also contain other stimulants, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and herbs and claim to increase mental and physical stamina and alertness, such as Red Bull, Power House, Atomic Energy, etc. "Energy drinks are meant to supply mental and physical stimulation for a short time." The primary ingredients are usually:

• caffeine,
• taurine (an amino acid, one of the building blocks of protein), and
• glucuronolactone (a carbohydrate).
Energy drinks may also contain:
• guarana, a South African plant that supplies a caffeine-like substance;
•. other stimulants, like ginseng; and
• various other amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and herbs.

"Sport drinks" represent drinks that contain carbohydrates and electrolytes and claim to replenish the body’s fluid and electrolyte needs after physical activity, such as, Allsport, Gatorade. You will notice that the difference between energy and sport drinks is that sport drinks do not contain stimulant substances, like caffiene, herbs, etc. Energy drinks should not be confused with sports drinks. You will definitely be aware that when athletes test positive for performance enhancing substances they are disqualified. So a drink labelled as a sport drink does not usually have them.

Sports drinks, such as Gatorade, Powerade, and Allsport, are formulated to supply optimal amounts of carbohydrates and electrolytes for endurance exercise, to help rehydrate, and to balance the body’s chemistry. The health treat of sport drinks is therefore less. The main health threat being the sudden supply of a huge amount of sugar into the blood stream for diabetics. Sport drinks may be suitable for active young people engaged in energy demanding physical activity who need immediate replenishment.
What are the health concerns for energy drinks? They are many. Due to limitation of space and time I will be brief, but touch on some of the ingredients of energy drinks:

Caffeine: I can vividly remember that one of my lecturers in university, Prof. Walker, described caffeine as the only legalised hard drug in the world. Caffeine is a well-known central nervous system (CNS) stimulant. Energy drinks do have the ability to stimulate your CNS—giving your brain and body a boost for a period of time.

Caffeine peaks in the blood system 1–2 hours after consumption. So, an energy drink perks you up for a while and then the effect drops off. Individual responses to caffeine vary, and these drinks should be treated carefully because of how powerful they are. High levels of caffeine can boost heart rate and blood pressure, causing palpitations and other heart beat irregularities. Energy drinks may contain as much as 80 mg of caffeine. You can see that for diagnosed and undiagnosed hypertensives; energy drinks are of health concern. The same goes for people with heart disease, pregnant women and children.

Mixture of Caffeine and Alcohol: Mixing energy drinks with alcohol has some peculiar risks. The combination of effects could be dangerous. It is amazing what I see when I sit down at outings and I just have to keep my mouth shut and LOOK. Sometimes I want to shout "Do you know what you are doing to yourself?!!", but I have to sit down and look like lucozade so that I don’t get punched on the nose for not minding my business. Last Saturday, I just sat and looked, while a middle aged man at a nearby table; was calmly mixing his alcohol with an energy drink and downing it with relish. Whilst caffiene is a CNS stimulant, alcohol is a CNS depressant.

The stimulant effects can mask how intoxicated you are and prevent you from realizing how much alcohol you have consumed. Fatigue is one of the ways the body normally tells someone that they have had enough to drink. The stimulant effect can give the person the impression they are not impaired. No matter how alert you feel, your Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) is the same as it would be without the energy drink. Once the stimulant effect wears off, the depressant effects of the alcohol will remain and could cause vomiting in your sleep or respiratory depression.

Vomitting in sleep can cause asphyxation from choking on your own vomit, resulting in death. Respiratory depression can cause sleep apnoea, where the person just stops breathing in his sleep. Now, how many people sleep these days and just do not wake up the following morning?

Vitamins, minerals, and herbs: People are sometimes impressed by the list of contents. A long list of vitamins, minerals, and herbs in a product does not ensure a healthful product. While these vitamins, minerals, and herbs are usually in such small amounts that they are unlikely to have any noticeable effect on performance, it is important to note that excessive consumption of particular vitamins or minerals may reduce the bioavailability of other nutrients.

Minerals like calcium, iron, and zinc are a good example, where excessive consumption of one can reduce the absorption of the others. Nutrients interact with each other, and good nutrition relies on a balance of all nutrients. This balance is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve with excessive supplementation. Checking your intake against the recommended daily intake (RDI) is a good way to gauge how much extra you are taking in supplement form. Some herbs and vitamins also react negatively with medications. If you are taking prescription medications always seek expert advise (e.g. from your doctor) before taking such products.

Hydration: Should I just drink water? Water seems to me like a brilliant idea. Energy drinks are very dehydrating because they are highly concentrated. With alcohol, it is double jeopardy because alcohol is very dehydrating as well. For new converts and addicts, try to limit your consumption of energy drinks and drink plenty of water.