Energy drinks are beverages that are designed to give the consumer a burst of energy by using a combination of methylxanthines, B vitamins, and exotic herbal ingredients. Energy drinks commonly include caffeine, guarana (extracts from the guarana plant), taurine, various forms of ginseng, maltodextrin, inositol, carnitine, creatine, glucuronolactone and ginkgo biloba. Some contain high levels of sugar, or glucose while most brands also offer an artificially sweetened version.
Often manufacturers add a very small dose of a powerful stimulant such as carnitine, but the doses of these add-ins are usually so small that any added "boost" is purely psychological. These drinks are typically marketed towards young people, students, people 'on the go' and those who play sports.
The only possible physically addictive ingredients in most of these drinks are caffeine and guarana, which cause physical addiction in large doses or with prolonged use (quantities in energy drinks are comparable to amounts in coffee). Since withdrawal from both is usually mild, mainly involving headaches, addiction to energy drinks is mostly psychological.
Often manufacturers add a very small dose of a powerful stimulant such as carnitine, but the doses of these add-ins are usually so small that any added "boost" is purely psychological. These drinks are typically marketed towards young people, students, people 'on the go' and those who play sports.
The only possible physically addictive ingredients in most of these drinks are caffeine and guarana, which cause physical addiction in large doses or with prolonged use (quantities in energy drinks are comparable to amounts in coffee). Since withdrawal from both is usually mild, mainly involving headaches, addiction to energy drinks is mostly psychological.
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Last Updated: Sep 2009
Last Updated: Sep 2009
What is an Energy Drink?
Parents' groups have criticized energy drinks as being irresponsibly marketed to youth, citing possible health hazards (see below), but to date, very few fatalities have been reported from overconsumption of energy drinks.
