There are so many types of "drinks" on the market right now from sports drinks to Vitamin water - a drink for every mood. Energy drinks are growing in popularity and in fact they have become a $744 million a year industry. I find it easy to believe the backbone of the energy boost of these drinks is caffeine, and interestingly enough, makers do not have to disclose caffeine amounts on nutrition labels.
For instance an 8-ounce serving of Archer Farms Energy Drink contained 50 milligrams of caffeine and Celsius Energy Supplement (like how that sounds like a "vitamin supplement") contains 145 milligrams. For comparison, the average cup of joe, the original energy drink in my book, contains 100 milligrams of caffeine, and a 12-ounce Coca-Cola has about 24 milligrams.
Also important to know, 300 milligrams of caffeine per day is considered safe for most adults. It is advised that children keep their caffeine intake to fewer than 100 milligrams per day.
Fit's Tip: Read those labels closely! Most drinks come in bottles larger than 8 ounces, but the nutritional information, like calorie amounts, are listed per 8 ounce serving.
Tea, coffee, cola, energy drinks and chocolate share the same nerve toxin (stimulant), caffeine. Caffeine, which is readily released into the blood, triggers a powerful immune response that helps the body to counteract and eliminate this irritant. The toxic irritant stimulates the adrenal glands, and to some extent, the body’s many cells, to release the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol into the blood stream.
If consumption of stimulants continues on a regular basis, however, this natural defense response of the body becomes overused and ineffective. The almost constant secretion of stress hormones, which are highly toxic compounds in and of themselves, eventually alters the blood chemistry and causes damage to the immune system, endocrine, and nervous systems. Future defense responses are weakened, and the body becomes more prone to infections and other ailments.
The boost in energy experienced after drinking a cup of coffee is not a direct result of the caffeine it contains, but of the immune system’s attempt to get rid of it (caffeine) An overexcited and suppressed immune system fails to provide the “energizing” adrenaline and cortisol boost needed to free the body from the acidic nerve toxin, caffeine. At this stage, people say that they are “used” to a stimulant, such as coffee. So they tend to increase intake to feels the “benefits.”
Since the body cells have to sacrifice some of their own water for the removal of the nerve toxin caffeine, regular consumption of coffee, tea, or colas causes them to become dehydrated. For every cup of tea or coffee you drink, the body has to mobilize 2-3 cups of water just to remove the stimulants, a luxury it cannot afford. This applies to soft drinks, medicinal drugs, and any other stimulants, As a rule, all stimulants have a strong dehydrating effect on the bile, blood, and digestive juices.
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