Does red bull really give you wings?
A drowsy morning and late night study sesh calls for a crisp Celsius to get Senior Susan Thomas through the day. She said she finds herself drawn to these popular drinks on the days when she needs an energy boost.
Thomas is not alone in her weekly reliance on energy drinks to assist her throughout the school day.
Energy drinks are becoming a staple in the lives of PRHS Bearcats. In a survey conducted in January about students' opinions on energy drinks, 58% of Bearcats regularly consume energy drinks during or after the school day. The majority of energy drinking students drink one per week while some students rely on energy drinks every day.
Varieties of brands and flavors attract students to buy them and drink them regularly to sufficiently supply them with a rush of energy. Bearcats' top drinks include Monsters, Celcius, Alani, Red Bull and Bloom. These drinks rely mostly on caffeine and sugar to provide this “energy”. These and other ingredients increase circulation of cortisol and adrenaline in the body. Monsters and Red Bulls have additives such as taurine and guarana to add energy while Blooms use natural green tea extracts to give the body a clean energy.
No matter what drink students decide to consume, it is recommended that adults don’t exceed 400 mg per day of caffeine. Drinking caffeine might get you through a long school day, but symptoms of a caffeine overdose might look like anxiety, insomnia, heart palpitations or irregularities, elevated blood pressure, dehydration, or in rare cases seizures or cardiac arrest.
At PRHS, 51% of students feel as though they experience anxiousness, shakiness, or nervousness after drinking an energy drink. Although, the other 49% don’t feel the side effects of the drinks. Some students even feel that they can’t go through the day without one or Drink more cans of energy drinks.
Some energy drinks may contain as much as 500 mg of caffeine per can, which is the amount in 14 cans of cola,” according to Harvard's T.H. Public School of Health’s article on Energy Drinks, the Nutrition Source.
By drinking energy drinks in healthy doses, no more than 16 ounces per day, these drinks can enhance alertness, energy and attention, according to Mary Walker, researcher on college health and eating well. This is what attracts students or many individuals who have long days ahead of them, allowing them to work with more energy.
“I like to drink pre-workout with my monster before I lift,” senior Gavin Gatolai said. Gatolai also expressed that he “can’t go through a day without caffeine.” He even consumes sometimes over 1000 mg of caffeine. For context, one cup of coffee varies from 80-100 mg.
Gatolai relies on energy drinks as an athlete for football and lifting. Yet other students get creative with the way they drink energy drinks.
Junior Jaklyn Woodland’s go-to energy drinks are Coconut Red Bulls and Blooms.
“And it tastes really good when you put it on ice cream or snow! I literally drink Coconut Red Bull with everything,” Woodland said.
Guarana is derived from a plant native to the Amazon whose major components are caffeine. The only difference is guarana is twice as strong as coffee and is released faster into the body, creating a “high” and “low” or a more intense boost of energy, according to Talendo Magazine.
Taurine occurs naturally in the body, unlike guarana. It can be found naturally in meats, fish, eggs and helps support the heart and brain.
Red Bulls have vitamins such as B vitamins, have 50 mg of caffeine and have 160 calories. Alani energy drinks, commonly found at Target, also blend caffeine with vitamins to give a quick rush of energy to the consumer. Alani has 10 calories and zero sugar but is made with artificial sweeteners and high levels of sodium.
Celsius drinks are also made with taurine, guarana and artificial sweeteners. Celsius drinks are also low in calories and sodium unlike Alani.
Bloom energy drinks have led to being the healthiest option out of these 5 drinks. They are made with zero sugars, prebiotic fiber, 10 calories and 180 mg of natural caffeine, derived from green coffee bean extract.
Gatolai was one of five PRHS students who participated in an energy drink taste and review. Seniors Brandon Clements, Susan Thomas and juniors Jaklyn Woodland and Acadia Nutile joined Gatolai in testing and documenting how energy drinks affect their daily lives.
feel the fizz
Five students taste tested and review Monster, Reb Bull, Celcius and Bloom energy drinks. Students rated the flavor out if 10 and reported how the drink affected their energy levels throughout the day.
OUR TESTERS
Watch it!
Click the taste test video below and PRHS students' reactions to popular energy drink flavors.