The "energy" in energy drinks is not the heat in the traditional sense, but a broader concept, which covers various forms of energy required by the human body in life activities, such as kinetic energy, potential energy, electromagnetic energy, internal energy, nuclear energy, chemical energy, etc. Heat is a kind of energy. In nutrition, food energy is called heat. The "energy" in energy drinks mainly refers to the biological energy required by the body through the intake of specific ingredients to support physical activity, relieve fatigue, improve attention and sensitivity, etc. The unit of energy is joule, and the unit of heat is calorie. Different energies can be converted into each other: 1 calorie = 4.184 joules. Although heat and energy are not strictly the same thing, for the human body, they can be roughly considered the same thing.
Energy is the necessary basis for the human body to maintain metabolism, growth and development, and engage in physical activities. The human body itself cannot produce energy. The only source of energy for the human body is the carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in the food we eat (these three are called energy-producing nutrients). After being processed and oxidized by the mitochondria in the human cells, they release heat energy, water, and carbon dioxide. The heat energy here is the energy needed for the body's life activities. The calories consumed by the human body every day include three parts: basal metabolic calories + exercise calories + food thermal effect. When energy intake < calorie consumption, the body will be short of energy.
The role of body energy generally includes three aspects, namely basal metabolism, physical activity, and food thermal effect.
Basal metabolism refers to the energy required to maintain the most basic life activities of the human body, including the most basic life activities such as heartbeat and breathing. This part of energy needs to account for 60%~70% of the total energy required.
Physical activity refers to the activities we usually do when working, studying, doing housework, and leisure, which consumes about 15%~30% of the energy in our body.
The thermal effect of food refers to the energy we need to consume when eating, including a series of activities such as digestion, absorption, and metabolism of food by our body. The food we eat is different, and the energy consumed through this part is also different.
When the body lacks energy, various discomforts will follow. The most common ones are the following 5 signs: hunger, fatigue, dry hair, dizziness and fatigue, and cold hands and feet.
Hunger: When the energy required for physical activity is insufficient, the body will instinctively "seek help" from food, hoping to meet the body's energy needs by consuming more food.
Fatigue: The reason why people feel tired is that the energy to maintain the operation of the human body is insufficient, the body's ability to remove metabolic waste is reduced, and a large amount of harmful waste that cannot be discharged accumulates in the body. Mild discomfort symptoms such as fatigue and muscle soreness may occur, and severe cases may lead to various fatal diseases. If you can replenish energy in time and keep the energy in the body relatively sufficient, you can successfully excrete metabolic waste and fatigue will disappear. It can also be said that fatigue is a defensive reaction of the human body to protect itself.
Dry hair: Due to the many dietary taboos of kidney patients, insufficient energy intake and unbalanced nutrition, the first to be cut off from energy and nutrition is the hair with no special functions. In this case, kidney patients can eat more foods rich in protein, vitamin A, vitamin B, and iodine to help replenish the nutrients lost by the hair, repair damaged hair from the root, and let the hair slowly return to its natural and healthy state.
Dizziness, fatigue, cold hands and feet: When the body is most inadequate, the body's tissues and organs may not function normally. For example, when the myocardial cells are insufficient in energy, the myocardial contractility will decrease, resulting in insufficient blood supply to the human body: insufficient blood supply to the head will cause dizziness and fatigue; terminal circulation disorders will cause cold hands and feet.
Energy drinks are a popular beverage among young people. They are often advertised as providing quick energy and refreshing effects. However, the ingredients of energy drinks are controversial. The "energy" in energy drinks mainly comes from the following ingredients:
Caffeine: Caffeine is the most commonly used psychoactive substance in the world. It is an alkaloid compound that can be quickly absorbed by the human body. Many studies have confirmed that caffeine can improve mood, alertness, information processing speed, consciousness, attention, reaction time and athletic performance. However, most of these research results are based on adults, and there are very few studies on adolescents. Today, about 80% of the world's population uses caffeinated products every day, the most common of which are coffee (71%), soft drinks (16%) and tea (12%). Moderate caffeine intake has no adverse effects on human health, but excessive intake may cause adverse reactions such as insomnia, nervousness, gastric irritation, and tachycardia.
Taurine: Taurine is a sulfur-containing amino acid, the most abundant amino acid in human cells. It is metabolized from methionine and cysteine and is a normal component of the human diet. Taurine has many biological and physiological functions, including: preventing bile obstruction, anti-arrhythmia, affecting muscle contraction and heart rate changes, exerting neurological regulation of the central nervous system, promoting retinal development, anti-oxidation and anti-inflammatory functions. At the same time, taurine also has the function of regulating the permeability and stability of cell membranes. There are reports that taurine can improve athletic performance, but no relevant experiments have confirmed it. On the contrary, newer studies have shown that taurine has no effect on enhancing body function. Moreover, in ordinary energy drinks, the amount of taurine is far lower than the expected amount to have an effect.
| Read more: Unveiling Taurine: A Magical Ingredient That Can Easily Fight Fatigue And Reverse Aging
Sugar (carbohydrate): For energy drinks, the fat content is mostly zero, so the energy mainly comes from carbohydrates. Therefore, sugar is an essential component of energy drinks. It can provide energy for the human body and is the only energy that can be used by red blood cells in the human body, but it cannot be consumed in excess. The American College of Sports Medicine and the International Society of Sports Nutrition recommend a carbohydrate concentration of 6%-8% (6g-8g per 100mL of liquid), while the carbohydrate concentration in energy drinks exceeds this recommendation, at about 11%-12%. Studies have found that consuming high-concentration (>10%) carbohydrate-containing liquids delays gastric emptying and increases the burden on the stomach.
Electrolytes: Electrolytes are important ingredients in energy drinks, mainly including sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, etc. During intense exercise, the human body excretes a large amount of water and electrolytes through sweat. If not replenished in time, it will lead to electrolyte imbalance, fatigue, cramps, etc. Electrolyte supplementation helps maintain water balance in the body, improve muscle function, and enhance athletic performance.
Vitamins: Vitamins also play an important role in sports energy drinks, especially B vitamins (such as vitamin B1, B2, B6 and B12). These vitamins help convert carbohydrates into energy, improve energy metabolism efficiency, and also support normal nervous system function.
Amino acids and protein: Rapid protein intake after exercise can help muscle recovery. The recommended daily protein intake for adolescents is (1.2-2.0) g/kg, which can be met through a balanced diet. The efficacy of specific amino acid energy drinks that have great benefits on the market is not supported by corresponding clinical trial data. Moreover, there is no specific literature to confirm that the use of amino acids in energy drinks can replace amino acids in the diet. Therefore, energy drinks cannot replace diet as a source of daily amino acids for the body.
