Balance Your Health

Energy Drinks and Caffeine Part 2

Caffeine does improve mental and physical performance.

In my last post I wrote about the history of energy drinks and which government regulations impact their manufacturing. This post will report to you more details about research on how energy drinks work and don't work.

For example, an 8-year old study measured how a drink containing taurine and caffeine affected our mental performance and mood. (See explanation of taurine at the end of the post). The non-energy drink group reported reduced feelings of well-being, vitality and socialabiliy while the energy drink group maintained their feelings of well-being.

Many of us take energy drinks to keep us alert during those times when we either aren't getting enough sleep or the event is boring and we're likely to snooze. The problem is that consuming energy drinks as a substitute for sleep eventually leads to sleep deprivation which has disastrous effects. High levels of caffeine may also lead to symptoms such as nausea, increased heart rate, anxiety and restlessness. Moderate caffeine intake does not cause any of these effects.

If you are sensitive to caffeine you need to calculate how much you're taking. Caffeine must be listed as an ingredient on the energy drink so calculating how much you're taking in shouldn't be too complicated.

If you're a parent with teen agers, or younger, drinking energy drinks, you probably also have concerns. Your concern should focus on the amount of sugar in some of these drinks and the amount of calories, which is 200 calories.

Dieters are interested in energy drinks because many studies reported that caffeine elevates the metabolism. More research is needed on that topic and most doctors don't recommend using caffeine as a weight loss tool.

Energy drinks haven't been on the market that long and more research is needed to determine their long-term effects on health and obesity. Although they do improve performance and mood for many people, your experts advise that caffeine consumption should be moderate.

Your comments on energy drinks is welcome. Love to know your favorite drink and why.

And here's the definition of taurine – from Wikipedia

Taurine is an amino acid that keeps potassium and magnesium inside the cell while keeping excessive sodium out. In this sense it works like a diuretic. But unlike prescription diuretics, it is not a cellular poison. Because it aids the movement of potassium, sodium, and calcium in and out of the cell, taurine has been used as a supplementation.

To your well balanced health

Ruthan Brodsky

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Nutrition and Exercising: How to Perform Better by Developing a Strategic Eating Plan

New information on nutrition and athletic performance, based on what was learned at the Summer Olympics, continues to find its way in newspapers and magazines – and on-line, of course.

The bottom line seems to be that elite athletes, as well as ordinary active people, are paying more attention to what they eat to help them perform better. What’s important this time around is that it’s not only what you eat but when you eat and how much you eat that matters. It’s become a veritable science!

More professional athletes, trainers and coaches understand the link between what we eat and how it affects our health. Most of us are more aware these days that eating specific foods and drinking specific beverages gives us more energy and stamina.

Now we’re being told that an eating schedule should be included in our personal wellness plans. We all know that breakfast, for example, is important. For athletes breakfast is the most important meal. It has to do with spending the night in what is called ‘recovery mode’ so that breakfast means bringing in more fuel so the muscles can work properly. Some experts advocate eating every 3-4 hours during the day which includes 3 meals and 3-4 snacks so that our energy is spread out through the day.

The trick is to have a nutritional program planned out a head of time. It’s particularly important for athletes who need to plan for fueling times and recovery times. For instance, athletes need to attend workouts well-hydrated as well as well-fueled. A small snack or medium meal 1 to 3 hours before gives the athlete the fuel for muscle energy.

Recovery nutrition helps the athlete recover the muscles full and prepare for the next competition or workout. A nutritional recovery plan usually includes 3 key ingredients: fluids, carbohydrates, and protein. Good recovery nutrition can make or break an athlete. It can also help the rest of us maintain our energy levels so we can workout and have the stamina to keep up with the rest of our lives.

Do you do anything special to keep up your energy level on those days when you workout? If not, and you find you’re wiped out on those days, would you consider starting a recovery nutrition program of some sort. Share your thoughts with us. Scroll down to ‘Comments’ and type them in the blank window.

To your successful aging.

Ruthan

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Ruthan Brodsky helps health care providers and entrepreneurs promote their product or service with content marketing.