Energy Drinks With Carnitine Dangerous Link For Heart Disease

Posted by Cathy on

A study just released from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio shows energy drinks with carnitine, a common additive not always disclosed on the labels, has been tied to heart disease.  The amount of carnitine found in energy drinks varies and may be harmful especially in doses of more than 3 grams daily.  The Cleveland Clinic study showed carnitine contributes to hardening of the arteries.

The research group, led by Dr. Hazen, section head of preventive cardiology and rehabilitation, found the link between heart disease and carnitine and the bacteria in the intestine that digests carnitine.  If you ever wondered why docotors recommend limiting red meat in your diet if you have heart issues, it it’s because carnitine is also found in red meat.

“It’s shifting their [gut] flora to one that’s more likely to promote atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries,” said Dr. Hazen.  “I wouldn’t want my family members drinking these.”

 

Is Goji Berry The Best Chinese Herb For The Elderly?

Posted by Cathy on

Chinese herbs for energyIt really doesn't matter what your age, goji berries are a healthy food for everyone. But, if you are over 65, goji's could be extremely beneficial by enhancing your immune system, according to a recent study.  

 

Goji berries are also know as Wolf berries and they taste great and are such an easy snacking food or drink, how can anyone ignore them today?  

A new study done by Nestle and some scientists in China decided to test out a milk based formulation of goji berries. They studied healthy Chinese people age 65 to 70 and gave them a "lacto-wolfberry" supplement to improve their immune system. The same group was also given a seasonal influenza vaccine. The study was recently published in the scientific journal called Rejuvenation Research.  

  

The results showed that while all the participants had increased levels of influenza-specific antibodies after being vaccinated, those who had consumed lacto-wolfberry had a higher increase in antibodies than those in the control group. This means that the people who had consumed lacto-wolfberry could fight infection better and their immune system was working better. “People’s natural ability to fight infection often declines as they age, as does their capacity to develop effective vaccine response,” says Dr Karine Vidal, the scientist from the Nestle Research Center in Switzerland who led the study.

 

Goji berries have become popular in the U.S. and throughout Europe in the last few years.  The small red berries have been eaten and used in Chinese herbal medicine in Asian cultures for centuries.  Today research has established high antioxidant properties and energy enhancing properties in these small little red fruits.  We add goji berries to our Energy Booster Herb Pack for exactly this reason.  They also help make our Energy Booster taste great!  Try some today! Not only will you feel the nice energy boost, but you will also be enjoying several immune boosting herbs including ginseng.  

 

Energy Drinks Reviewed On Dr. Oz

Posted by Cathy on

happy energyOne of the funniest Dr. Oz Shows I ever saw was his show about a new miracle energy drink.  Last season on a Dr. Oz show, the audience was given a new energy shot before the show and then asked if they could feel it working at the beginning of the show.  Many audience members volunteered to share how they felt after drinking this "miracle" drink, and many said they felt more energetic and really liked how it was working.

 

The twist was that the drink they were given was nothing more than water.

 

It was an embarrassing moment for many!

 

Dr. Oz's guest, Dr. Keri Peterson mentioned one of the biggest problem right now with energy drinks is the fact that any person at any age can buy these highly caffeinated and highly sweetened drinks.   Grade school and middle school kids are now purchasing them for a quick spurt of energy.  This is definitely not healthy for kids and the biggest problem is that most of the drinks do not label how much caffeine they contain.

 

New York's attorney general, Eric T. Schneiderman has starting a campaign to get the makers of energy drinks to be more transparent.  He says the manufacturers are "duping" consumers with claims of ingredients like guarana and ginseng, but really the ingredient providing the stimulant effect is caffeine.  Consumers should be told how much caffeine is in any given product.

 

If you are needing a boost of natural energy, consider Energy Booster Herb Pack. It contains only natural herbs ike ginseng, goji berries and other herbs with extensive research on their natural energy enhancing properties.  These Chinese herbs are prized around the world and are non-addictive. 

 

There is no caffeine in Pacific Herbs Energy Booster packets. 

 

The best part of Energy Booster Herb Pack is the ease of adding it to a bottle or glass of water.  Definitely a turbo boost that will get you through your afternoon or your workout with a sustained feeling that your body provides naturally.  I like to eat the powder right from the stay fresh packets.  It tastes so great and works so fast.  I love it because I know I'm giving my body a healthy boost of energy, not a cup of caffeine, sugar or other chemicals.

Energy Drinks Are Not Sexy!

Posted by Cathy on

Health Energy Booster Herb Pack with ginseng Even though energy drinks are readily available in every convenient store and a staple among students for the instant “pick-up”, the facts are now coming out about the damage they cause to your teeth.  Is a temporarily buzz worth all the cavities and what about the other side-effects?

Dental erosion doesn’t have anything to do with hygiene, it doesn’t have anything to do whether you brush your teeth or not. It’s just pure acid in the drink.

Sugar is Not Sexy Either

The other main ingredient in energy drinks is sugar. Energy drinks contain A LOT of sugar! For example a can of Monster energy drink contains 52g of sugar. A teaspoon of sugar weighs about 4g so the Monster drink contains an equivalent of 13 teaspoons of sugar.

This sugar acts to give a quick surge of energy. However an invasion of sugar into the bloodstream activates the release of insulin. Insulin is used by the body to regulate the level of blood sugar at a constant level. Insulin also stimulates the storage of fats and the increase in triglyceride levels. High triglyceride levels usually go in conjunction with low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol. Both of these are risk factors in cardiovascular disease.

Eating or drinking sugars per se does not cause diabetes but there has been research that has shown the link between the consumption of sweet drinks and increased levels of diabetes. High sugar levels also depress the immune system. Vitamin C and glucose have similar chemical structures so the process that allows sugar into the cells is the same as that which allows vitamin C into the cells. The result is that the more sugar there is the less Vitamin C there is. White blood cells require Vitamin C, with less, your immune system suffers.

There is also a link between consumption of sugar and teeth decay. Sugars assist plaque to form and develop on teeth. Plaque causes tooth decay. Tooth decay is not only painful it is also costly in terms of dental cover. Energy drinks are a particularly bad form of sugar intake in relation to teeth as they are usually consumed outside mealtimes.

Caffeine – An Adrenaline Rush Your Body Cannot Sustain

Energy drinks usually contain a large amount of caffeine. Some energy drinks have been found to include between three and five times as much caffeine as a can of cola. Caffeine is addictive; as the body gets more tolerant to the effects then increased levels of caffeine will be required to obtain the same level of stimulation. There have been many studies dealing with caffeine and human health over the years which have shown a number of adverse effects on the body:

  • Caffeine is a stimulant and so can cause heart palpitations, insomnia and anxiety attacks.
  • It is a diuretic and so causes your kidneys to remove extra fluid from your body. If this occurs whilst you are exercising then there is a danger of becoming severely dehydrated very quickly. Energy drinks should never be consumed in conjunction with exercise.
  • Caffeine has been shown to have an  adverse effect of the calcium balance in bone health so leading to a greater risk of fractures.
  • Mood or behavioural problems can occur from caffeine intake/
  • There have been links between caffeine intake and cancer.

Advertising for energy drinks is often targeted at children and young adults. You only have to consider advertising and sponsorship of extreme sports, snowboarding and skating. Although these drinks are often directed at adolescents they are the ones that are at greater risk from consuming caffeine. Doctors from the University of Miami paediatrics department warned “Frequently containing high and unregulated amounts of caffeine, these drinks have been reported in association with serious adverse effects, especially in children, adolescents and young adults with seizures, diabetes, cardiac abnormalities, or mood or behavioural disorders and those who take certain medications”. One report found that one can of energy drink given to children aged between five and twelve would result in seven out of the ten of them having consumed dangerous levels of caffeine.

There has also been a trend of mixing the energy drinks with alcohol because it makes the person feel alert and energetic even when they are drunk. This however is a lethal combination as both the caffeine and the alcohol act to dehydrate the body. The cocktail of energy drinks, alcohol, dancing and heat has led to numerous hospitalisations.

The bottom line is that large quantities of caffeine and refined sugars and bad for our bodies. The temporary boost given on the consumption of these drinks is masking the short and long term damage being caused. There are natural alternatives that will provide an energy lift that do not contain the caffeine and sugar. Pacific Herbs has the only all herbal, 500 year old Energy Booster in a packet. Twelve natural herbs like ginseng, goji berries and others which have been used for centuries in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Get a boost for your mind and body without the unwanted side effects.

 

What You Need To Know About Energy Drinks

Posted by Cathy on

The news about energy drinks is beginning to reach the main stream media.  Regardless of the size of the market most of the energy drinks are “cans full of drugs”.  Nearly every day somebody is overdosing on energy drinks.  This post by Sari Harrar, explains the phenomenon.

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Teens and young adults spend an estimated $2.3 billion annually on energy drinks laced with caffeine and herbal stimulants. But these aggressively marketed and pricey beverages (called “drugs in a can” and “a pharmacological Molotov cocktail” by Oklahoma State University researchers in one recent report) do more than clean out their wallets.

Over 5,000 reported caffeine overdoses in recent years—46 percent in kids age 18 and younger—have been attributed to them, say University of Miami researchers in a 2011 study in the journal Pediatrics. With caffeine levels up to three to five times higher than a 12-ounce cola, these drinks may also contain rev-you-up herbal stimulants like guarana and yerba mate. Liver damage, kidney failure, respiratory disorders, agitation, seizures, psychotic problems, muscle break-down, off-rhythm heartbeats, high blood pressure, heart failure, heart attack and even death have been reported in energy drink users in Europe, the U. of Miami researchers warned. And kids taking medications for attention deficit disorders or who have diabetes or heart problems may be at extra risk.

Denmark, Sweden, Australia and Germany have partial or complete bans on their sale to kids. Last fall, Canada began requiring new warnings and stricter caffeine limits. What’s happening in the U.S.? Here’s what parents should know:

  • The U.S. has no standard definition of an ‘energy drink.’ The Food and Drug Administration only sets caffeine levels on cola drinks, allowing energy-drink makers to pack their beverages with more. (The American Beverage Association has voluntary guidelines for caffeine limits and warning labels, but not all drink makers comply.)  Many contain even higher levels than may be listed on the label, because herbs like yerba mate also pack considerable amounts of caffeine.
  • They’re marketed aggressively to preteens and teens.  Flavors like strawberry lemonade and apple cherry and slogans like “party like a rock star!” and ‘ultimate energy rush’ are just the beginning. Energy-drink websites lure kids with come-ons about bands, athletes and celebrities. Coupons and free samples get them started.
  • Energy drinks don’t help performance.  They made timing, coordination, alertness and concentration worse in one Oklahoma State University study of student pilots. In fact, after triggering a burst of stress hormones and feel-good brain chemicals, your energy levels plummet.
  • One can isn’t one serving. Many contain 2 or even 4 servings per can—but who (especially a thirsty teen) stops at a quarter-can? Drinking the whole thing means they’ve just downed two to four times more caffeine than they’d get from a single serving.

What can you do? Talk with your kid about the downsides of these drinks. And help them save money (energy drinks can cost $2 to $4 a can) by offering bottled water, herbal iced tea (make it at home with fruity herbal tea bags, water, and a little sugar) or seltzer with juice or a squeeze of lemon.

Let us know what you’re doing—and how you feel about energy drinks marketed to kids by leaving your comments here.