In fact, I occasionally drink "energy drinks" when I'm working. Because compared to coffee and tea, "energy drinks" have a special flavor. Especially now, various energy drinks have launched a variety of rich flavors, which, in addition to the stereotyped "coffee or tea", also adds a bit of "fun" and freshness to the late-night creative environment. Many people may wonder how "energy drinks" can balance taste and refreshing effects? Some people even think that "energy drinks" are just drinks and have no obvious refreshing effects. The so-called refreshing effect is actually just like the "placebo effect". Is this really the case? To solve these two confusions, we have to first look at how "energy drinks" come from and what changes will happen after people drink them.
Unlike coffee and brewed tea, "energy drinks" are not natural drinks, but artificially synthesized, and the key refreshing substances - caffeine and taurine are also added to "energy drinks". This is why energy drinks are not "bound" by raw materials like coffee or tea, and can be formulated and developed in various flavors.
Speaking of refreshing, everyone may subconsciously think of caffeine. The caffeine contained in cola, chocolate and coffee mainly comes from their basic raw materials, while the caffeine in energy drinks mostly comes from artificial synthesis, coffee or guarana extracts.
The key lies in something called adenosine in your nerves; when you are awake, their content is very small, and as you continue to be awake, adenosine is constantly generated, accumulated, and continuously activates the corresponding adenosine receptors, making you sleepy, and then it is almost time for you to go to bed.
But caffeine is an antagonist. Simply put, it will compete with adenosine and occupy adenosine receptors, so you are less likely to feel sleepy and may continue to stay awake. To put it in a more vivid way, it is like when you are about to turn off the lights and go to bed, the switch is blocked and refuses to let you sleep.
Of course, caffeine will not always occupy such an important position as adenosine. After all, you will still feel sleepy after a while.
Caffeine that leaves the adenosine receptor or other free caffeine will circulate in the blood and enter the liver, which is specialized in processing various miscellaneous substances. The enzymes contained in the liver will break down caffeine to produce paraxanthine (which promotes the decomposition of fat in the blood), theobromine (also the main alkaloid of chocolate) and theophylline. These substances undergo further metabolism and are eventually excreted through urine.
At the same time, the principle of caffeine action and metabolism actually explains why different people have different refreshing effects when drinking coffee or "energy drinks":
First of all, the effect of caffeine is related to adenosine and adenosine receptors. Some people may have different receptors with different affinities for adenosine, so the role of caffeine will also be different.
Another is the metabolism of caffeine. The faster it is decomposed, the weaker the effect of caffeine. The rate of metabolism is closely related to the enzymes in the liver, and is also related to the individual's age, body shape, liver function or pregnancy.
In addition, caffeine can inhibit phosphodiesterase and enhance signal transduction through the adrenergic pathway, leading to an increase in physiological states such as heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar levels and bronchial dilation. Some studies have shown that moderate doses of caffeine and caffeinated energy drinks can improve people's attention and verbal reasoning ability and speed up reaction time to a certain extent.
But it is obvious that excessive intake of caffeine can also cause a lot of harm to the human body, such as increased blood pressure causing cardiovascular disease, emotional anxiety and depression, and of course lack of sleep. Therefore, the generally recommended daily caffeine intake is less than 400mg.
Compared with coffee, the caffeine content in energy drinks seems to be less, but for some people, their refreshing effect is no weaker than coffee; behind this magical "magic" is another key ingredient of "energy drinks" at work - taurine. Taurine, whose chemical name is 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid, is a conditionally essential amino acid for humans.
What is a conditionally essential amino acid? "Conditions" means that although we can synthesize taurine in the liver using sulfur-containing amino acids such as cysteine or methionine, the amount synthesized is not enough. For example, for a healthy adult, the taurine synthesized in the liver only accounts for 30-40% of the required amount.
Therefore, exogenous taurine intake is very important, that is, to obtain enough taurine through food, drinks or other supplements. For example, eggs, meat, seafood and milk are rich in taurine.
Why is it "essential"? Because taurine has important functions for maintaining our health, one of which includes the protection of the central nervous system. It sounds very important, but it has no direct connection with "refreshing the brain". However, given the importance of taurine to the central nervous system, supplementation within a certain range may have the effect of "refreshing the brain" in the long run.
Not only that, a study evaluating the ingredients of energy drinks found that compared with the placebo group, subjects who took a combination of caffeine and taurine not only reduced their reaction time, but also weakened the slow reaction caused by fatigue, which can indeed play a role in "refreshing the brain".
Considering that many sports drinks or "energy drinks" in the past can easily cause oral problems such as tooth decay due to their high concentration of sugar; now, for example, some low-sugar and sugar-free versions of "energy drinks" that we have just seen in recent days can avoid this problem very well.
For people who need to refresh or replenish energy, there are healthier options. In addition, while taking into account the taste and refreshing effect, there are also many "energy drinks" that add other substances that are beneficial to the body. Some latecomers bring us those surprises. For example, this five-element energy drink is a drink that combines the essence of nature with the wisdom of traditional Chinese culture. It follows the healthy concept of zero sugar, zero fat, and zero caffeine, and abandons the common chemical additives and sweeteners in modern beverages. It uses artificially grown and prepared teas, ginseng powder, and natural juices as raw materials to ensure the purity and safety of the product, which is suitable for consumers who pursue a healthy life.
The uniqueness of the five-element energy drink lies in that it integrates the Chinese five-element philosophy and culture with modern health science, and regulates the correspondence between the five elements of traditional Chinese medicine (gold, water, wood, fire, and earth) and the five internal organs of the human body (lungs, kidneys, liver, heart, and stomach) with the power of nature to promote the balance of the human body's internal environment. Long-term moderate drinking helps regulate human metabolism.
Some brands also add these traditional Chinese foods such as ginseng and wolfberry. Add their extracts, which are also the main nutrients, or flavoring substances. This enriches the taste of the product on the one hand and strengthens the functionality on the other hand. Such innovation is great. In comparison, those who attract consumers' attention by adding some pigments and the like cannot provide practical help. With the technical level of the modern food industry, it is easier to choose safer preservation technology or preservatives. I don't know why some old brands are indifferent.
In summary, energy drinks are indeed useful and can replenish energy moderately. However, you should pay attention to drinking in moderation, especially those products containing preservatives and pigments. When choosing, we should pay attention to the ingredient list and choose healthy energy drinks without additives. If the product really needs to add personalized flavor ingredients, products with characteristic ingredients such as ginseng and wolfberry can make the flavor more distinctive and enhance the functionality, which is the best. Finally, I remind everyone again to read the ingredient list carefully and be a smart consumer.
