Posted on 04/28/2009 12:53:29 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Winter Park junior defensive tackle Beano Duffie doesn't think energy drinks and football mix.
Duffie can't put his finger on what exactly could go wrong, but he will only chug energy boosters such as Red Bull and Monster Energy drinks in spare time.
"The coaches have told me not to drink too much before workouts," he said. "I don't drink before practice or games because I don't want to have real bad cramps. I don't know. I've just heard it could be bad me."
Numerous other high school football players interviewed by the Sentinel said they have gotten the message energy drinks are bad. Sports drinks such as Gatorade have long been deemed acceptable fluid replacement beverages, but energy drinks such as Red Bull with high levels of caffeine are not endorsed by many coaches. All 25 of the high school football players interviewed at recent Scout.com combine held in Orlando said they heard the drinks can cause negative health side effects, with some going so far as to call energy drinks dangerous for athletes.
The truth is a lot more complicated.
Red Bull and Monster Energy drinks aren't poison, but experts say they are potent drinks that can cause a mix of positive and negative side effects depending on how they are consumed by everyone.
Red Bull, which has been on the market for 21 years and sold more than four billion cans in 2008, defends the safety of its product and contends it can boost athletes' performance.
"Studies indicate that Red Bull produces a significant increase in both physical performance and cognitive functions," said Patrice Radden, a Red Bull spokeswoman. "In addition to the results obtained from scientific studies, the ongoing partnership between athletes and Red Bull is testimony to the claim that Red Bull actually works."
(Excerpt) Read more at orlandosentinel.com ...
The fizzy drink has been linked to several deaths and some experts have criticised its high levels of caffeine and other stimulants.
Red Bull is Britain's best-selling energy drink, with 213 million cans consumed last year. It has been dubbed the 'clubbers' drink', and is often mixed with vodka. The popular adverts claiming that Red Bull 'gives you wings', have led to the brand being described as 'the Porsche of soft drinks'.
It contains caffeine, vitamins, and sugar which, the company claims, kick-starts the body's metabolism and keeps people alert. But France has refused to authorise its sale, along with other vitamin-fortified foods such as Danone yoghurt and Kellogg's cereals.
The European Commission (EC) challenged France's ban after manufacturers complained it was inhibiting imports.
Ross Cooney, 18, was a healthy basketball player, but died in 2000 just hours after drinking Red Bull.
The student from Limerick, Ireland, died after sharing four cans of the drink with friends before a basketball game.
At his inquest, the coroner called officials from the Austrian-based company to give evidence about their product. They said that no adverse effects had been proven in connection with the drink.
The inquest jury later ruled that the teenager had died as a result of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome, but called for an inquiry into high-caffeine energy drinks.
A Brazilian study found that those who mix Red Bull with alcohol may be drunker than they think they are - the energy drink may mask the alcohol effect.
French ban it = I’m drinking it.
Energy drinks are bad for athletes who are getting ready to train or compete-too much caffeine. For re hydrating nothing beats good old h2o or a “thirst quencher” that replaces electrolytes.
Energy drinks are great if you’re trying to beat a hang over and sober up. If you take until the 3rd quarter to sober up you may want to try an energy drink (the story in Pittsburgh is\was that Bobby Layne starting playing his best in the 3rd qtr-because that’s when he was sober).
If Energy drinks are bad, why the heck is the market for it growing like crazy in this country ?
I don’t get it.
Won’t take long before Obama regulates the thing as a drug.
I don’t see the difference between this and a sugary soda, they basically have the same stuff in them.
Just don’t water the crops with it.
When I ski race, it usually involves getting up way early (after a poor night's rest) to register, suit up, stretch out, preview the course, etc. etc. When I peer down the course from the top, if I'm groggy it gives me something inbetween butterflys and a general feeling of sheepishness in the stomach.
I find that when I have a half a can of Red Bull or so on my preview down the course before the race, along with half an energy bar, it helps settle down the stomach, lowers the grogginess level, and helps focus my mind and aggressions for the race about to come.
Now, could a better night's sleep help avoid this? Sure. But the boost of caffine, sugar, and whatever the hell else is in there certainly helps give me a boost.
Water, water, and fruit. That’s all you need to recover.
Because fatties in the office use them instead of coffee. They are not good for a sports drink before a heavy training session or a game, but are great for a situation like Yoassarian described, his ski racing, which is tough, but not severe physical exertion like a basketball game or triathlon.
The caffiene helps alertness, but is not great for the body when exerting.
Recover? That’s what beer is for. Water and/or gatorade before, beer after. YUM!
You’re right.
There is nothing like a Powderhound after some nice poofy powder runs through the trees or an ice cold Kokanee after a hard mountain bike ride.
Energy drinks are being hyped by slick marketing firms-so they sell well. For the life of me I don’t get the appeal-of course as they say in the car business-”there’s an ass for every seat”.
A can of Red Bull contains less caffeine than a cup of coffee.
Red Bull, and all similar “energy drinks” also contain taurine. (Taurine — from “taurus”: the bull; hence the name.)
Energy drinks may also contain some mix of vitamins (esp. B vitamins), ginseng, and other stimulants.
You wouldn't get the same effect from ingesting a lot of caffeine. Red Bull isn't the same as "Jolt Cola". The media isn't reporting this accurately -- quelle surprise!
The only thing “wrong” with energy drinks is that they’re very pricey. Good for them if people will pay for the novelty, but it means I don’t buy them.
If I could buy them in quantity like I can Gatorade, fruit juice, etc, I’d definitely drink them more than once in a blue moon.
They’re caffeine and a crapload of vitamins, especially B, so they give you a pickup with less of a crash. Drink water with them too and you’ve eliminated the closest thing to a drawback.
| 12-ounce beverage | milligrams |
| Red Bull (8.2 oz) | 80.0 |
| Jolt | 71.2 |
| Pepsi One | 55.5 |
| Mountain Dew | 55.0 |
| Mountain Dew Code Red | 55.0 |
| Diet Mountain Dew | 55.0 |
| Kick Citrus | 54.0 |
| Mellow Yellow | 52.8 |
| Surge | 51.0 |
| Tab | 46.8 |
| Diet Coke | 45.6 |
| Shasta Cola | 44.4 |
| Shasta Cherry Cola | 44.4 |
| Shasta Diet Cola | 44.4 |
| RC Cola | 43.0 |
| Diet RC | 43.0 |
| Dr. Pepper | 41.0 |
| Diet Dr. Pepper | 41.0 |
| Diet Sunkist Orange | 41.0 |
| Mr. Pibb | 40.0 |
| Sugar-Free Mr. Pibb | 40.0 |
| Red Flash | 40.0 |
| Sunkist Orange | 40.0 |
| Slim-Fast Cappuccino Delight Shake | 40.0 |
| Ruby Red | 39.0 |
| Storm | 38.0 |
| Big Red | 38.0 |
| Pepsi-Cola | 37.5 |
| Pepsi Twist | 37.5 |
| Diet Pepsi Jazz | 37.5 |
| Diet Pepsi | 36.0 |
| Wild Cherry Pepsi | 38.0 |
| Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi | 36.0 |
| Diet Pepsi Twist | 36.0 |
| Aspen | 36.0 |
| Coca-Cola Classic | 34.0 |
| Cherry Coke | 34.0 |
| Lemon Coke | 34.0 |
| Vanilla Coke | 34.0 |
| Diet Cherry Coke | 34.0 |
| Snapple Flavored Teas (Reg. or Diet) | 31.5 |
| Canada Dry Cola | 30.0 |
| A&W Creme Soda | 29.0 |
| Nestea Sweet Iced Tea | 26.5 |
| Nestea Unsweetened Iced Tea | 26.0 |
| Lipton Diet Green Tea with Citrus (16.9 oz) | 23.0 |
| Barq's Root Beer | 23.0 |
| A&W Diet Creme Soda | 22.0 |
| Slim-Fast Chocolate Flavors | 20.0 |
| Lipton Brisk, All Varieties | 9 |
| Canada Dry Diet Cola | 1.2 |
| Diet Rite Cola | 0 |
| Sprite | 0 |
| 7-Up | 0 |
| Mug Root Beer | 0 |
| Diet Barq's Root Beer | 0 |
| Sundrop Orange | 0 |
| Minute Maid Orange | 0 |
| A&W Root Beer | 0 |
| Slice | 0 |
| Sierra Mist | 0 |
| Fresca | 0 |
| 8-ounce Beverage | milligrams |
| Coffee, Drip | 115-175 |
| Coffee, Brewed | 80-135 |
| Coffee, Espresso (2 ounces) | 100 |
| Coffee, Instant | 65-100 |
| Tea, iced | 47 |
| Tea, brewed, imported brands (avg.) | 60 |
| Tea, brewed, U.S. brands (avg.) | 40 |
| Tea, instant | 30 |
| Tea, green | 15 |
| Hot cocoa | 14 |
| Coffee, Decaf, brewed | 3-4 |
| Coffee, Decaf, instant | 2-3 |
Very interesting. But milligrams of what in column two ?
Caffeine. What else would you measure in coffee?
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