Enhancing energy and undermining health
With aggressive marketing campaigns that promise increased physical and mental stimulation and which use everyone from leading sportsman to rock stars to demonstrate their effects, it's perhaps not surprising that energy drinks are continuing to grow in p
In Thailand, home to one of the oldest and best-known brands in the world, the energy drink is so popular that the average adult citizen downs an average 11 litres per year, four times more than his American peers.
Regular users are mostly students, construction workers and drivers of buses, taxis and goods vehicles. While occasional and responsible use is not a problem among adults, excessive consumption, especially when mixed with alcohol, have turned the energy drink into a new public health concern in many regions of the world. It is, however, important not to mix up energy drinks, which are used for social, professional or recreational purposes, with sport drinks that are designed and adapted to specific sport practices. Only energy drinks are discussed here.
Energy drinks contain multiple active ingredients. Contents, depending on brand, include caffeine, taurine (a type of amino-acid abundant in meat and milk), glucoronolactone (a sugar derivative), some herbs, such as ginseng and guarana (a caffeine equivalent that comes from cocoa seeds), multi-vitamins (B6, B12, C) and sugar. Due to interaction between all constituents, the precise physiological effects are not clearly understood.
The main active ingredient is caffeine followed by taurine, which are found in 96 per cent and 52 per cent respectively of all energy drinks. In the US, again depending on brand, caffeine is found at elevated concentrations ranging from 80mg to 200mg per unit (can or bottle). In comparison, caffeine content is about 55mg per cup of espresso and 40mg in one can of cola. Caffeine is the main active substance responsible for the sought-after effect which, depending on individual susceptibility, includes enhanced alertness, reduced sleepiness and improved memory. Absorbed within 20 minutes, caffeine exerts multiple actions especially a psycho-stimulant effect and a tonic effect on the heart leading to accelerated heartbeat and increased blood pressure. These effects are short-lived and do not treat the root cause of fatigue.
Excess consumption of caffeine and taurine can lead to adverse reactions including insomnia, headache, irritability and palpitations. In predisposed individuals, serious and even life-threatening complications have been reported with caffeinated energy drinks in the US and Europe. The causes are linked to preexisting and often undetected cardiac conditions such as inherited and latent rhythm disorders, which affect one in 500 to 1,000 healthy individuals. The potent stimulating cardiac effect may cause susceptible individuals to develop acute arrhythmia or suffer a heart attack leading to sudden death.
Use of alcohol with energy drinks represents an even higher health concern, not least because young drinkers use them as a mixer to extend the alcohol kick. By inducing dehydration, high doses of caffeine slow down the breakdown of alcohol and thus prolong its effect. More importantly, the stimulant beverages mask the sedative alcohol feeling such as drunkenness and may result in heavier drinking beyond usual limits and lead to risk-taking. Worryingly, adolescents are more prone to the negative effects of both energy drinks and alcohol due to an immature liver detoxification process and lower body weight, which validates the ban of sales to individuals below 18 years old. In the US, the mixed cocktail has been shown to induce higher risk of alcohol dependence and has caused numerous traffic accidents. It would therefore make sense to study the consumption of energy drinks with alcohol in relation to the frequency of road accidents in the Kingdom, which not only has the world’s highest energy drink consumption but one of the highest traffic-related death tolls.
From the scientific point of view, energy drinks do not provide any dietary benefit beyond a quick energy boost and their use can only be justified on an occasional basis. In contrast, coffee drinking does have some nutritional value, with moderate caffeine content and natural flavonoids known to confer long-term health benefits.
There are of course healthier approaches to dealing with occasional fatigue or sleepiness. Eating a healthy diet, regular physical activity and adequate sleep help boost energy naturally.
If fatigue continues without apparent reason, then it’s better to consult a doctor.
DR GERARD LALANDE is managing director of CEO-HEALTH, which provides medical referrals for expatriates and customised executive medical check-ups in Thailand. He can be contacted at [email protected].
