Paola Bassanese, Director and Founder, Energya Ltd
Recently I have witnessed a rather startling scene: a young mother was giving Lucozade to her toddler. It was a hot day and the bus we were travelling on was uncomfortably hot.
I purchased a bottle of this energy drink myself later to check the ingredients as I remembered that it contained preservatives and colourings.
In fact, this particular energy drink contains sulphites and the colouring E110 sunset yellow.
The label warns that “sunset yellow may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children”. Unfortunately that mother did not read the label.
Furthermore, E110 or sunset yellow (which is also found in industrial cakes, some types of orange squash, preserved fish and some types of medication) can also cause hives, nasal congestion, nausea, hyperactivity and kidney tumors.
Another popular energy drink, Red Bull, not only contains high levels of caffeine and sugar, but it also contains taurine which helps muscle and heart contractions. Taurine is a neurotransmitter, i.e. it facilitates the transmission of electrical signals across neurons in the brain.
It is worth remembering that these drinks have been designed to aid athletes in their sporting performances so any use outside of this limited remit would be unsuitable and unnecessary.
Finally, the energy drinks market is big business as it is estimated that in the US alone it will reach $9.3bn by 2011.
Next time you or your child need some energy and rehydration, reach for a piece of fruit.
Tags: energy drinks, hydration, nutrition, toxins
