Caffeine

The Buzz on Caffeine

Do your parents or teachers start the day with a cup of coffee? There’s no question that coffee is a popular drink—the National Coffee Association estimates that Americans drink 400 million cups of coffee a day. It’s the caffeine in coffee that provides the energy boost that many people claim they need to function. Caffeine has that perk-up effect because it is a stimulant. It blocks a brain chemical, adenosine, which causes sleepiness. Caffeine is found in tea leaves, coffee beans, cacao (used to make chocolate), and cola nuts (which come from the plant that gives soda its flavor). Caffeine is also found in many foods and drinks—non-cola sodas like root beer and orange soda, hot cocoa, and ice cream—and some medicines. The latest place to find caffeine is in energy drinks. Caffeine’s Effects—Not Totally Harmless Caffeine is a mild stimulant and not a drug, so its use isn’t regulated like prescription drug use is. Still, consuming too much caffeine can make you feel jittery or jumpy—your heart may race and your palms may sweat. If caffeine is taken in combination with other substances, like alcohol, it can really be dangerous because mixing a stimulant and a depressant like alcohol confuses the brain. A recent report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration shows that emergency room visits for high doses of caffeine have increased sharply. The likely cause is caffeine-infused energy drinks mixed with alcohol. Those most affected? Young people between 18 and 25 years old. So What’s a Body To Do? Everyone needs to perk up in the middle of a long day from time to time, but a jolt of caffeine isn’t your only option. Here are a few alternatives you can try to feel energized without overdoing the caffeine:

Sleep. This may sound obvious, but getting enough sleep is important. Teens need 9 hours of sleep a night.
Eat regularly. When you don’t eat, your glucose (sugar) levels drop, making you feel drained. Some people find it helpful to eat four or five smaller meals throughout the day instead of fewer big meals.
Drink enough water. Since we are more than two-thirds H₂0, our bodies need at least 64 ounces of water a day.
Take a walk. If you’re feeling drained in the middle of the day, it helps to move around. Do sit-ups or jumping jacks. Go outside for a brisk walk, ride your bike.

Now we want to know: What strategies help you keep your energy up during the day? Cup of coffee with coffee beans

Coca-Cola's Scandalous Past

Did you hear the one about cocaine being found in the recipe for Coca-Cola? Well, it’s true. Coca-Cola was invented in 1885 by John Pemberton, a pharmacist from Atlanta, Georgia, who concocted the original formula in his backyard. Pemberton’s recipe contained cocaine—in the form of an extract of the coca leaf, which inspired the “Coca” part of the beverage’s name. The “Cola” in the name comes from the kola nut, which contains caffeine, another stimulant. At the time of Coca-Cola’s invention, cocaine was legal and a common ingredient in medicines. It was thought not to be harmful in small doses. Medicinal Coca-Cola Coca-Cola has always kept its formula a strict secret, but we know a few things about its origins. Pemberton advertised it as a patent medicine, claiming that it cured headaches, upset stomach, and fatigue. “Patent medicines” were concoctions of exotic ingredients and drug compounds that allegedly cured a wide range of ailments. They often contained ingredients now recognized as addictive substances, including opium and cocaine, as well as deadly elements like mercury and lead. In the 19th century, patent medicines were not regulated like medications are today. Anyone could claim health benefits without needing to prove treatment effectiveness—or reveal dangers. As early as 1891, some Americans spoke out against the inclusion of addictive ingredients like opium and cocaine. The makers of patent medicines revamped their formulas and health claims as a result. Taking the “Coke” out of Coca-Cola Asa Candler—also a pharmacist from Atlanta—purchased Coca-Cola from Pemberton and created the Coca-Cola Company in 1892. When Candler began advertising Coke as a beverage, making it available at lunch counters across America, the drink still contained a trace of cocaine. Obviously, the Coca-Cola you buy today does not contain cocaine—but it remained an ingredient well into the 1900s. But by 1929, with public pressure and Prohibition against alcohol in full force, the company was forced to remove all traces of cocaine. Coke soon became popular as a “soft drink,” an alternative to hard alcohol. Are there any food or drink products sold today that you think might be changed or taken off the market years from now? Coca Cola Bottle

Take a Breath of Fresh...Energy?

Sound too good to be true? Well, it is, and it may not be too good for you, either.

AeroShot is a dry caffeine “shot.” Each AeroShot has a powder blend of candy-flavored caffeine and B vitamins that you suck into your mouth and then swallow. Each canister has as much caffeine as a cup of coffee, but only takes six “inhales” to consume.

Questionable Marketing Claims

Breathable Foods started out marketing AeroShot as “breathable energy” in a “caffeine inhaler,” despite its being a powder. In response, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigated AeroShot and issued a warning letter for false and mislabeled packaging, since it’s a powder that you swallow.

Although AeroShot has corrected its labeling, its false advertising only shows how important it is to know the facts about products before you consume them. AeroShot’s claims that its caffeine “shots” were breathable were simply untrue—and potentially dangerous.

Unknown Health Effects

The health effects of AeroShot are still unclear.

One worry is that AeroShot makes it too easy for users, especially youth, to over-do caffeine. Drinking a cup of coffee takes many sips over time, but “puffing” multiple AeroShots can give you an alarming amount of caffeine in a couple of minutes. Caffeine is a chemical stimulant that affects the brain and body—and too much can result in overdose.

FDA was also concerned that the original advertisements of AeroShot showed young people using the product with alcohol. Having already heard about Four LOKO and mixing energy drinks with alcohol, you know by now that it’s dangerous to mix caffeine (a stimulant) and alcohol (a depressant), because they confuse the body by sending opposite chemical signals to the brain. Caffeine can reduce people’s ability to feel how drunk they really are and therefore cause them to drink more than they normally would.

What do you think? How can AeroShot market itself in a way that does not encourage dangerous behavior?

Check out our post, The Buzz on Caffeine, for alternative ways to boost your energy.

Are You Sure You Want To Drink That?

At first glance, energy drinks seem like a great idea—they give you increased energy without sleep—but be careful. A fast-growing number of people are ending up in the emergency room because of them, according to a new report.

The Facts

In 2011, there were 20,783 ER visits because of energy drinks. That’s enough people to fill half of the average Major League Baseball stadium.

42% of those visits involved the mix of energy drinks with alcohol or other drugs.
The other 58% of visits resulted from negative reactions to energy drinks alone. Reactions to the large amount of caffeine included insomnia, headache, fast heartbeat, and seizures.
Most of these ER visitors were young adults age 18–25; however about 1,500 were teens (age 12–17).

What You Need To Know About Energy Drinks

The high level of caffeine is what makes energy drinks potentially dangerous. Caffeine isn’t harmful in small amounts, but with energy drinks, a person could easily consume a lot of caffeine in a short amount of time.

Energy drinks can have as much as 5 times the amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee.
Research shows that among college students, drinking energy drinks has been associated with risky behavior, including things like fighting and abusing drugs.
When energy drinks are mixed with alcohol, the caffeine can hide the symptoms of drunkenness, such as feeling sleepy, which can cause someone to drink more than they intend.

Do any of your friends drink energy drinks? How do they act afterwards?

Nurses bringing patient down hospital hall

Energy Drinks: A Boost in the Wrong Direction?

Energy drinks—You see them at X Games events, basketball arenas, and rock concerts. You can even “fan” some of them on Facebook. What these brands don’t tell you, and what science is now showing us, is that their drinks can really be unhealthy.

Energy drinks often pack in extra vitamins, along with caffeine, which delivers the eye-opening jolt of energy, and is supposed to boost your brain power. People, even teens, seek that extra kick from energy drinks to stay alert longer or perform better sometimes. But do these drinks really boost your brain?

The makers of these drinks claim their drinks deliver energy, but in fact, what they deliver are monster-doses of caffeine and other supplements that rev up your system. Although they may deliver a temporary jolt of energy, they also boost your heart rate, making you feel jittery and on-edge-and too much caffeine can cause stomach aches. Plus, having an energy drink every day might fool you into thinking you can’t function without it.

Teens are busy. School, sports, a part-time job, and never-ending homework…finally sleep, then having to get up while it’s still dark out to do it all over again. No wonder energy drinks are appealing!

But do they deliver what they promise? And is drinking such high doses worth the possible health risks? Probably not. Better to get more sleep and exercise so you don’t have to depend on chemicals for your energy.

This image shows a caffeine molecule filled with the logos of popular energy drinks

Alco-Pops: A Refreshment to Rethink

Alcohol companies have tapped into a growing market to introduce underage drinkers to their products, on the basis that kids who acquire a taste for alcoholic drinks early are more likely to get hooked. While it is still illegal for teens to purchase them, “alcopops,” are flavored beer and vodka drinks that contain caffeine, juices, and other flavors. These drinks often sport names like Moonshot, JungleJoose, and Bacardi Breezer Watermelon, to fool you into believing they are harmless flavored drinks.

A photo of a girl that is sick.

But Drinker Beware…

Alcopops may contain 4-7% alcohol or more, higher than the average can of beer containing a little over 3% alcohol content. Alcohol is a depressant, and so can make you tired and slow your brain and reaction time. That affects your ability to make decisions and to act or think properly—it also makes you thirsty, so you keep drinking. Now throw in a strong jolt of caffeine, such as you find in typical energy drinks. While the alcohol in alcopops tends to make you sleepy, the caffeine in them keeps you feeling “up.” Sugar, the major ingredient in many juice drinks and flavorings, also stimulates your brain to give you a short-term energy surge. Now confused from the caffeine, alcohol, and sugar mix, your brain gets tricked in sometimes lethal ways because these drinks don’t taste like alcohol and make you feel less intoxicated than alcohol alone. This leaves you even less aware of how much you’ve consumed and more likely to binge drink.

What’s the Big Deal?

The big deal here is that combining a depressant (alcohol) with stimulants (caffeine and sugar) sends mixed signals to your brain, which can have long-term consequences. So digest the facts before you pop a top: drinking alcohol—including alcopops—can be quite dangerous.

Not LOKO for Alcoholic Energy Drinks

You may remember that a while back, SBB addressed an unhealthy new fad—energy drinks. We speculated that these drinks, although highly publicized in the coolest venues, were not safe even though they promised to deliver an extra dose of energy. Now, SBB confronts an even more dangerous issue: alcoholic energy drinks, like Four LOKO. Why are alcoholic energy drinks so dangerous? They contain two main substances—alcohol and caffeine, the first a depressant and the second a stimulant. These two substances should never be consumed in large quantities and they should definitely never be mixed. Why? Because they have opposite effects on your body that can fool you into drinking more than you can handle. Depressants like alcohol slow down the central nervous system. Drinking a lot of alcohol can affect your coordination and perception and even make you pass out. Stimulants meanwhile “wake up” the central nervous system and increase energy and alertness. Opposites Do Not Attract. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that the caffeine in alcoholic energy drinks masks the effects that the alcohol has on the body, which motivates people to drink more. Worse, the average beer has 4 to 5 percent alcohol, while an alcoholic energy drink is 12 percent alcohol! Therefore, people can get really drunk without realizing it, making them more vulnerable to overdose, alcohol poisoning, and even death. In the past few months, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has pulled alcoholic energy drinks like Four LOKO off store shelves, banning them in many states. Better to keep it natural—go for a run or do some yoga to “feel-good.” Loko Drink

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