Ann Gabriel | VigorBuddy
Energy drinks might give you the idea that it gives you extra energy, but to some extent this may be harmful to your health. The truth about how harmful they are is not that clear.
What are some of the ingredients in energy drinks and what do they do for you?
Taurine
Taurine is an amino acid that plays many fundamental biological roles. Healthy people produce their own taurine. Each energy drink will have about 1,000 milligrams of taurine per 8-ounce serving, which is considered safe by medical practitioners. Although there are claims that Taurine helps with mental and physical performance, there are not much documents to support the truth in this. Truth of the matter is Taurine helps reduce and alleviate visual fatigue commonly associated with visual display terminals.
Guarana
Guarana is a plant that grows in the Amazon, and is commonly found in South America. Contrary to what people believe, it’s the seeds,that are know It’s not the plant itself that you’re ingesting, however, it’s the seeds that are known to increase energy and alertness. The chemical component of guarana that gives you energy is actually just naturally occurring caffeine, because guarana has the highest caffeine content of any other plant out there. The same effect is experienced with regular caffeine.
Ginseng
Ginseng improves physical performance, focus, and memory. Not much information is available to prove that ginseng is harmful to people. However, long-term use (more than 6 months of regular ingestion) may cause insomnia, and possibly interfere with proper drug action of certain medications such as insulin, oral hypoglycemic agents, blood thinners, and diuretics.
These are just some of the ingredients you’ll find in energy drinks. The two major players when it comes to energy drink ingredients are sugar and caffeine. Sugar isn’t always bad for you, but in high amounts, it’s unhealthy.
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