How do Energy Drinks Work

Energy drinks have taken the beverage market by storm, with more and more people resorting to these non-alcoholic beverages for their daily dose of energy. But do energy drinks really give you a boost as their manufacturers claim? On one hand, we have all those manufacturer-sponsored reviews, which are obviously biased.

On the other, we have a list of reviews by health experts who give these beverages a thumbs down for their alleged ill-effects on our health.

Going through all these reviews and opinions, the end user is obviously left confused as to whether he should drink these beverages or not. In such circumstances, understanding how they work can be of some help.

Even though these non-alcoholic beverages are more than popular among masses, not many people can actually boast of knowing how they facilitate that 'sudden burst of energy'. In order to understand that, one needs to know what these energy drinks are made from.

If you look at the list of ingredients featuring on their cans, you will realize that caffeine is the primary ingredient. These drinks also contain sugar, taurine, maltodextrin, creatine, etc.

Other than that, Ginkgo biloba, guarana, and ginseng extract also happen to be the key constituents of these energy boosters. The list and quantity of ingredients differs from one brand to another.

The so-called 'energy' that these drinks provide can be attributed to the ingredients they contain. The stimulating effects of caffeine, which is also found in coffee and tea, needs no introduction. In the same way, taurine is known to assist in heart rate regulation and muscle contraction.

Herbal supplements, like ginseng and Ginkgo biloba, are known for their medicinal value. Other than all these ingredients, these beverages also contain sugar and flavoring substances, which are added to make them tasty.

You also need to understand that energy drinks are not the same as sports drinks, as the latter, with their typical water, electrolytes, and sugar content, are more often used to replenish fluids that are lost during a strenuous physical activity.

The inclusion of all these ingredients help your body absorb energy drinks at a faster rate as compared to the rate at which your body absorbs plain water. The burst of energy that these beverages allegedly provide is attributed to the presence of ingredients, like caffeine and sugar.

When you drink these, the caffeine in them blocks adenosine receptors, which restricts the central nervous system and makes sure that the functioning of central nervous system is not hampered.

This, in turn, gives you the feeling of being all charged up. When the neuron activity in our brain begins, the pituitary gland triggers adrenaline release in the body. This, in turn, increases the heart rate and prompts the liver to release extra sugar in the bloodstream, which results in production of extra energy in the body.

While caffeine has a major role, other ingredients also have a specific role of their own. Most of these ingredients in the energy drink, including taurine, help in replenishing lost energy. When we indulge in some physical activity, the taurine level in body goes down, which results in tiring of muscles.

Energy drinks restore the taurine level in body and thus, facilitate better muscle contraction, which helps you do away with that feeling of tiredness and puts you into an energized mode.

Some manufacturers claim that energy drinks help in improving your endurance levels, but there is no scientific evidence to suggest the same. They do give you a temporary boost, which can be attributed to the presence of ingredients like caffeine and taurine in them, but the same can also be derived from coffee and other caffeine-rich products.

Drinking energy drinks on a regular basis does no good to your endurance levels. On the contrary, regular consumption of these beverages can cause harm to your health in the long run.

In the end, if temporary feeling of being charged up is what you call an energy boost, then energy drinks do help, but as far as overall health is concerned, these drinks are not helpful at all.