Dump the Energy Drinks - Article Example

? Dump the Energy Drinks: Why energy drinks are bad especially for physically active athletes Table of Contents Table of Contents 1 Introduction 2 The Nutritional Value of Energy Drinks 2 Training as a Basis for Performance 3 Sine Wave Effects in Performance Situations 4 Stress Effects from “Over-clocking” Bio-Systems 5 Conclusion 6 Sources Cited 7 Introduction Clinical research is still divided over the use of sports drinks to increase performance in athletics, with some studies suggesting that caffeine use does provide a competitive advantage while others suggest that pure water is better than both sports drinks and caffeinated beverages. The composition of sports drinks may be considered in the traditional “Gatorade” variety of PH balancing and vitamin supplemented flavored energy drinks with sugar calories in the mixture vs. the new style of “Red Bull” type energy drinks that include caffeine, amino acids, and complex performance enhancing chemicals for physical support. The Burke (2008) study found that caffeine did include a performance benefit for athletes in competitive situations, however that this benefit could be achieved in smaller doses distributed over a longer period of time. (Burke, 2008) The van Nieuwenhoven et al. (2001) study suggested that caffeinated beverages and sports drinks create more gastro-intestinal problems for athletes vs. pure water. (van Nieuwenhoven et al., 2001) The Sokmen et al. (2008) study suggested low doses of caffeine over the three to four days preceding a sports performance to optimize the effect of the performance boost. (Sokmen et al., 2008) Consequently, the regular use of sports drinks can actually be detrimental to performance if over-used, especially if the competitors are relying on personal training with pure water used during competitions. The Nutritional Value of Energy Drinks Sports drinks can be analyzed by looking at the two varieties of products marketed to athletes by looking at the leading brands. In this context, the “Gatorade” sports beverage is taken to be exemplary of the first generation of sports drinks, despite the fact that it now has a variety of formulas including G Series, Gatorade Prime, Elite Series – Endurance Formula, etc. These drinks provide calories, carbohydrates, vitamins, sodium, and electrolytes which are designed to provide energy, replenishment of lost fluids, and aid body harmonization in athletes. (Gatorade, 2011) The first generation of performance drinks are generally not caffeinated beverages, which distinguishes them from the second type of performance drinks similar to “Red Bull”. The Red Bull drink contains Caffeine, Taurine, Glucuronolactone, B-group vitamins, Sucrose and Glucose. (Red Bull, 2011) The non-caffeinated sports drinks are considered important to replace calories burned in athletic activity and vital electrolytes lost during sweating. Caffeinated sports drinks primarily use sugars and caffeine in a mix with vitamins to surge energy through increased heartbeat and blood pressure, delivering more blood and energy to the extremities via muscle tissue. In this manner, these drinks may lead to peak performance and decline rather than sustained performance acquired through personal training. Training as a Basis for Performance The basis for sports performance can be seen in a combination of physical training and endurance conditioning, ideally specialized around the movements required by the sport but leading to an over-all physical strength and speed. This physical training which is seen in weight training, running, jogging, sprints, calisthenics, and more complex coaching drills must also be supplemented by a proper diet. There is a large market for health and performance enhancing supplements in this industry which promise increased results but are often no better than a natural or whole food diet. The athlete needs a nutrition plan that supports the muscle mass gain in weight training and optimizes the performance of the body through a balanced or harmonized system of support in vitamins, minerals, amino acids, neuro-transmitters, electrolytes, etc. Just as in dietary theory, some trainers will advocate special diets for weight gain or physical health but others will attempt to build a competitive advantage through a special diet. Fundamentally, weight training, calisthenics, and other strengthening exercises can be made more efficient by proper diet, and with this athletes seek an additional performance enhancement through energy drinks. These performance drinks can also be distinguished from health drinks like fresh fruit and vegetable juices, milk, yogurt, spirulina algae, and other natural foods that are taken as part of a performance enhancing training program. What is important to remember in this context is the value of physical weight training and endurance building exercises which can form a stronger foundation for the athlete in combination with a balanced diet than a caffeine fueled sports drink diet which gives a more artificial and less holistic approach to the performance. Sine Wave Effects in Performance Situations The “Sine Wave” effect can be considered a major danger of caffeine enhanced performance. Under this theory, the athlete who consumes a caffeinated sports energy drink with concentrated calories will experience a peak period where the heartbeat and alertness are elevated, followed by a decline which leads to progressively worse performance that can also deteriorate to worse than normal when the stimuli of caffeine and sugar are processed out of the system. This “Sine Wave” effect can lead to the athlete seeking another energy drink and more caffeine, but this occurs within a larger pattern of declining physical returns for the athlete. In this manner, if an athlete bases his or her training activity on sports drinks that are caffeinated to get an energy burst and more reps or speed, that athlete could actually be counteracting one of the main goals of training which is the building of endurance. Thus, the artificial effects of the caffeine could also decline over time and be out-performed by an athlete of similar ability who is competing on standard training techniques, a good diet, and pure water drinks. The “Sine Wave” effect can be critical in team performance where endurance is stressed, as it can lead to an opposing team taking advantage of the decline period following the caffeine peak performance. In this regard, coaches may want to encourage athletes to seek a more consistent performance based upon physical training and holistic diet fundamentals. Stress Effects from “Over-clocking” Bio-Systems The use of caffeine for performance enhancement in athletics by using energy drinks can be compared in many ways to the “over-clocking” of computers where the bio-system is given a stimulant in order to perform at a higher rate of speed generally. This is related to the increase in heartbeat and blood pressure created by the caffeine, while energy drinks also supplement this with vitamins and easily integrated calories. The down period of the “Sine Wave” effect is related to the processing of the vitamins, caffeine, and other substances out of the body through the liver and kidneys, while the digestion process itself is engaged with the sugar in the drinks. In comparison, pure water presents a lighter processing cost on the human bio-system while allowing the body to naturally replenish the needed electrolytes and muscle support with amino acids. The additional body stress acquired through the use of the caffeinated energy drinks can also lead to more health and performance problems over time than simply measuring the peak level of the “Sine Wave” pattern after the initial substance intake. The fundamental is the artificial use of an energy drink for performance enhancing reasons may also lead to a secondary period of reduced performance, and that repeated use does not give the same results as a single use of one of these drinks in a person with a low caffeine intake. Part of the reason for this may be the additional stress that these swings or cycles of bodily energy levels from the caffeine put upon the individual. Conclusion The best way to athletic performance enhancement is physical training combined with a holistic diet of whole foods which provide the majority of the vitamins, minerals, proteins, amino acids, and other essential body supports to the athlete naturally. Additionally, pure water used in training can avoid the artificial depletion of energy through extreme “Sine Wave” cycles of heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen intake to focus the athlete on building his or her own strength and endurance. This personal fitness, strength, health, vitality, and endurance of the athlete combine with the repetitive training in discipline to give an advantage in competition. Further advantages are gained through strategy, coaching, and drills but when these training events are fueled with caffeinated sports drinks, the energy drinks can detract from the fundamental goals of building natural strength and endurance. Therefore, athletes should maintain a low caffeine dietary intake, drink primarily pure water in training and events, while supplementing calorie or electrolyte loss with a minimal use of “Gatorade” type of drinks. In summary, drinking a “Red Bull” type of caffeinated energy drink is likely to give the same performance benefits as training with Coca Cola, Pepsi, or coffee, and most athletes recognize the benefits of a low caffeine, natural diet regimen with nutritional supplements coming primarily from whole foods and a holistic diet. The performance decline following the peak performance given by caffeinated drinks should lead to them being consistently out-played by athletes drinking pure water and relying on physical training techniques for strength and endurance. Sources Cited Burke, L.M. (2001). Nutritional Practices of Male and Female Endurance Cyclists. Sports Medicine, Volume 31, Number 7, 2001, pp. 521-532(12). Retrieved from http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/adis/smd/2001/00000031/00000007/art00007 Burke, Louise M. (2008). Nutritional Practices of Male and Female Endurance Cyclists. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, Volume 33, Number 6, 1 December 2008, pp. 1319-1334(16). Retrieved from http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/nrc/apnm/2008/00000033/00000006/art00036 Gatorade (2011). FAQ. Gatorade Corporate Website, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.gatorade.com/frequently_asked_questions/default.aspx Red Bull (2011). Products. Red Bull Corporate Website, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.redbull.com/cs/Satellite/en_INT/red-bull-energy-drink/ van Nieuwenhoven, M. A., Brouns, F.; Kovacs, E. M. R. (2001). Nutritional Practices of Male and Female Endurance Cyclists. Sports Medicine, Volume 31, Number 7, 2001, pp. 521-532(12). Retrieved from https://www.thieme-connect.com/ejournals/abstract/sportsmed/doi/10.1055/s-2004-820931 Read More