Health Product Rating

In most places where they are both sold, energy drinks tend to cost more than other types of soft drinks. The average energy drink actually costs two times what the average ordinary soft drink goes for. Of course, that is just the average energy drink. There are high end energy drinks, and these can cost many times what the ordinary soft drinks cost, even those that are considered high end soft drinks.

Now one question that is likely to emerge in all this is as to why energy drinks tend to cost so much more than ordinary soft drinks.

Several answers can be advanced, in response to the question as to why energy drinks tend to cost so much more than ordinary soft drinks.

One is that the energy drinks cost more than the ordinary soft drinks to make, and the user ultimately has to shoulder this extra cost. It is true that many of the ingredients that go into the making of ordinary soft drinks are the very same ingredients that go into the making of energy drinks. Things like sweeteners, carbonated water and caffeine are to be found in most of the ordinary soft drinks, as in most energy drinks. What makes the difference though, is that higher concentrations of the same ingredients are used in the making of energy drinks; with lower concentrations being used in the making of the ordinary soft drinks. Take caffeine, for instance. As employed in ordinary soft drinks, caffeine is more or less of just an ‘add on.’ Very little amounts of it are used, and in some soft drinks, none of it is actually used. Now turning to energy drinks, caffeine comes out as a major ingredient: one on which many of these drinks depend on for efficacy. So it has to be used in a substantially bigger amount, to bring about its effect.

The second reason as to why energy drinks cost so much more than ordinary soft drinks has to do with the fact that the energy drinks offer the user more benefits than the ordinary soft drinks. In addition to paying for the extra ingredients that go into the making of the energy drinks, the user also has to pay for the extra utility he gets out of the product. Incidentally, this energizing effect is not something to be taken very lightly. For our physical and mental energy levels go a long way in determining our ultimate success levels in life. If someone can somehow find a way of keeping themselves highly energized and ‘on the move’ always, they would have substantially increased their chances of success in various areas of life.

The third reason as to why the energy drinks cost so much more than ordinary soft drinks lies in the fact that it would not be in the best interests of their makers to sell them cheaply. If they are sold more cheaply, they come across as just ordinary soft drinks – removing the mystique in them. In any case, in as much as the people are paying more for them, and seeing the sense in doing so, why sell them cheaper?

Energy drinks are among the most popular ‘fast moving consumer products’ in the world. Virtually every store dealing with soft drinks on any considerable scale is sure to have one or another energy drink variety on stock. And there is demand for the energy drinks too. Most people, faced with choice between taking an ordinary soft drink and taking an energy drink, automatically opt for the energy drink. Their reasons for doing this are understandable. After all, all that the ordinary soft drinks have to offer is sweetness, which lasts only for a few minutes, before it is eventually wiped out of the tongue. Yet the energy drinks promise, typically in addition to the sweetness, to make the user more energetic: which increases their capacity to undertake their various goal-oriented activities.

Yet one thing that many people express an interest in knowing is the exact mechanism through which the energy drinks work.

The makers of the energy drinks shroud the workings of their products in many complex words. But when all is said and done, two basic mechanisms for working can be identified in the energy drinks.

One mechanism through which the energy drinks energize their users is by stimulating their minds. This is about psychologically energizing them. There is an established relationship between physical energy and ‘psychological energy.’ When you feel psychologically energized, you tend to also feel physically energized too, and ready to move and get things done. So by energizing you psychologically, these energy drinks make you feel nicer, while also making you feel rejuvenated, and ready to move. For the most part, the stimulation of the mind is done through a class of ingredients that goes into the making of the energy drinks known as methylxanthines. A good example of these is caffeine, which is known to have a mild stimulating effect, which in turn has the effect of making one feel energized and ready to move.

Another mechanism through which the energy drinks work is by actually physically energizing the users: by injecting ‘energy’ directly into the users’ bodies. This is achieved in a number of ways. Many energy drinks contain sugar (glucose) in easily absorbable form, which easily translates into physical energy once in the body. This is directly injected into the system, so that it doesn’t have to go through the elaborate control mechanisms for energy levels in the body. Thus the energizing effect is all but instant. As noted earlier, there is an established relationship between physical and mental energy levels. So in as much as the energy drinks raise the users’ physical energy directly, they also end up raising their mental energy levels. One mechanism through which this takes place is by enhanced glucose levels, which ultimately end up in the brain, as the brain is a part of the body like any other. High glucose levels in the mind have in turn been noted to relate to increased levels of mental acuity, and a sense of well being.

Ultimately, then, we conclude that the energy drinks energize their users both physically and mentally.

Thanks to the great abundance of information that the Internet has made possible, consumers are increasingly expressing an interest in knowing what the various products they consume really are. They are not content with just knowing what the various products they consume will do for them, as promised by the manufacturers through advertising. They also want to know how exactly the products will deliver those promises: that what the ingredients in those products really are. This desire to know ingredients is not new. It has always been there: only that before the Internet (which pools massive amounts of information together), getting some sorts of information was truly hard.

Users of energy drinks have not been left behind in all this. They too, have expressed an interest in knowing what the ingredients that go into the making of the energy drinks are. There are a number of reasons for this. The main ones are safety-related: for the people want to be sure that they are not taking harmful substances in the name of energy drinks.

It is for this reason, then, that the number of Internet information searches on ‘energy drinks ingredients’ has gone substantially up in recent years. In short, people want to know what goes into the making of these energy drinks.

As it turns out, specific ingredients vary from energy drink brand to another. A number of ingredients, though, hold across board.

One category of ingredients that is to be found in virtually all energy drinks is methylxanthines. The use of this is what gives most energy drinks the psychologically uplifting effect they are known to have. In spite of their complex-sounding name, methylxanthines are really not worth fearing. A common example of them is caffeine: the active ingredient in coffee and tea. Indeed, in most energy drinks, the methylxanthine employed is caffeine itself. Where caffeine is used in energy drinks, it is commonly presented either in the form of it known as yerba mate or the other form known as guarana.

Vitamin B is another ingredient that is found in virtually all energy drinks. Vitamin B is included here mainly because of the ‘energizing’ effect it has.

Many energy drinks also incorporate various herbs. The idea behind the use of these is both to qualify the energy drinks to be termed as ‘natural’ while also giving the users the opportunity to access the various health benefits associated with the respective herbs.

Sugar is a common ingredient in energy drinks. Other sweeteners may also be used, but ultimately, energy drinks have to taste nice.

Then we have carbonated sugar, as another commonly found ingredient in energy drinks. It is the use of carbonated sugar that is responsible for the fizz in the drinks.
Besides caffeine (as the main active ingredient), vitamin B, sugar and herbs, many energy drinks have incorporated into them substances such as maltodextrin and glucoronolactone: to further enhance the energizing effect.

Energy drinks are among the most popular varieties of soft drinks. The energy drinks industry is indeed said to be a billion dollar industry, with hundreds of millions of people all over the world consuming one or another energy drink at some point every year. At least tens of millions of people are regular users of energy drinks. And many more, it seems, want to know about the drinks: for internet searches related to energy drinks are always many, at any given point of the year.

One of the things people want to know about, according to Internet search statistics, is whether energy drinks can cause side effects. This is understandable, for today’s consumer is increasingly keen to know what he or she is taking into themselves. Most people appreciate that virtually all products – even the most innocent natural food products – have potential for adverse effects (like where a person with an allergy for one or another protein in wheat, experiences adverse effect on eating bread!) Yet many want, at the very least, to know is what the potential side effects of the products they take are. This way, they can at least make up their minds whether or not the benefits of the product, as weighed against the potential side effects, make its consumption a rational thing.

It is therefore not surprising that many of the consumers of energy drinks want to know whether the energy drinks can lead to side effects.

The answer to the question as to whether energy drinks can lead to side effects is yes. Worth noting though is that these side effects tend to manifest only when one overuses the energy drinks. They also tend to manifest only in certain people, and not others; as is characteristic of all product side effects.

Many of the potential side effects from the consumption of energy drinks arise out of the fact that many of these energy drinks contain high amounts of caffeine. So the side effects are related to this enhanced caffeine intake. One of the effects of such caffeine overuse – caffeine being a stimulant – is sleeplessness; which can sometimes manifest as quite worrying insomnia. Mood problems are also likely to result from overuse of caffeine: where we are looking at things like irritability. Increased urge for urination is another possible side effect from overuse of caffeine through energy drinks.

Beyond those caffeine-specific side effects from consumption of energy drinks, there is also the fact that their energizing effect tends to be transient: so that the inevitable crash comes, unless one tops up consumption of the energy drink. Many modern energy drinks, though, are increasingly including ingredients to make this crash slower and gentler for their user.

What is worth keeping in mind all through though, is the fact that not all people experience these side effects. They are effects of overuse of the energy drinks, so that as long as you use the drinks in moderation, they are not likely to occur. In non-caffeine based energy drinks, these side effects are all but done away with.

The number of energy drinks in the market is simply amazing. Just enter the search term ‘energy drinks’ into your favorite Internet search engine, and you get literally thousands of energy drink brands: which almost invariably promise to instantly revitalize you upon taking them.

Presentation varies from one energy drink to another. Most energy drinks nowadays are presented in their ready made form: as liquid formulations ready for consumption. Others are presented as powders, which one needs to mix, and then proceed to consume.

The exact workings of the energy drinks vary too. There are those whose mechanism for working is by directly injecting glucose into the system; in the hope that the direct injection of the glucose into the system will translate into rejuvenation. Then there are those that aim, rather than directly injecting energy into the system, to stimulate the body’s own natural energy production system. Some of these, for instance, work by inhibiting glucose reuptake in the body, while stimulating the process through which new glucose is synthesized in the body.

Demand for the energy drinks seems to be high. The number of people doing internet searches on energy drinks is huge – this being a clear indication of what great interest there is them.

Nonetheless, questions have been raised as to whether the energy drinks are really useful.

Opinion on the usefulness of energy drinks seemed to be divided: there is really no consensus.

On one side, we have people who hold the view that energy drinks are not quite useful: pointing out that the body’s natural mechanism for energy management is adequate. These critics of energy drinks go on to point out that the energy replenishment effect from the drinks tends to be transient anyway.

On the other side, we have the proponents of energy drinks: who say that the drinks are highly useful. They first point out to the fact that much as the bodies energy management systems can be adequate, there are times when faults creep into them: due to dietary habits, or due to various illnesses. Hence the need for supplementation; which is where the energy drinks come in. the second evidence for the usefulness of the energy drinks arises out of the fact that people continue to buy and use them. In as much as this is the case, it would be evidence that they are getting some utility, or some usefulness out of the energy drinks. Otherwise they wouldn’t continue sinking their money into them.

In the final analysis, it is becomes hard to go with either side to this debate, and still claim objectivity. What is for sure, though, is that the arguments advanced by the proponents of the energy drinks do make a lot of sense. For seeing how hard most people work to get their money, and how careful they usually are in their spending of it, we would have to conclude that they have to be getting some usefulness out of energy drinks to continue using them. In other words, every dollar spent on energy drinks is a vote of confidence in them.