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[Helmaroc]

So, I've heard a lot of controversy about energy drinks (Red Bull, Monster, Rockstar etc.), about how bad they are for you, and how they can affect your heart and brain etc...but I have never understood why they are targeted so much when many people drink 1-2 cups of coffee per day, as well as lots of sodas. I was wondering about what some of the other 'energizing' ingredients in these drinks actually did, and I found this article. It briefly describes ginseng, taurine, guarana and others. Some of these are just different forms of caffeine.

So my question is, is there something about energy drinks that makes them worse for your body than the equivalent amount of caffeine and sugar that you could consume through coffee, tea, and sodas? Do any of the other ingredients in particular cause problems?

[Tellemurius]

we have these sugarfree energy drinks around here, they burn the carbs you have in your body basically a metabolic booster.

[Max White]

They promote values held in high esteem by frat houses. Science has yet to tell us why, but it is true.

[Tellemurius]

what happen to booze? (i understand that was a stereotype)

[SalmonGod]

I thought I'd read that 2-3 cups of coffee a day is actually healthy.

I haven't really done research, but I assume the problem with energy drinks is how loaded they are.  Your body can only handle so much at one time.  You're essentially frying your nervous system, I think.

Not that I don't drink one once in a while to get through a really rough day.  It will take me several hours to get through something like a monster, though.

I used to have a coworker who would regularly drink a pot of coffee before work and then 3 monsters before his lunch break.  I can only liken his apparent state to that of a drunken squirrel.  He was always half asleep but wired to the point that he couldn't sit still or maintain any attention span.

[sonerohi]

I'll chug down an Old Glory, the energy of America, two or three times a day. I don't know if my over-exposure ( a twelve pack of Mt. Dew every day) to caffeine at a younger age has desensitized me, but I don't really get amped up by this stuff.

[Helmaroc]

I thought I'd read that 2-3 cups of coffee a day is actually healthy.

I haven't really done research, but I assume the problem with energy drinks is how loaded they are.  Your body can only handle so much at one time.  You're essentially frying your nervous system, I think.

I've read similar things about coffee. That's why I've been wondering why energy drinks often get a bad rap. But in most of the 'energy drink death' stories I've heard, the person has done something insane like drink eight cans of Red Bull or drink a lot of energy drinks with alcohol and then go and try to play basketball.

I used to have a coworker who would regularly drink a pot of coffee before work and then 3 monsters before his lunch break.  I can only liken his apparent state to that of a drunken squirrel.  He was always half asleep but wired to the point that he couldn't sit still or maintain any attention span.

That could be over 1000mgs of caffeine...before noon?! Do you know if this man is still alive?

[Dakk]

I stay away from energy drinks, my metabolism goes insane if I take one. I take about 2 small cups of coffee a day, one in the morning during breakfast and another between classes at college. The second one usualy leaves me wired to the point my hands shake slightly and I get very hungry.

[Sir Pseudonymous]

They're feared because "that's what them stupid little kids be drinking, and they won't get off my lawn!"

Same thing with Alcopops, which the dumbfucks have gone and banned in places. Not that that's a loss, because they taste like an energy drink that's been in someone's ass, but still. The idea of banning them is highly offensive and should not be tolerated.

[ToonyMan]

Mountain Dew is my energy drink.  Nah I'm kidding.

I don't drink energy drinks or coffee.  I'm not that kind of person, but I'm fine if you are!  That's the thing about the world people do things and people be hating nah it's fine man.

If I really wanted more energy I would get some sleep in the night unless you're some kinda robot in which case good for you!

[SalmonGod]

I used to have a coworker who would regularly drink a pot of coffee before work and then 3 monsters before his lunch break.  I can only liken his apparent state to that of a drunken squirrel.  He was always half asleep but wired to the point that he couldn't sit still or maintain any attention span.

That could be over 1000mgs of caffeine...before noon?! Do you know if this man is still alive?

I think he has idiot immunity.  You know what I'm talking about.  He's one of the dumbest people I've ever known, and I grew up in rural Indiana.  I've known some really really stupid people.  He does seem to be gaining tons of weight and slowing down, though.  I can't imagine what he'll look like in 10 years.

Personally, I drink 2... sometimes 3 cups of coffee a day.  I don't get much benefit from it, but I've grown very dependent.  I get extremely tired without it (rarely a headache or anything though like most people get).  I've thought about breaking that dependency, but I would need a solid week or more to set aside and be completely worthless.  I haven't had such an opportunity in a very long time.  I think I've read that a couple cups of coffee a day is healthy for your liver or something like that anyway, so I'm not too worried about it.

I also put 1/3 tsp Piracetam in every cup of coffee, which does offer some subtle but solid benefit, and doesn't create any dependency or negative effects.  If anyone's ever wondered about that stuff, I recommend it.

[GamerKnight]

I don't drink energy drinks, but I can understand why. Sometimes I get 'sugar-slows' where I need to eat something sugary to start up my brain again... Is that a symptom of diabetes???

[lordnincompoop]

I drink energy drinks (about 1-3 a week), but not coffee.
I do get buzzed, and the feeling's nice, but for some reason I enjoy the taste quite a bit as well. I realise they may not be the healthiest thing, which is why I don't drink them more often.

[Africa]

They're probably loaded down with all manner of gawdawful chemicals and stuff. Plus, LOTS of caffeine, which isn't good for you in any form.

I'm pretty anti-caffeine. Even if it helps you function in the short run, in the long run, you're in the same place as where you started except that you need it to be able to function. I've had to go through the withdrawal process from it a couple times and I think that shit is the devil's work.

[Miggy]

I've always figured that the big bad thing about energy drinks are the inevitable time when the energy runs out. Just like a sugar high, you'll be pumped for action for some time, then the slowest wreck of a person once that time's up. Rather eat and drink your way to a balanced diet that results with you being in an all-time good state than swing back and forth between ultra-high and ultra-low depending on how many drinks you had that day.

Also, I looked a bit at the article because the thought that taurine actually did anything struck me curious. It doesn't seem to hint at anything other than "Some people think it might!" though, so that's all cool. I remember doing a bit of research into Red Bull a few years back and concluding that the only reason they put taurine in their drink is because it makes it sound more bull-like. The taurine isn't anything more than a PR stunt.