Never mind what the label says. New brands of energy drinks selling in the US are aimed more at marathon partiers than serious athletes. And that has health officials worried.
The drinks come in flashy cans and bottles with names like Red Bull, Adrenaline Rush and Jones Whoop-Ass Energy Drink. They don't taste great by almost universal consensus, but they're the fastest-growing segment of the beverage market because they deliver a quick punch of energy.
PHOTO: AP
"A couple of years ago they were sort of an underground drink, served only at clubs. Pretty soon they're going to be everywhere," said Max Rodriguez, a marketing manager for the Edge Co, which imports Atomic Energy Drink from Brazil. "They enable you to practically stay up all night and not get really drunk."
The energy kick is delivered by a cocktail of stimulants. Many of the drinks contain caffeine and guarana, a South American plant used as a stimulant, plus a long list of herbs and vitamins promising better health and athletic performance.
"They definitely deliver a buzz or a jolt," said John Sicher, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest. "They're generally party drinks. A very large percentage are consumed in bars or restaurants and used as mixers."
"It definitely put me on a fast pace," said Elaine Bartlett, 29, of suburban Forest Park.
"It gets you drunker quicker, if you can stand the taste of it," said Brent Isbell, 30.
At Cosmopolitan, a trendy midtown Atlanta bar, bartender Chris Bates once served 400 Red Bull-and-vodkas in a night. The slim silver-and-blue cans are stacked behind the bar alongside the bourbon and rum, and Bates described Red Bull as "absolutely the most popular thing we have."
"We go through them like you wouldn't believe," he said. "People want to get drunk and stay awake, and this pretty much does both."
The drinks are so popular that beverage giants Coca-Cola Co, Anheuser-Busch, Pepsi Cola and Cadbury Schweppes have all rolled out their own energy drinks in recent months or plan to launch them soon.
The drinks first showed up in nightclubs in New York and Los Angeles and were favored by revelers who like to drink and dance till dawn. They spread to bars nationwide and are sold in liquor and grocery stores. Most cost about US$2 for 8 ounces.
Fans say the drinks help them guzzle alcohol without passing out at the table. But dietitians warn that fatigue is the body's way of saying it's had enough to drink and that energy mixers may fool people into thinking they're not as drunk as they are.
"What you'll be is a wide-awake drunk," said Chris Rosenbloom, head of the nutrition department at Georgia State University. "It's dangerous, this false notion that if I take this energy drink I'm alert and OK."
Another dietitian, Cynthia Sass of the University of South Florida, said several stimulants, when put together can amplify each other and become dangerous. And, she cautioned, a long list of herbs and vitamins don't make a product healthy.
"They think if it's natural, then the more the better. That's not true," Sass said.
Stimulant-spiked drinks can be tricky before exercise, too, dietitians said. A Kansas man suffered a heart attack in 1998 that caused permanent brain damage after drinking Ripped Force muscle drink, which contains ephedrine, then lifting weights.
The weight lifter, Shane Garrett, 25, sued the company that made the drink. A jury last month declined to award Garrett damages, finding him equally at fault for ignoring warnings on the drink.
Hansen Natural Corp insists its energy drinks are safe for workouts.
"They're ideal drinking before working out if you're looking for an energy boost," Hansen chairman Rodney Sacks said.
Sacks said energy drinks represent US$140 million to US$150 million a year in sales for beverage manufacturers.
The energy drink market grew more than 102 percent over the past year, according to Beverage Marketing Corp, which supplies information and financial services to the beverage industry.
Hansen was among the companies warned by the Food and Drug Administration earlier this month not to claim unproven health benefits from herbal food additives.
Anheuser-Busch, which released an energy drink called 180 in January, has been careful not to promise anything more than a caffeine and guarana rush.
"We're not making any sport-enhancing or health-enhancing claims," said Marlene Coulis, director of new products. "It's more of a pick-me-up."
"Like anything, too much of it is not good for you," Rodriguez said. "But it does have more advantages than disadvantages."
Rodriguez suggested consuming energy drinks only once or twice a day. But he swears there's nothing better for an all-night party or curing a violent hangover.
"It's like drinking coffee," he said. "No, it's like coffee squared."
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