Energy Drinks
An energy drink is a type of beverage which is purported to boost mental or physical energy. There are a myriad of brands and varieties of energy drinks. They generally contain large amounts of caffeine and other stimulants. Many also contain sugar or other sweeteners, herbal extracts and amino acids and may or may not be carbonated.
Coffee, tea and other naturally caffeinated beverages are usually not considered energy drinks. Soft drinks such as cola, may contain caffeine, but are also not energy drinks. Some alcoholic beverages, such as Four Loko, contain caffeine and other stimulants and are marketed as energy drinks, although such drinks are banned in some American states.
Energy drinks were an active subset of the early soft drink industry, which was originally dominated by pharmacists. Coca-Cola, for instance, was originally marketed as an energy booster; its name was derived from its two active ingredients: coca leaves and kola nuts (a source of caffeine), both known stimulants. (Coca leaves was removed as a result of the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906.)
In the UK, Lucozade Energy was originally introduced in 1929 as a hospital drink for "aiding the recovery;" in the early 1980s, it was promoted as an energy drink for "replenishing lost energy."
One of the first energy drinks introduced in America was Dr. Enuf whose origins date back to 1949, when a Chicago businessman named William Mark Swartz was urged by coworkers to formulate a soft drink fortified with vitamins as an alternative to sugar sodas full of empty calories. He developed an "energy booster" drink containing B vitamins, caffeine and cane sugar. After placing a notice in a trade magazine seeking a bottler, he formed a partnership with Charles Gordon of Tri-Cities Beverage to produce and distribute the soda.[1] Dr. Enuf is still being manufactured in Johnson City, TN and sold sparsely throughout the nation.
In Japan, the energy drink dates at least as far back as the early 1960s, with the release of the Lipovitan. However, most such products in Japan bear little resemblance to soft drinks, and are sold instead in small brown glass medicine bottles or cans styled to resemble such containers. These "eiyō dorinku" (literally, "nutritional drinks") are marketed primarily to salaryman. Bacchus-F, a South Korean drink closely modeled after Lipovitan, also appeared in the early 1960s, and targets a similar demographic.
In 1985, Jolt Cola was introduced in the United States. Its marketing strategy centered on the drink's caffeine content, billing it as a means to promote wakefulness. The initial slogan was, "All the sugar and twice the caffeine.
In 1995, PepsiCo launched Josta, the first energy drink introduced by a major US beverage company (one that had interests outside energy drinks), but Pepsi discontinued the product in 1999.[citation needed]Pepsi would later return to the energy drink market with the AMP brand.
Effects of caffeine
In November 2010, the University of Texas Medical School at Houston reported that energy drinks contain more caffeine than a strong cup of coffee[citation needed], and that the caffeine combined with other ingredients (sometimes not reported correctly on labels) such as guarana, taurine, other herbs, vitamins and minerals may interact. Energy drinks consumed with alcohol may affect heart rates, blood pressure and even mental states. The caffeine content of energy drinks range from 80–300 mg per 16-oz serving whereas a 16-oz cup of coffee can contain 70–200 mg.[citation needed]
Water or lower-octane sports drinks which contain electrolytes, some minerals and carbohydrate are better choice to reduce the possibility of dehydration and increase in blood pressure.[27]
Health experts say caffeine prevents sleepiness and delays the feeling of drunkenness normally experienced when drinking alcohol, causing some people to continue drinking after they normally would have stopped.[28] Both caffeine and alcohol are diuretics, so mixing energy drinks with alcohol can cause severe dehydration, possibly leading to vomiting, nausea, and other health problems in the long term.[29]
In 2008, Anheuser-Busch agreed to take caffeine out of energy drinks that contain alcohol, after 11 state attorneys general charged the brewer was marketing them to underage drinkers. This action was also followed by MillerCoors in the same year.[30]
A study published in May 2012 stated that citric acid in energy drinks can be as harmful to teeth as sugar. They are worried about teens, of which 30 to 50 percent of whom are estimated to consume energy drinks, will lose enamel from their teeth. Of the 9 energy drinks and 13 sport drinks tested, all have caused enamel loss, but energy drinks took off much more enamel from teeth than sport drinks. There are no regulations to declare the precise amount of citric acid and the American Beverage Association says drinks can't be blamed for damage to teeth.
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