HEALTH /FITNESS SPECIAL .....Bottled Energy

Bottled Energy
 

If you're one of those who take to the bottle in search of a mid-work kick, caution is advised

ENERGY DRINKS.
 

The first of the lot that I tried was Tzinga. The pack looked fairly peppy. The TV ad for it had people zipping, hopping, skipping through the day, enthusiastically typing on their keyboards as if that were the best thing ever. I took a regular pack of 250 ml, observed that it had 75 mg of caffeine (hardly anything for a serial black coffee drinker like moi, or so I thought), and gulped it down. It tasted wonderful and fruity — just like any other packaged fruit juice — after all, it claims to have real fruit juice.
 

Minutes later, I was buzzing. Quite right. Actually buzzing — and not the good kind either. There was a lot of nervous energy (the kind I usually get before an exam or interview); I was supposed to be able to concentrate better, but no such luck; I have a desk job, but all I wanted to do was keep moving, so as a compromise, I kept shaking my hands and legs; in a couple of hours I felt sick, and puked. After reaching home, I checked my blood pressure and heartbeat — both were high. It took me a couple more hours, but my body finally relaxed.
 

Explaining this whole experience, Rajeev Gupta, senior consultant, internal medicine, Fortis Hospital, Delhi, says: “Tachycardia, headache, nausea, tremors, hypertension, dizziness are all common side effects of consuming energy drinks.” According to him, energy drinks affect different people differently (depending on caffeine tolerance, activity levels, etc.), but nevertheless those with a sedentary lifestyle should avoid them. After all, the extra energy needs to be used somewhere. Physical activity is a must, says Gupta, adding that people aggressively and regularly working out “may go for them”. I discovered that my colleague had also tried the drink, was similarly affected and vowed never to try it again. Gupta says that he knows several people who take energy drinks to combat jet lag, stress and late-night work schedules. But he cautions: These drinks can give a temporary burst of energy and alertness, but are not long-lasting. 

According to a 2012 study published in the Medical Journal of Australia, there has been an increase in reports of caffeine toxicity from energy drink consumption. The study says that “a typical can of energy drink may contain up to 300 mg of caffeine, from added caffeine and natural sources such as guarana....Some studies have suggested that the caffeine content of guarana is not always declared in packaging and is additional to the listed caffeine content of energy drinks. Hence, the caffeine dose may be higher than that listed on the beverage ingredients list”. Similarly, taurine, an amino acid found in many energy drinks, is purportedly inotropic (affecting the movement of muscles), and the amount of ginseng ingested may also have an adverse medical impact on the body, says the study. 

But undeterred by such studies, and for the greater good (of doing my job), I took on the more popular Red Bull a few days later. After my rather violent reaction to Tzinga, this article had become an office-wide project. Contrary to (what seems to be) the general sentiment, I didn’t like the taste much. Red Bull proved rather tame despite 80 mg of caffeine (much to the disappointment of my peers), but it did sustain a general buzz all through the day. Maybe I was just getting used to the effects, or it was just a placebo effect. I tried Power Horse (also 80 mg of caffeine) with a rather strong distaste for its flavour, but a mildly stronger kick to my day than Red Bull. 

By the time I got around to the rather attention-grabbing can of KS E (yes, from Raymond’s Kama Sutra brand and with 80 mg of caffeine) on my office desk, I felt like an energy drink expert. A general restlessness and the need to occasionally whizz around the office floor in my wheelie-chair seemed normal — and one could understand how the elevated energy levels could be addictive. Gupta says that once people get used to the jolt of energy provided by these drinks, they don’t want it to deflate. “So, the minute they feel their energy levels going down, they’ll take a drink and that’s how it gets addictive,” he adds.
 

According to Kiran Dawal, a nutritionist at Fortis Faridabad, the high sugar content in such drinks also gives a kick to the system. The flip side, though, is that it may be one of the reasons for weight gain and, eventually, even diabetes. Add caffeine to the mix, and it can lead to dehydration. Dawal warns against “using energy drinks as a supplement for beverages like coke or coffee on a regular basis”. She says two cups of milk coffee is a better option to a can of energy drink. Although the sugarless versions may be a “healthier choice”, if one is really going down the energy drink route — a growing number according to a recent survey by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India.
 

The survey said that 71 per cent of people in urban areas — in the 14-30 age group — habitually consume energy drinks. No wonder industry experts say that the market is worth Rs 350-500 crore, and is growing at about 25 per cent annually. Should readers find themselves a part of this growing populace, Gupta suggests “choosing drinks with very low content of inositol, ginkocer, taurine and caffeine, of course. Also, be sure to read the directives on the pack. Don’t have more than 160 mg of caffeine (in total) a day.”
 

As for me, by the time the next production cycle presented itself (after two weeks), I’d tried four types of ‘popular’ (read, those that are easily available at least)energy drinks, more than a dozen energy bars (see Try A Nutri Bar) and — as quite an anticlimax to an experiment on energy drinks — quite gladly switched to two cups of green tea a day, which keeps me wide awake, doesn’t have me involuntarily shaking my limbs, gives me ample antioxidants, and (hopefully) will keep off the kilos! 

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