Energy drinks are very popular in today's chaotic times. It's not unusual to see athletes in the gym using energy drinks before every workout."energy drink" as a full-fledged substitute for pre-workout stimulants. But are these oversweetened drinks even appropriate?
Can they really replace a quality pre-workout or are they just a waste of money? Find out the answers to these and many other questions in this episode of our series of articles on fitness vices.
What are the positive effects of drinking energy drinks?
As is usual with our articles, we try to cover the whole issue as comprehensively and from as many angles as possible. However, in the case of pre-workouts we found only one single positive effect on our body. They give you energy. At least in part.
1. They give you energy
How unexpected, right? The most common ingredient in these drinks is caffeine, which has a synergistically with sugar, so it's a blend that can actually give you energy. Other ingredients worth mentioning include taurine, ginseng, B vitamins and guarana. But as you will find out while reading the following lines, things are not so bright with these "active" substances.
What are the negative effects of drinking energy drinks?
The list of negative effects of energy drinks on health could be much richer. So let's just look at the most significant ones, which really are, when consumed regularly When consumed on a regular basis, there are risks or good reasons not to drink energy drinks:
1. They don't work
You may be thinking that the very first negative characteristic of energy drinks contradicts what we wrote above. But not really. Caffeine is actually effective. Likewise, fast sugars will provide a certain amount of energy. But that's where it ends. For most other substances (including the popular inositol, for example), don't expect much stimulation. Popular New York Times in its article even claims that there is no conclusive evidence of the effect of the other substances in these drinks.
2. It destroys tooth enamel
Is this a surprise to you? Energy drinks, like most other sweetened beverages that are acidic (chemically, not sensationally), can destroy tooth enamel, according to expert studies. Logically, the whole effect is even worse if you consume energy drinks when you're parched, because your saliva can't responsibly protect your tooth enamel.
3. They can cause anxiety
As you might have anticipated the previous points, anxiety after excessive consumption of energy drinks is probably not something you expected. A study conducted a few years ago actually showed a relationship between energy drinks and anxiety. On the contrary, after the intoxication of some substances wears off, you may experience a complete lassitude and apathy.
4. They can cause obesity
Although it's not very obvious and most people don't realise it, you'll find an average of 10g of simple sugars in 100ml of energy drink. So in a pint can, that's up to 50g, and that's a hefty dose. Compared to, say, a pint of beer. one of our articles on vices of course, so the comparison is appropriate) is about a third of the simple sugars.
So can energy drinks compete with pre-workouts?
To give you a clear and concise comparison of the aspects of each item, let's compare two specific products. The representative for energy drinks could be RedBull, which is the most popular energy drink everwhile the representative for pre-workouts could be Nitrox Pump. the strongest pre-workoutto make the fight at least a little more even).
1. Price
Most important of all for most people is the price. For one dose of Nitrox Pump you will pay about , whereas one can of RedBull will cost you about .
2. Ingredients
When it comes to the composition, Nitrox Pump wins on the full line. While a can of RedBull contains 80mg of caffeine, Nitrox Pump contains 200mg of this alkaloid. In addition, you will find almost no sugars in this pre-workout, aftera good portion of creatine, beta alanine and other substances.read our review on Nitrox Pump).
3. Practicality
The advantage of RedBull, as well as all other energy drinks, is that they are fullyready to consume, whereas pre-workouts have yet to be prepared with water and a shaker. But that's about their only advantage.
So what's the conclusion?
Energy drinks are a waste of money from my personal point of view. The only active ingredient is caffeine, and even spiking your insulin levels due to excessive sugar consumption won't do your body much good. So I would recommend coffee as a much better alternative during the day, pre-workout supplements are ideal.
Do you have any questions about today's article? Feel free to ask in the comments, we'll be happy to answer it!
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More episodes from the Fitness Vices series:
- Fitness Vices Series #1: What Effect Does Alcohol Have on Exercise?
- Fitness Vices Series #2: What effect does marijuana have on exercise?
- Fitness Vices Series #3: What effect does smoking have on working out?
- Fitness Vices Series #4: What are the pros and cons of anabolic steroids?
- Fitness series on vices #5: To what extent is drinking coffee beneficial?
- Fitness series on vices #6: Why is an uncontrolled cheat day a fast track to the bottom?
- Fitness series on vices #7: Can energy drinks replace pre-workouts?
- Fitness series on vices #8: Can fat burners really help with weight loss?
Why can you trust us?
Hey! Hey! I'm Mirek and I've been working at World Fitness almost since the beginning, except for a small break. But before that I lived only in the gym for a few years, doing deadlifts and power triathlon, going to competitions and winning a few medals.
Probably the one I value the most is the national record in the WUAP federation. But besides working out, I was also interested in food and supplements, I liked to enjoy my free timeI used to read different researches and professional books in my free time to know as much as possible.