WIDE AWAKE
A new surge of energy drinks allows you to stretch those 24 hours a little longer.
On top of an unfinished 10-page paper, a group project and three upcoming finals, you probably still need time for working out, going out, staying up and sleeping in. And even though you're ashamed of your American Idol addiction, it demands at least two hours of your attention each week.
It's no surprise that caffeine will put a perk in your step, but as our dependence on it builds, energy drinks that speed up the energizing process are growing in popularity. Here's a breakdown of what's out there to tempt your taste buds and test your longevity.
Ingredients
Many energy drinks, like Red
Bull, include taurine or other amino acids, which build protein and protect the body. Some other drinks contain herbal supplements, such as ginseng, a classic Chinese root, says Blanca Storlazzi, a wellness assistant at The Merc, 901 Iowa St. Storlazzi, who is the store's herb and tea buyer, recommends another root called hoodia, used by tribal bushmen for multiple-day hunts. "It suppresses your appetite but also gives you energy," she says.
And how much caffeine is in these cans of energy? Most energy drinks claim to hold approximately the same amount of caffeine — or guarana, a herb containing caffeine — as a cup of
coffee,or roughly 75 milligrams.
B-group vitamins can be found in most energy drinks. They affect your mental well-being and work indirectly with your immune system. B-group vitamins, such as B-6, B-12 and folate, help improve the speed of information processing and memory, says a 2000 study by CSIRO, an Australian scientific research agency. Storlazzi recommends B-group vitamins as a strong first choice when you're dragging. "Your body doesn't produce these vitamins and minerals naturally," she says. "They come from our food, that's why you're supposed to eat well."
Risks
The Mayo Clinic reports that caffeine increases blood pressure, insomnia and irritability. Don't use these energy drinks before an activity that will naturally raise your blood pressure, such as strenuous exercise.
The natural alternative to relying on energy drinks is to get regular exercise and sleep, while maintaining a healthy diet. However, if you're reaching for an energy booster at 2 a.m. on Sunday night, it may be too late to consider sleep an option. Here's a guide to the tastes of some energy drinks. All are available at most grocery stores and gas stations.
SOBE ADRENALINE RUSH
Caffeine: 50 milligrams
Calories: 140 (SoBe Adrenaline
Rush Sugar Free has 0 calories)
Fatless Like Orange Fanta,
It's tasty and has a little bit of
a kick to it, "says Laura Frizell,
Lawrence freshman.
Price: $1.99
COKE BLAK
Caffeine: 46 milligrams
Calories: 45
Taste Like: "First you taste the Coke, and then comes the coffee. I don't know if I'd drink it again." Steven King, Lawrence freshman, says. John Macias, Wichita freshman, swears it tastes like flat root beer. He's not imbibing again anytime soon. Still more debate: Wilson compares the drink to a liquefied, foece-scented Yankee Candle.
Price: $1.49
ONE ADDICT'S STORY
"I was probably the only middle school kid who had coffee with her frosted flakes in the morning," says Melissa Baranek, Overland Park sophomore, who got hooked on her mom's black coffee when she was 11. Since then she's become a bona fide caffeine addict, a Dr. Pepper lover and drinker of double espresso shots. And while her friends think she's crazy, Baranek can't get through the morning without her drug of choice. After one attempt at quitting, she found that caffeine withdrawal gave her migraines and achy muscles." I tried to give up caffeine as a senior in high school for Lent," she says." I didn't last. I started on Ash Wednesday, and by that Friday I was getting a Dr. Pepper out of a vending machine.
ALTERNATIVES
Are you bored with a classic cup of joe and turned off by energy drinks? Fret not, because the caffeine market is expanding daily. Most students know they can grab NoDoz or other energy aids at most drugstores to help them finish a late-night paper. But have you tried energy powders? The energy boosters can be dissolved to digest in a variety of ways."You can put them in tea, sprinkle them on food, any way you want to take it,"says Vanessa Royer, a grocery buyer for The Merc. On a sweeter note, there are now candies, mints and gum infused with caffeine.Check out ThinkGeek.com for special caffeine products like Jolt Gum, Buzz Bites Chocolate Chews or Foosh Energy Mints. Or to rouse your bed-headed roommate, switch his or her normal soap with Shower Shock Caffeinated Soap.
AMP ENERGY DRINK FROM MOUNTAIN DEW
ROCK STAR ENERGY DRINK JUICED PASSION FRUIT
RED BULL
.
04.27.2006 JAYPLAY <09