What effects do power drinks have on the body?

Caffeine, mostly.

And lots of sugar.

Gatorade is mostly sugar and salt. It is easy to make your own.

The stuff is great for hangovers. I keep some by my bed.

A teenage girl, Anais Fournier died of cardiac arrhythmia due to caffeine overdose after ingesting two Monster energy drinks.

She also had a predisposing condition called mitral valve prolapse.

But, apparently 1 in 20 people in the US have this condition also. I wasn’t aware it was that many previously. That’s a lot of people.

As Rarebear points out, caffeine is the main ingredient responsible for the “energy”.

The problem I see is that there is no disclosure on the can of exactly how much caffeine is in each one. Evidently it’s a whole heck of a lot. The reposrt said that these two cans contained the equivalent of 14 cans of coke !

Of course coffee, soda etc. contain caffeine as well but not in such huge amounts.

So as with anything else in life, moderation is the key.

But I do think that these companies should include the amounts clearly spelled it of ALL the ingredients of their products. Every other company has to. They should not be exempt.

How can people judge for themselves what a moderate amount is without accurate product info. ?

They’re stimulants, they kick up the heart rate and the blood pressure. They’ll make you more alert in the short run, but when they wear off you might suffer a bit of a crash. Alcohol is a depressant. I would guess enough of them would be like some drugs.

Powerade is just another type of gatorade and you are better off drinking water to get the electrolytes needed than drinking that crap if you ask me.

As far as red bull goes the primary ingredient is sugar and then caffine, you may get the high but then the sad thing is you will be needing more and more to keep feeling it like an addict. I wouldn’t give any of that to anyone I cared about.

I am not sure what lucozade is because I have never heard of it, from the ad you had it looks like another type of gatorade and again you are better off drinking water.

I have never been able to notice anything remotely energizing from those products. Could I be doing something wrong? All you gotta do is drink it all, right?

@woodcutter some people it doesn’t do jack for. I have to down 4 Monsters to even begin having an elevated heart rate, otherwise it’s like a soda to me

@King_Pariah And they seem like really nasty tasting sodas so I can’t believe they are consumed for the flavor. You gotta pound down 4 eh? If I get one all the way down it isn’t but a few minutes before my kidneys are gonna blow. That stuff goes right through me. Couldn’t fathom downing 4 that would surely cause some kind of blow out.

(@MilkyWay: Surely, you mean effect?)

@woodcutter I actually love the taste of Monster Assault *shrugs

For each of these drinks you should chase it with some good old fashioned water. That way you are not affecting the regulation of the natural chemicals in your body to harshly.