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  • Energy Drinks (The effects of Caffeine)

    Some people have asked me about the safety of these new energy drinks that are now commonly sold in health clubs and other places.

    I've always advocated the use of things like Gatorade when training in China, as fluids like these replenish necessary electrolytes that are lost during hard work outs. But things like Red Bull, and some of these other agents that are now coming to market, well, these can be trouble.

    When you read this medical article, remember that a can of Diet Coke contains 45 mg of caffeine, and regular Coke contains about 35 mg.

    Experts Call for Health Warning Labels on Caffeinated Energy Drinks

    Caroline Cassels


    September 26, 2008 — Experts are calling for health warning labels on so-called "energy drinks" that, due to their high caffeine content, may pose a significant consumer health risk, particularly in adolescents and young adults.

    In a review paper published online September 20 in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, investigators at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in Baltimore, point out that a single serving of some of these drinks can contain more than 500 mg of caffeine, an amount equivalent to 14 cans of Coca-Cola.

    Despite this, the caffeine content of these products is frequently not indicated, and few brands include warnings about potential health risks, including caffeine intoxication.

    "Many products don't label the amount of caffeine they contain, and the amount of caffeine across different brands is quite variable, so you can pick up something called a can of energy drink and it may contain as little as 50 mg of caffeine or it can contain 505 mg of caffeine," lead author Roland Griffiths, PhD, told Medscape Psychiatry.

    Vulnerable Population


    Furthermore, and even more disturbing, said Dr. Griffiths, is the aggressive marketing of these drinks to young people, who are frequently caffeine naive and therefore more susceptible to the negative physical effects of caffeine.

    "A caffeine-naive population is going to be much more sensitive to caffeine, and we really run the risk of caffeine overdose. We don't really know what the prevalence of this is, but we know it occurs and this shouldn't surprise us.

    "Caffeine intoxication is a well-recognized psychiatric diagnosis with well-described symptoms, and if you give high doses of caffeine to caffeine-naive people, some of them are going to get into trouble," said Dr. Griffiths.

    He added that reports of caffeine abuse to US poison control centers showed negative reaction to energy drinks.

    In a 2007 survey of 496 college students, 51% reported consuming at least 1 energy drink during the past month. Of these energy-drink users, 29% reported "weekly jolt-and-crash" episodes and 19% reported heart palpitations from consuming these beverages.

    Gateway to Drug Abuse?

    The same survey revealed that 27% of the survey respondents reported mixing energy drinks and alcohol at least once in the past month. "When you combine caffeine and alcohol, people are less likely to perceive the extent to which they are intoxicated and are at greater risk of alcohol-related injury," said Dr. Griffiths.

    Further, there is a concern that the strong stimulant effect of energy drinks may increase the risk of nonmedical use of prescription stimulants such as amphetamines and methylphenidate. A 2008 study of 1253 college students showed energy-drink consumption significantly predicted subsequent nonmedical prescription stimulant use.

    Potentially fueling this "transition" market, there are other energy drinks, such as the powdered energy drink Blow, which is sold in vials, and the energy drink Cocaine, that use language on their products suggesting illicit drugs.

    Energy drinks first came on the market in 1987 with the launching of Red Bull in Australia. Since then, the industry has grown exponentially worldwide and stands at an estimated $5.4 billion in the United States and is expanding at a rate of 55% annually.

    Given all these factors, Dr. Griffiths believes the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should move to require warning labels on these drinks. However, it does not appear likely this will occur in the foreseeable future.

    FDA Responds

    Medscape Psychiatry contacted the FDA for comment and was told in an e-mail communication that many so-called "energy drinks" are marketed as dietary supplements and therefore are not legally required to seek premarket approval.

    For both dietary supplements and food products, the producer bears the onus of ensuring that it is bringing a safe product to market, the FDA writes. "In order to require a warning label, FDA must establish that the lack of such a warning creates a risk to consumers and that the warning label would effectively remediate that risk. At this time, FDA has not determined that these products are unsafe because they contain caffeine or that there is a consumer risk that would effectively be remediated by a warning label statement," the FDA writes.

    Drug Alcohol Depend. Published online September 20, 2008. Abstract
    There are cardiac, blood pressure, anxiety and other psychological issues associated with caffeine intoxication.
    Experienced Community organizer. Yeah, let's choose him to run the free world. It will be historic. What could possibly go wrong...

    "You're just a jaded cynical mother****er...." Jeffpeg

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    russbo.com



  • #2
    I remember one time when a few friends and I went to LV a number of years ago, and one of the guys in our group had drunken a huge Monster, a couple Red Bulls, and most probably another Monster. He was pretty sick after that, and I had warned him that there were warning labels on the cans not to exceed a certain amount.

    One thing I was wondering was how much caffeine is too much in one day. I usually have about 2 cups of coffee in the morning, but water and gatorade (when I workout) throughout the day.
    "For some reason I'm in a good mood today. I haven't left the house yet, though. "

    "fa hui, you make buddhism sexy." -Zachsan

    "Friends don't let friends do Taekwondo." -Nancy Reagan

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    • #3
      It depends upon your tolerance and your ability to break it down.

      I would not do well with two Red Bulls (about 85 mg per can), but I can do about twenty cans of Coke during the day (I get bad migraines), almost a thousand mg of caffeine over a day.

      I've met some strippers that can down one Red Bull after another. Granted, they're pretty wired, along with the other shit they're taking.

      Caffeine doses of five grams can be lethal. Doses over 200 mg can trigger psychiatric effects such as anxiety and panic disorders. Doses over 100 mg can affect the cardiovascular system.

      In the general population, doses up to 200 mg are generally felt to be beneficial in a mood sense. And remember, the withdrawal from caffeine can cause all sorts of things, such as headache, fatigue, sleeplessness, irritability, etc. As blood levels swing up and down, you get corresponding physical and mental effects.

      Some people can metabolize these agents better than others, all depending upon their history of exposure. Some have a greater tolerance for the drug, thus the individual that drinks ten cups of coffee a day (each cup 50 to 100 mg)

      With some of these energy drinks having 500 mg of caffeine, drinking ten of them could be lethal.
      Experienced Community organizer. Yeah, let's choose him to run the free world. It will be historic. What could possibly go wrong...

      "You're just a jaded cynical mother****er...." Jeffpeg

      (more comments in my User Profile)
      russbo.com


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      • #4
        ive never had an energy drink. and i dont drink coffee..cant remember when i had any must have been a real long time ago

        all that shit is bad for you, soda is shit, coffee is shit, energy drinks are shit
        "did you ask me to consider dick with you??" blooming tianshi lotus

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        • #5
          Water turns into all the energy drink you'll ever need as soon as it is coupled with food.

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          • #6
            By the way... forget the caffeine, it's only a tiny part of the problem.
            The modern energy drinks contain taurine. Taurine is an essential amino acid, but you get it from food - mostly meat, but vegetarianism and veganism has shown no problem without that source. The big problem is that it's a growth hormone. When you're done growing, it causes issues. And even if you're young enough to still be growing, piling in bull growth hormones (they get it from bull calves), is NOT a good thing for your system.
            It's a bad thing, a very bad thing.

            (Plus I get an anaphylactic reaction if I'm in the same room as someone drinking it, so I have to advocate not drinking it!!)

            Djon Ma
            Karma Dechen Djon Ma
            "For as long as space endures, And as long as living beings remain, Until then may I too abide, To dispel the misery of the world."
            Shantideva

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            • #7
              Supplement Facts Serving Size: 8.4 fl oz (250 mL) Servings Per Container: 1 Amount Per Serving %DV* Calories
              0 Total Fat
              0 g 0% Saturated Fat
              0 g 0% Trans Fat
              0 g ** Cholesterol
              0 mg 0% Sodium
              65 mg 3% Total Carbohydrate
              0 g 0% Dietary Fiber 0 g 0% Sugars
              0 g ** Protein
              0 g 0% B12 (methylcobalamin)
              1,500 mcg 25,000 % SPIKE® Shooter Formula
              1,057 mg ** N-acetyl-L-tyrosine
              ** Caffeine anhydrous ** Yohimbine HCl ** Total Caffeine 300 mg ** * Percent Daily Values (%DV) are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
              ** Daily Value not established
              Other Ingredients: Carbonated water, citric acid, caffeine anhydrous, sodium citrate, natural and artificial flavors, sucralose, sodium benzoate, FD&C red #40, carmel color, FD&C blue #1.
              RECOMMENDED USE: Begin use with one-half can daily to determine tolerance. Never exceed one can daily.
              CAUTION: This product contains strong stimulants and should not be combined with any other stimulant or fat-loss product.
              WARNING: Do not use if you are under the age of 18 or elderly. Do not take with any other stimulant or weight-loss supplement or any prescription or over-the-counter medicine. Do not use if you are pregnant or nursing or at risk of being treated for high-blood pressure, heart disease, hyperthyroidism, spasms, psychiatric disease, suffer from migraines, have asthma, or are taking asthma medication. Discontinue use if you experience dizziness, headache, nausea, or heart palpitations. If you have trouble sleeping, do not take within 6 hours of bedtime. Keep out of reach of children.
              "Life is a run. In attack we run, in defense we run. When you can no longer run, time to die" - Shichiroji "Seven samurai"

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              • #8
                Dogchow stole my response. lol

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                • #9
                  1,500 mcg 25,000 % SPIKE® Shooter Formula
                  Nice way of saying that it has 300 mg of caffeine. A HUGE amount, comparable to a Starbucks Coffee Grande. Let's put this into perspective (caffeine is in milligrams):

                  Coffee

                  Caribou Cappuccino, 12 oz. 160-200
                  Decaffeinated, instant, 8 oz. 2
                  Decaffeinated, brewed, 8 oz. 2
                  Espresso, 1 fluid oz. 64
                  Instant, 8 oz. 62
                  Plain, brewed, 8 ounces (oz.) 95
                  Starbucks Caffe Latte, 16 oz. 150
                  Starbucks Coffee Grande, 16 oz. 330

                  Sources: Caribou Coffee Co., 2007; Starbucks Corp., 2007; USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, 2007

                  Tea

                  Black tea, brewed, 8 ounces (oz.) 47
                  Decaffeinated, black tea, 8 oz. 2
                  Green tea, brewed, 8 oz. 30-50
                  Lipton Brisk Iced Tea, lemon flavored, 12 oz. 10
                  Nestea, sweetened or unsweetened, 12 oz. 17
                  Snapple Iced Tea, 16 oz. 18
                  Sobe Green Tea, 8 oz. 14
                  Starbucks Tazo Chai Tea Latte, 12 oz. 75

                  Sources: Center for Science in the Public Interest, 2007; The Coca-Cola Co., 2007; PepsiCo Inc., 2007; Starbucks Corp., 2007; USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, 2007

                  Soft drinks

                  7Up 0
                  A&W Creme Soda 29
                  Barq's Root Beer 23
                  Cherry Coca-Cola, Diet Cherry Coca-Cola 35
                  Coca-Cola Classic 35
                  Code Red Mountain Dew 54
                  Diet Barq's Root Beer 0
                  Diet Coke 47
                  Dr Pepper, Diet Dr. Pepper 41
                  Diet Pepsi 35
                  Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi 38
                  Fanta 0
                  Mello Yello 53
                  Mountain Dew, Diet Mountain Dew 54
                  Pepsi 38
                  Sprite, Sprite Zero 0
                  Sunkist Orange Soda 41
                  Tab 47
                  Wild Cherry Pepsi 38

                  Sources: The Coca-Cola Co., 2007; Dr Pepper/Seven Up Inc., 2007; Journal of Food Science, 2007; PepsiCo Inc., 2007


                  Sports/Energy drinks

                  AMP Tall Boy Energy Drink, 16 ounces (oz.) 143
                  Enviga, 12 oz. 100
                  Full Throttle, 16 oz. 144
                  Full Throttle Fury, 16 oz. 144
                  Monster Energy, 16 oz. 160
                  No Name (formerly known as Cocaine), 8.4 oz. 280
                  Red Bull, 8.3 oz. 76
                  Rockstar, 16 oz. 160
                  SoBe Adrenaline Rush, 16 oz. 152
                  SoBe No Fear, 16 oz. 174
                  Vault, 8 oz. 47

                  Sources: Beverage Partners Worldwide, 2007; The Coca-Cola Co., 2007; Monster Beverage Co., 2007; PepsiCo Inc., 2007; Redux Beverages, 2007; Rockstar, 2007; USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, 2007


                  Food/Other products

                  Excedrin, Extra Strength,
                  2 tablets 130
                  Foosh Energy Mints, 1 mint 100
                  Haagen-Dazs Coffee Ice
                  Cream, 1/2 cup 30
                  Hershey's Chocolate Bar,
                  1.55 ounces (oz.) 9
                  Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Bar, 1.45 oz. 18
                  Jolt Caffeinated Gum, 1 stick 33
                  NoDoz Maximum Strength,
                  1 tablet 200
                  Starbucks Coffee Ice Cream,
                  8 oz. 50-60

                  Sources: Center for Science in the Public Interest, 2007; Haagen-Dazs, 2007; The Hershey Co., 2007; Vroom Foods Inc., 2007
                  The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has banned caffeine above a urine level of 12 micrograms/ml. This would be the result of drinking 4 large cups of coffee.

                  A dose of 3 to 13 mg per kg of body weight in cyclists and runners has been found to be effective in enhancing performance; though, it should be known that caffeine is a diuretic, and losing body fluids through urine formation can cause dehydration, which, especially in hot environments, can be detrimental to health.

                  Most physicians recommend a limit of 200 mg of caffeine per day, to avoid hypertension issues, and the subsequent effects on the heart.

                  The other part of this Spike shit is Yohimbe. Yohimbe should be used cautiously by anyone with a medical condition, particularly those with unstable hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, or those taking medicines, particularly tranquilizers, antidepressants, sedatives, antihistamines, amphetamines and other stimulants, including caffeine and herbal stimulants such as ginseng. Its physiological effects cause increase in blood flow, blood pressure, and heart rate; it is used medically for impotence treatment. Some of the side effects of high dose Yohimbe include anxiety, changes in blood pressure, heart rate increase, palpitations, dizziness, headache, visual disturbances, nausea or abdominal cramps, increased body temperature and sweating. Yohimbe should not be prescribed to anyone over the age of 65. Since high doses of Yohimbe may cause confusion and disorientation, it should not be taken while operating machinery, driving, or performing hazardous activities.

                  The combination of Yohimbe and high dose caffeine in this drink can be disabling or deadly to certain individuals, either those who exert themselves in high temperature environments, or those with heart disease and hypertension.

                  It can be harmful to young healthy individuals.
                  Experienced Community organizer. Yeah, let's choose him to run the free world. It will be historic. What could possibly go wrong...

                  "You're just a jaded cynical mother****er...." Jeffpeg

                  (more comments in my User Profile)
                  russbo.com


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                  • #10
                    A dose of 3 to 13 mg per kg of body weight in cyclists and runners has been found to be effective in enhancing performance; though, it should be known that caffeine is a diuretic, and losing body fluids through urine formation can cause dehydration, which, especially in hot environments, can be detrimental to health.
                    excellent point.
                    ZhongwenMovies.com

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                    • #11
                      From a recent news article, demonstrating the issues concerning these "energy" foodstuffs:

                      A 13-year-old boy was rushed to the emergency room after he complained of stomach pains, prickling sensations in his legs and a desire to urinate after chewing an “energy” gum, Agence France-Presse reported.

                      The Italian teenager also became aggressive and agitated in school, according to a report in The Lancet, which warns about the risks of chewing stimulant gums, which contain caffeine.

                      The boy was panting for breath when he arrived at the emergency room and his heartbeat was 147 beats per minute. The gum had also raised his blood pressure. Doctors at the Naples Monaldi hospital kept him overnight for observation.

                      “Our patient admitted consuming two packets of the chewing gum, containing 320 milligrams of caffeine in four hours,” doctors at the hospital told the medical journal. The Lancet
                      Experienced Community organizer. Yeah, let's choose him to run the free world. It will be historic. What could possibly go wrong...

                      "You're just a jaded cynical mother****er...." Jeffpeg

                      (more comments in my User Profile)
                      russbo.com


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                      • #12
                        Everyone has his own point of view regarding energy drinks.ive never had an energy drink. and i dont drink coffee..cant remember when i had any must have been a real long time ago

                        all that shit is bad for you, soda is shit, coffee is shit, energy drinks are shit

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                        • #13
                          Here's another listing of caffeine dosages in common foods.
                          Attached Files
                          Experienced Community organizer. Yeah, let's choose him to run the free world. It will be historic. What could possibly go wrong...

                          "You're just a jaded cynical mother****er...." Jeffpeg

                          (more comments in my User Profile)
                          russbo.com


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