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The caffeine content in energy drinks is increasing at an alarming rate. Teens are becoming more and more dependent on caffeine and the caffeinated drink industry is raking in the money. The potential financial benefit for the producers of these products is even greater than the public's addiction to nicotine is for tobacco producers.
"Blow" is an energy drink mix, packaged in a "stash box" with a vial containing 5.75 grams of white powder with 240 milligrams of caffeine and 2000 mg of taurine. This "pure uncut energy" can be mixed with any drink!
Using illegal drugs to promote a "soft" drink is not really new. Mountain dew was a slang term for illegally made distilled alcohol ("moonshine"). When PepsiCo introduced its soft drink in 1964, it was marketed as "zero proof moonshine" and even had pictures of "hillbillies" on the bottle until 1973. There was an adverse reaction to Mountain Dew's marketing at the time. The only difference now is the Internet makes today's products and the arguments for or against them much more public.
Speaking of Mt. Dew, their sales must be slipping.
They have gone to the package marketing device again!
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The "shots" are the worst of all the caffeinated drinks.
200 mg of caffeine in only two ounces of liquid has the potential to be LETHAL!
True, you would have to drink quite a few to get near a lethal dose, but it IS a physical possibility. With any other energy drink, your body would go into sugar shock before reaching a lethal dose of caffeine.
How much caffeine is in that energy drink?
How many will it take to kill me?
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Other Products Feeding The Caffeine Addiction:
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Watch Out For These!
Breath sprays with 33 mg of caffeine in each spray!
1400 mg - (a lethal dose) - in each tube!
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Energy chewing gum! Each piece of gum has 40 mg of caffeine. Adds claim the caffeine gets into the blood two to four times faster than with energy drinks.
There have already been reports of young children requiring medical attention after chewing several pieces of this gum at the same time.
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Caffeine can be absorbed directly through the skin. The shower soap and lip balm take advantage of this characteristic.
But caffeine irritates the skin, causing redness, itching and pain!
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The Addiction:
Caffeine is an addictive stimulant drug. Caffeine takes from 15 to 45 minutes to reach peak levels in the blood, producing maximum central nervous system stimulation within 30 to 60 minutes after ingestion.
Many factors influence the length of time the body takes to metabolize (eliminate) caffeine. Its half-life (the time needed to metabolize half the caffeine in the body) ranges from 3-4 hours in a non-smoking adult (smoking increases this time), to 18 hours in pregnant women, to 30 hours in a newborn baby. Caffeine in the mother's blood goes directly into the blood of an unborn baby. Caffeine, as well as nicotine from smoking, is passed from the mother to a newborn through breast feeding.
The symptoms of a caffeine overdose (caffeinism) will vary depending on individual differences and the amount consumed:
- 250 to 750 milligrams produce restlessness, dizziness, nausea, headache, sleep disturbances and irregular heart beats.
- Over 750 milligrams can produce anxiety attacks, ringing ears, diarrhea, vomiting, light flashes behind the eyes, difficulty breathing, and in extreme cases - convulsions.
Caffeine produces a physical dependence, causing regular users to build up a "tolerance" to the drug, which means that increased amounts are needed to achieve a consistent effect. Total withdrawal from the drug causes one or more of the following symptoms within 12 to 36 hours; a craving for the drug, headache (which may not respond to painkillers), fatigue, drowsiness, anxiety, depression, confusion, and inability to concentrate.
The Health Problems:
In the short-term, caffeine stimulates the central nervous system and increases basal metabolic rate. Blood glucose levels, heart rate, and respiration rate increases and total sleep time decreases. Caffeine decreases reaction time to both visual and auditory stimuli. It does not significantly improve arithmetic skills or short-term memory, and can diminish performance of manual tasks that involve delicate muscular coordination.
In the long term, caffeine (in high doses) has been linked to infertility, miscarriages, low birth weight, and even birth defects. Other problems include heartburn, ulers, fibrocystic breast disease, heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
NOTE: Caffeine dehydrates the body!! Caffeinated drinks do NOT replace body fluids lost during exercise. "Sports drinks", like Gatorade (containing no caffeine), do a GOOD job of replacing fluids and electrolytes lost during exercise.
"Energy" drinks only increase the body's dehydration. If energy drinks are the only source of liquid used during heavy exercise, dehydration can become so great as to be dangerous.
A FINAL NOTE: Some energy drinks are now calling themselves "smart drinks". Much of this hype comes from the addition of substances called nootropics (from the Greek "noos", meaning mind). These herbals are supposed to be cognitive enhancers, drugs to help you think, create, and remember - drugs to clear your mind and energize your body. Red Bull's ad campaign says the drink "gives you wings". Guru's ad campaign says it "invigorates body & mind".
The enzyme glucuronolactone is supposed to offset the side effects of caffeine and the amino acid taurin is supposed to inhibit and modulate neurotransmitters like norephinephrine in the brain. There is no hard scientific evidence that these and other herbals like guarana, ginseng, echinacea, inositol, and ginkgo biloba actually provide improved brain functions. It is all just marketing hype! But the drinks DO feed your caffeine addiction!
More Caffeine Links:
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