EDITOR'S NOTE: The Health Tip of the Week is a series in which The Daily News sports staff will go to local gyms to get advice from trainers to keep River Rivals athletes in great shape.
In the on-the-go 24/7 world, so called "energy" drinks like Red Bull, Monster, Rockstar, and many more have become vastly popular for their quick-fix ability to give people short bursts of energy. The Daily News consulted two local nutritionists — Lois Chapman of Newburyport's Fitness Factory and Claudette Novak of Amesbury's Nutrition for Health — to talk about the effects of the high sugar, highly caffeinated drinks.
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"My main feeling about those drinks is that they're loaded with caffeine and sugar, and have no nutritional value," Chapman said. "Typically if you're eating a balanced nutritional diet with lots of whole foods, you're getting enough energy throughout the day.
"People are basically lazy when it comes to getting their energy," Chapman continued. "A lot of kids use these drinks as a jolt just like some people who drink coffee all day. But if you eat a piece of fruit or piece of protein, the body takes it in and those foods take longer to digest. That keeps a more level amount of energy in your system."
According to Chapman, the body can't fully handle the amount of sugar that drinks like Red Bull contain, which can lead to dehydration and, as a result, feeling quite tired.
"Any time you get a tremendous amount of sugar in one helping your body can't handle it. The sugar gets into your system and rushes into your blood veins, which is when people feel energized," Chapman said. "But your body can't use the sugar or process it, and as a result your blood-sugar level plummets, which makes you feel like you need to sleep.
"The best thing to hydrate your system is water, and the best thing to energize your system is good, healthy food."
As for the actual ingredients, these energy drinks have high calorie totals ranging in the 160-200 range. According to Novak, when you factor the 40 grams of carbohydrates that those drinks often contain, that means they have somewhere between eight and 10 packages/teaspoons of sugar per drink.
"If you're getting into losing weight, drinking these kind of drinks probably won't help you lose weight because your body has to burn off all the calories you absorb," noted Novak.
Additionally, Novak said these drinks contain anywhere from one to three cups of coffee, which in combination with the sugar can lead to problematic side effects.
"People that are caffeine sensitive could easily have problems sleeping. They can make people with high blood-pressure conditions worse, and the caffeine can create anxiety issues," said Novak. "Some people can also get addicted to caffeine, and coming down from that addiction is difficult. With caffeine withdrawal you can get headache and feel tired, jittery, and generally irritable."
E-mail staff writer John Shimer at jshimer@newburyportnews.com with potential ideas or advice for consideration for the Health Tip of the Week.
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