Energy Drinks: The Down Side

I have been working with the employees of RBM Lumber alongside Sheri Lynn for over a year now, ministering a Genesis-based health and safety program. I absolutely love working there. I have seen vast improvement in the guys’ mobility, flexibility, and overall fitness. AWESOME! Recently, however, Sheri  and I noticed some fundamental differences between the young guys and the older guys. The young guys had great muscle structure but were in pain and exhausted all the time. The older guys had some chronic pain but after stretching and moving around, it usually got better, and they had far more energy. Talking to the young guys, we discovered they routinely drank HUGE quantities of energy drinks. Both Sheri and I knew how damaging these drinks were due to their high content of chemicals and sugar. The owners asked us to research how bad they really were and whether they posed any safety risk. We were both shocked by what we learned.

http://www.americannursetoday.com/article.aspx?id=8110&fid=8078

This article explains the dangers of energy drinks, I highly suggest reading it in full if you know anyone who still consumes these drinks.

In a nutshell:

“Regular high-energy drinks are essentially nothing but sugared sodas filled with caffeine and empty calories, with no real nutritional value or benefit. Their high sugar content slows absorption of water into the body, making them unsuitable for rehydration during prolonged and vigorous exercise. Sugar enters the bloodstream quickly and gives a sudden energy burst that can last from several minutes to several hours. Actually, some health experts believe people who consume these drinks end up feeling worn out, not “helped out.” One of the body’s natural defenses is to slow a person down and cause a tired feeling. These drinks prevent the body from carrying out that vital function.” (an excerpt from the above article)

Some of the known side effects are:

“Energy Drink cardiac arrest” which often leads to death, jitteriness and nervousness, headaches/migraines, cloudy thinking, increased blood pressure, and insomnia to name a few.

Young adults, typically men, are the target market for theses types of drinks. While you may not personally drink these beverages, your son, daughter or husband might be, and we want you to be aware of the real harm these beverages do. We will keep you updated on the latest happenings at RBM.

Coach Lyndsey Marshall