Shalom

[Kahane-Was-Right BT]

While on deployment this year, I noticed a lot of people preferring energy drinks like Red Bull and Monster over regular pops like Coke and Pepsi.  Apparently some energy drinks have vitamins such as B12 in them, whereas pop has nothing healthy.  However on the cans they have warnings limiting people to 3 cans per day and saying that they are not recommended for people sensitive to caffeine.  Before my deployment I'd never tried the things, but I kind of got onto them and now I'm drinking one per day if I'm near a place that sells them.  I haven't noticed any problems as a result of them but I feel kind of odd drinking something that has a warning on the back.  I know we have some JTFers in the health profession, and Chaim is an expert on all things healthy, so I was wondering if any of you could tell me what the health benefits/risks of drinking energy drinks are.  Thanks in advance.

My guess would be they are not healthy at all.

The caffeine intake is a problem.   The reason people "prefer" these to soda is because they are loaded with a ton more caffeine.   So it's like soda but worse.   Maybe there's also less sugar than soda, I don't know, but it's probably not the point.   Personally, I would never touch one of these things, and I barely ever drink soda either, but for sure would never touch an energy drink.

[muman613]

My guess would be they are not healthy at all.

The caffeine intake is a problem.   The reason people "prefer" these to soda is because they are loaded with a ton more caffeine.   So it's like soda but worse.   Maybe there's also less sugar than soda, I don't know, but it's probably not the point.   Personally, I would never touch one of these things, and I barely ever drink soda either, but for sure would never touch an energy drink.

Is it not permitted to even touch an energy drink? Or is it just not to drink it?

[Kahane-Was-Right BT]

Is it not permitted to even touch an energy drink? Or is it just not to drink it?

Permitted?  By whom?   I was giving my personal preference.  

And "even touch it" is an obvious figure of speech.   It means not drinking it.   It does not mean literally "not touching it."  Did you seriously think that I meant that?  

[muman613]

Permitted?  By whom?   I was giving my personal preference.  

And "even touch it" is an obvious figure of speech.   It means not drinking it.   It does not mean literally "not touching it."  Did you seriously think that I meant that?  

No KWRBT... I was just having a little fun... It was a joke.

[muman613]

By the way, I have never even touched an energy drink myself, come to think of it...

[Rubystars]

The caffeine kick makes it possible to consume even more alcohol because it takes away some of the fatigue feeling from the alcohol. That is why people like vodka-redbull when they are partying at the clubs.

That sounds really dangerous. I've never really been the type to see the appeal of actually getting drunk. One drink to loosen up and relax a little yes but getting more and more drunk no.

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False sense of being alert while actually being drunk, it's self-deceiving

Most of these drinks have several stimulants in them in the form of caffeine and some herbs that co-augment each other in terms of wakefulness, but they are quite bad for you

Thanks for the reply. I can see why that would be bad especially if it alter's someone's sense where they think they're sober enough to drive but are fooled by the deceiving effect of the caffeine.

[The One and Only Mo]

I know two or three people at my work who claimed they love to drink Red Bull and alcohol. I thought it sounded stupid...

Ya, guys in Yeshiva did this a lot LOL

[IsraelForever]

From Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Bull

The results of a study showed that the ingestion of one, 250mL can of sugar-free Red Bull, in a sample of 30 healthy young adults, had an immediate detrimental effect on both endothelial*** function, and normal blood coagulation. This temporarily raised the cardiovascular risk in these individuals to a level comparable to that of an individual with established coronary artery disease.

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*** The endothelium is the thin layer of cells that lines the interior surface of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels.

[JTFenthusiast2]

From Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Bull

The results of a study showed that the ingestion of one, 250mL can of sugar-free Red Bull, in a sample of 30 healthy young adults, had an immediate detrimental effect on both endothelial*** function, and normal blood coagulation. This temporarily raised the cardiovascular risk in these individuals to a level comparable to that of an individual with established coronary artery disease.

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*** The endothelium is the thin layer of cells that lines the interior surface of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels.

Good point:  all stimulants can produce a vasospastic response