Fourteen days to the hour – seems to be Chancellor’s pattern. June to September was able to control seizures up to 24 days, seasonal? This was a less severe seizure, since he got me in plenty of time, we had the ice pack out, and went to his “seizure spot” a nice comfy bed with head pillow bolsters. The shaking started and his head orientation was right this time – he fought it with all he had. I’m calling this the red zone.

The taurine supplement – amino acid – has had an effect on decreasing his tremors between seizures.

He is recovering quicker – usually 2 hours, but already he has eaten, drank lots of water, gone outside and the pacing is slowing down an hour and a half later.

Petit panorama d’innovations glanées ça et là…

Des chewing-gums stimulants, à base de taurine et de caféine. Les bulles Blitz doivent être explosives :

Une potentielle solution à l’absence d’eau potable dans le tiers-monde : cette éolienne récolte la vapeur d’eau présente dans l’air :

De la peinture anti-wifi, parfaite pour certaines écoles qui ne tolèrent pas Facebook dans les amphis :

Un lave-vaisselle supersonique : pas besoin d’eau, les ultra-sons se chargent de détruire les résidus de vos assiettes. Les étudiants vont adorer :

Une marketplace dédiée aux MP3 d’occasion, sans DRM évidemment… Allez jeter un coup d’oeil à la plateforme Bopaboo.

Last but not least, le rationalizer, un instrument Philips qui permet d’informer son entourage de son humeur. Un bracelet façon montres Polar mesure le rythme sanguin et communique l’état de stress de son propriétaire à une sorte de saladier lumineux, à disposer dans le salon… Pratique pour devenir le bon moment pour apporter son carnet de notes. Ironie, ce produit aurait été conçu pour les traders…

Rendez-vous dans quelques jours pour quelques autres brillantes inventions !

One of my favorite words from Tony Kushner’s Angels In America.  Prior, the antagonist, after he has been visited by an angel, is described as corvine in appearance, that is, crow-like.

Adjectives used to describe animal-like appearances or behaviors are wonderfully useful and sound far more poetic than saying, let’s say, crow-like.  Aside from corvine, here is a shortlist of the names I have come across:

bovine (cow), feline (cat), canine (dog), ovine (sheep), porcine (pig), lupine (wolf), murine (mouse), equine (horse), leporine (rabbit), vulpine (fox), ursine (bear), taurine (bull), cervine (deer), elapine (viper), caprine (goat), ranine (frog), vespine (wasp), anserine (goose).

The last of which I only came across because a high school coach referred to the gait of a friend of mine as anserine.  Amazing, the high school I went to when the coaches are using words like anserine.

If there are others that you know of, please leave a comment here.

Our kitten is no longer a kitten. By our vet’s estimate, Ollie was born at the end of last August, so it’s now time for adult cat food.

I’ve never thought much about cat food. As a vegetarian, I feel bad feeding my cats meat, but I know that they actually must have it (unlike dogs). Contrary to popular belief, it’s not because of the taurine and other nutrients. While those are essential, synthetic versions and additives do exist—that’s what’s added to commercial cat foods (and Red Bull). The real issue is that they have a difficult time digesting vegetables and can develop urinary tract problems without enough meat in their diet. While some people claim that you can feed your cat a perfectly healthy vegan diet, I would be very worried about making mine sick. (Especially since Jasmine is already on vet-recommended cat food for kidney problems.)

Ollie tested. Brenda approved.

I’m looking for something that’s the best choice for Ollie’s health and my morals. But it’s very difficult figuring out what that is. There doesn’t seem to be much of a consensus, even for the basic question of wet vs. dry food. (I’m going to ask my vet, but for the moment I’ll stick with dry.) I did find out that most pet food you find in the supermarket is made primarily from meat by-products. That’s just a nice way of saying all the parts we won’t eat: “lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, partially defatted low temperature fatty tissue, and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents.” Those aren’t very high-quality protein sources and aren’t as digestible for cats. And they come mostly from animals that are 4D: “dead, dying, diseased, or disabled” when they get to the slaughterhouse, and often abused (videos abound online). Their meat isn’t allowed to be served to humans for health reasons, so it gets put into pet food instead.

(Note: “chicken meal” in an ingredients list is actually okay—or better. It’s made from just flesh and skin, and it’s just 10% water. Regular meat is about 70% water. So as a primary ingredient, “meal” contains no by-products and means more protein.)

So I started by looking for cat food without any meat by-products in it. As a bonus, these generally have a higher protein content, too. There are actually quite a few of them, including some major brands that you’d be surprised by, like Purina Naturals. This is easy enough—just look at the label.

Then I started looking for how the animals slaughtered for the food are treated. There doesn’t seem to be any humane certification for pet food, so I take any such claims on packaging with a grain of salt. For that reason I’d like to go with a company that I trust at least a little, and Newman’s Own has a good track record. (They also fund things like the Hole in the Wall Camp for kids with serious illnesses that an elementary school friend of mine used to go to, so I’m kind of brand-loyal.)

Newman’s Own cat food is 32% protein, with organic chicken and chicken meal as the first two ingredients. Their cage-free chickens are raised by Bell & Evans. I think that’s a compromise that Oliver and I can both be happy with.

In the end, the brands that use higher-quality meat are definitely a lot pricier than the regular brands (three times more to switch from Kitten Chow to Newman’s Own), but I’m told the higher protein content should make Ollie more full, so he’ll eat less of it. (I’ll believe that when I see it; he’s a little scavenger.) And because it’s more easily digestible, that’s supposed to mean less poop for us to scoop. I’m really looking forward to that.

I’m also looking forward to not having to think about this again. That was a lot of research just for cat food!

Energy drinks and energy shots are everywhere these days, but think of these like the fast food version of energy products that should be replaced with a healthier alternative.  I made the mistake of buying one the other day thinking it would pick me up after a long day of traveling and it worked for a second, but the chemical fumes and acidic taste made me sick to my stomach and genuinely concerned for my health.  As consumers we get what we ask for and the rise in sales and popularity of these unhealthy demonstrates how little thought is put in to these choices for increased energy.   Here are just a few stats from Mintel’s latest study (see more at “Energy Drinks Continue Down Unhealthy Path”).

Amid the constant publicity about the potential danger of energy drink ingredients, Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD) reveals that the latest energy drink launches aren’t getting any healthier. Despite this, the popular beverage market continues to grow with sales increasing over 240% from 2004 to 2009. In the same timeframe, there has been a flood of new energy drinks to the market with new product launches up by over 110%.

Analyzing the ingredients in energy drinks launched between 2004 and 2008, Mintel GNPD found caffeine in nearly all energy drinks produced. Meanwhile, taurine, the other popular, yet controversial energy-boosting ingredient, was found in more than one in four (27%) energy drinks in 2004, but has slightly reduced to one in five (21%) in 2008.

“There is a significant market right now for drinks offering a boost of energy,” notes Lynn Dornblaser, Mintel global new products expert. “Although consumers say they try to eat and drink better, it appears that energy drinks is not a category in which that happens, as they continue to choose options that contain sugar, caffeine and taurine, all of which can have negative effects if consumed in excess.”

Mintel found that suppliers are producing some new energy drinks that boast more health-focused claims, but they are in the minority. Energy drinks showing a ‘low, no or reduced’ calorie claim have increased from 6% to 11% between 2004 and 2008. Within the same timeframe, energy drinks featuring a ‘low, no or reduced’ sugar claim have held steady at one in seven new launches. In addition, better-for-you energizers like vitamin B6 and guarana have remained flat appearing in approximately 22% and 12% of new product launches, respectively.

Not everyone agrees that energy drinks or stimulants of any kind are the best thing, but if you do supplement your lifestyle with energy enhancing products make a conscious choice on what you are putting in your body.  Take a look at some of the beneficial ingredients that Relive Research & Development use in their products and the proprietary REACT formula and incorporate these healthier alternatives into your lifestyle.  Skip the fast food and go for quality that will help you improve your overall health!

Food – well, mom  found some Purina stuff called Felix in Nairobi and she has slowly been mixing it with food from the states.  She is trying to trick me…..it is not the same- the shapes are different.

Mom says: I bought  taurine capsules in the states upon advice from the vet as that is a very important ingredient in cat food.  Thus far, everything Finley eats has taurine, however, if we have to resort to pilchards, chicken and fresh meat, I have the taurine to add.  Finley has been eating less and appears to have a better “weight” although I am not sure if it is due to altitude, change in food, the transition of getting here (we have only been in Kenya two weeks, one week at our real home) or whatever.

By PETA Representative Michael O’Killallhumans

E.M. Smith has made some recent very enlightening comments to my blog (you can read the comments here)  so I thought I would respond in kind. E.M. Smith is a writer of many great things at http://chiefio.wordpress.com . Look, I haven’t even looked at the blog but I’m sure it’s worth advertising.

Dear E.M. Smith,

Thank you for responding to my blog post and I appreciate your helpfulness in letting me know how to feed my cats a more vegan diet.

I’d like you to know that I’ve made plenty sure that my cats receive their daily dose of Taurine. That’s why I make sure that I add a cup of Rockstar (the energy drink) to their broccoli. But since that’s not enough, I usually throw in some different kinds of nuts like butternut squash.

As far as the Omega-3. I hear that Omega-3 derived from plants isn’t as good as Omega-3 derived from fish. So what I do is I wait for some of my fish to die and I derive their oils. Unfortunately sometimes my fish will eat some of the other fish. So I also have to make sure they get their 24 hours of PETA education as well. It’s a cruel world we live in!

Anyway, here’s a picture of my cat all wired up after its had its Rockstar-soaked broccoli.

My Cat Excited After No Longer Being Taurine Deprived

Recent figures released from Mintel (a group who does consumer market research), revealed some of what we already knew about energy drinks.  That is that they are generally not that good for us.

“There is a significant market right now for drinks offering a boost of energy.  Although consumers say they try to eat and drink better, it appears that energy drinks is not a category in which that happens, as they continue to choose options that contain sugar, caffeine and taurine, all of which can have negative effects if consumed in excess,” said Lynn Dornblaser, Mintel global new products expert.

Their key insight seemed to be around taurine; that while the growth of the energy market continues to grow, taurine is less likely to form part of the mix.  Only slightly though, down from 27 percent of drinks in 2004 and 21 percent of drinks in 2008.   In contrast, caffeine was present in nearly all new energy drinks produced over the same period.

So taurine is out of fashion.  Why?  Too expensive to manufacture?  Not cool or marketable enough?  I’d be less concerned about taurine and more about the caffeine and sugar amounts in the drinks.  Let’s have a gander at Mother, shall we?

Energy: 975kJ (233Cal)
Protein: 0g
Fat, total: 0g
Saturated: 0g
Carbohydrates: 52g
Sugars: 52g
Sodium: 272mg
Caffeine: 160mg (Gurana extract)
Taurine: 2000mg

The amount of caffeine in coffee varies but let’s just say it’s 80mg.  Well have a Mother and that’s two cups of coffee and 10 teaspoons of sugar.  10 teaspoons of sugar!  I won’t quote the number of studies on the negative effects of excessive caffeine consumption, stripping of minerals from the body etc, etc.  The scariest thing though is that kids can just grab these drinks from the supermarket.  Gee, is it any wonder why the world is getting seemingly fatter or sicker?

I see these kids up at the gym at the night.  The same kids who spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year on supplements from health stores trying to attain a healthier, stronger, superior body.

I ask them sometimes if they’ve ever seen a professional athlete with a body they are working so hard to be like – a bodybuilder, sprinter, swimmer or boxer – down an energy drink while they train.  No?  Funny that.

I’m no saint; I’ve had more than a few energy drinks.  I always try to opt for the low or no-sugar options and the 250ml sizes are sufficient, if I do have one.  Because, let’s be honest, as a 20-something, active adult I will find the use for the 80mg of caffeine inside, just as I do from a black coffee.  The sugar however, I can certainly live without.  So can you.  233 of the emptiest calories you will find.

Elsewhere, I have recorded my journey to discovering why taurine is in energy drinks, with or without alcohol.

To date Chancellor, 5 YO, Belgian Tervuren has had seizures for nearly 1 year now. He has had 23 seizures, so about two per month. However, last two were 24 days and 15.5 days apart. The extension seems to be due to the addition for 2.5 months now of Taurine, an amino acid and nutrient for dogs who have seizures. In addition, less twitching (if any) has been noticed and when a seizure occurs it seems less violent. Chancellor is still on kBr 3 mls 1X per day; L-Thyroxine (hypothyroid pill) 4 pills 2X per day; Thorne Basic Canine Nutrients; Vitamin C; B-complex; Vitamin E 5X week; Wild Salmon capsule; and Marshmallow Root 2X per day. This in addition to a completely raw meaty bones nutrionally balanced diet and whole vegetables (cruciferous cooked because of hypothyroidism).

Vet appointment is upcoming and more information will be displayed after this visit.

Den här drickan är faktiskt lite spännande på ett sätt, för Nos gör egentligen lustgas till bilar, vilket är anledningen till att den finns på Mekonomen. En 473 ml burk kostar 29 kr, man kan även få en 65 cl flaska om man frågar i kassan tror jag. Den här tycker inte jag smakar som andra energidrycker, den smakar typ som Fanta men lite starkt.

Shark finns på Pressbyrån, på vissa mataffärer, 7/11 och på vissa bensinmackar. Den enda som jag vet har burken är 7/11, på andra ställen har jag bara sett glasflaskan. Den kostar 18-23 kr för en sån här 25 cl flaska. Jag vet inte riktigt vad den smakar, eftersom jag spottade ut det för att det var så äckligt… Men det är ju bara min åsikt.

Red Bull energy drink

What are Energy Drinks?

Energy drinks are canned or bottled beverages sold in convenience stores, grocery stores, and bars and nightclubs (in mixed drinks). Most energy drinks are carbonated drinks that contain large amounts of caffeine and sugar with additional ingredients, such as B vitamins, amino acids (e.g. taurine), and herbal stimulants such as guarana.

Energy drinks are marketed primarily to people between the ages of 18 and 30 as a stimulant, which is why energy drinks have names that convey strength, power, and speed, and sexuality, such as:

• Red Bull Energy Drink
• Monster Energy Drink
• Full Throttle Energy Drink
• Amp Energy Drink
• XS Energy Drink
• Redline Energy Drink
• Rock Star Energy Drink
• Spark Energy Drink

History of Energy Drinks

Although sales of energy drinks in the United States were $3.5 billion in 2005, according to Beverage Digest, the category was only recently created with the launch of the Red Bull Energy Drink.

Red Bull was created by Dietrich Mateschitz, an Austrian who adapted the energy drink from a Thai beverage called Krating Daeng, a popular drink with rickshaw drivers in Thailand. The key ingredient in the Thai energy drink was taurine, an amino acid that was first discovered in bulls (this association is responsible for the Red Bull urban legend that the drink’s active ingredient is bull urine or semen). Red Bull was introduced to Europe in 1987 and to the United States in 1997.

Energy Drinks Contain Caffeine

Red Bull, one of the most popular energy drinks, contains nearly 80 mg of caffeine per can, about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of brewed coffee and twice the caffeine as a cup of tea. Other energy drinks contain several times this amount. The amount of caffeine in an energy drink isn’t always indicated on the label, so it is difficult to gauge how much one is consuming.

Another problem with energy drinks is that unlike hot coffee or tea, which is sipped slowly, it’s common for typical energy drink consumers to drink large amounts quickly.

Some people are sensitive to caffeine and experience anxiety, palpitations, irritability, difficulty sleeping, and indigestion with relatively small amounts. People with heart conditions should avoid large amounts of caffeine, because it is a stimulant.

The Combination of Ingredients in Energy Drinks Has Not Been Studied

One of the biggest concerns is that we just don’t know enough about the effect of the combination of ingredients in energy drinks. Many ingredients are believed to work synergistically with caffeine to boost its stimulant power.

For instance, one can of Red Bull contains 1000 mg of taurine. A German double-blind study compared a taurine and caffeine drink, a caffeine-only drink, and a placebo drink. Stroke volume–the volume of blood ejected with each beat of the heart–was increased only in the group taking the taurine-and-caffeine drink. Taurine appears to play an important role in muscle contraction (especially in the heart) and the nervous system.

Red Bull also contains 600 mg of glucuronolactone, a substance that is naturally found in the body. There is a lack of published information on the health effects of glucuronolactone supplementation in humans or on the safety of this combination.

Energy drinks contain sugar (although sugar-free energy drinks are now available), because it is a quick source of energy.

B vitamins are sometimes added to energy drinks in small amounts. It makes energy drinks appear healthy, although they probably contribute little. B vitamins are needed to convert food into energy.

Some energy drinks contain guarana, a South American herb that is an additional source of caffeine.

Energy Drinks Should Not Be Mixed With Alcohol

Red Bull and vodka has become a popular mixed drink at bars because it has a reputation for reducing the depressant effects of alcohol (e.g. fatigue) while enhancing the “feel good” buzz. But while people may not feel impaired, their blood alcohol concentration is still high. People may consume larger amounts of alcohol as a result.

A study compared the effects of alcohol alone to an alcohol plus energy drink combination. Researchers found that the alcohol plus energy drink significantly reduced subjective alcohol-related symptoms such as headache, weakness, dry mouth, and impairment of motor coordination, even though breath alcohol concentration and objective tests of motor coordination and reaction time didn’t reflect this.

The caffeine in energy drinks is also dehydrating, which may slow the body’s ability to metabolize alcohol.

Energy Drinks Should Not Be Consumed During Exercise

Energy drinks should not be confused with sports drinks such as Gatorade, which are consumed to help people stay hydrated during exercise. Sports drinks also provide carbohydrates in the form of sugar and electrolytes that may be lost through perspiration.

The caffeine in energy drinks acts as a diuretic and promotes dehydration.

A California high school was the first to ban energy drinks after two students experienced dizziness and disorientation after drinking an energy drink before football practice.

Sources Baum M, Weiss M. The influence of a taurine containing drink on cardiac parameters before and after exercise measured by echocardiography. Amino Acids. 2001;20(1):75-82.

Bichler A, Swenson A, Harris MA. A combination of caffeine and taurine had no effect on short term memory but induces changes in heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure. Amino Acids. 2006 May 15.

Ferreira SE, de Mello MT, Pompeia S, de Souza-Formigoni ML. Effects of energy drink ingestion on alcohol intoxication. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2006 Apr;30(4):598-605.

Seidl R, Peyrl A, Nicham R, Hauser E. A taurine and caffeine-containing drink stimulates cognitive performance and well-being. Amino Acids. 2000;19(3-4):635-42

Two days ago all of the Red Bull in Hong Kong was pulled from the shelves after it was announced that trace amounts of cocaine had been found in the “energy” drink. This makes me laugh. Because of course what has really happened is now Red Bull is THE most sought after convenience store commodity. [I am sure that eventually it will be "uncovered" that Red Bull actually leaked the information...]

I remember when I first started hearing about Red Bull, and it’s subsequent rise to popularity as a mixer for really obnoxious co-ed cocktails. It tastes like shit and makes me burp – so I am not a fan. That aside… I was interested in the urban legend that it contained bull semen… Taurine is apparently present in both bull semen and bull urine (yummy!) but of course, let us be serious for a moment – it is not the source of the taurine used in this beverage. [Really, do you think this company has an entire department of people dedicated to bovine pleasure-providing? I doubt it.] It takes it’s name from the Latin taurus because it was first discovered in ox bile. Other than that it seems to be an enzyme that has some significant functions, though none of which seem to have to do with energy as I can tell. The science of all those energy drinks is suspect in my opinion anyhow.

When I moved to Asia in 2005 I was introduced to Thai Red Bull [Krating Daeng]. This was not the Red Bull I had experienced in California. It still tasted like shit (like Sweet Tarts and Sprite somehow blended together… yuck) but it seemed to have a little more of a kick. When you go to Thailand and hit the beaches the drinks are called ‘buckets.’ This is because they actually are served in a bucket. Into the bucket goes a fifth of the liquor of your choice (Thai Sangsom – rumored to contain speed is generally the most popular), a can of Coke, and a bottle or two of Thai Red Bull. Then you walk away with your bucket and a straw. Good times.

I tried to bring Thai Red Bull back to Hong Kong and it was confiscated. So, maybe the Kong just has an issue with Red Bull in general. Who knows. [Oddly, I was able to bring it home to the States with no problem.] For sure the Thai stuff seems to work better than the stuff in a can (it even looks more pharmaceutical in those little bottles.)

Really, I am not sure what all the fuss is about – I mean where do  people think Coca-Cola got it’s name? We have a long history of fascination with “energy” enhancing products. Just ask Sherlock Holmes, or anyone who has studied medicinal/dental history, or anthropologists who work with native peoples of South America… Those coca leaves got the Inca the reputation of the most fleet footed messengers on the continent if not the planet. Chasquis could cover up to 240 km a day… in the Andes. I am thinking they had a little somp’in somp’in to keep them going, if you get my meaning. My dad used to give my step-brother a six pack of Jolt Cola (remember that stuff?) to get him to clean his room. The kid was ten. And by the way, it worked a treat.

Our obsession with chemical means to enhance our energy, performance, mood… whatever, has gone through all sorts of transformations, mutations and justifications. All this stuff is marketed to deal with mental and physical fatigue. As I sit here drinking a gigantic cup of Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee, I get it. I like how I feel after coffee better than how I feel before it. Every time. Sleep is sooooooo last millennium. Get with the program.

And so, here is hoping that the 852 will release the beast and put Red Bull back on the shelves before Saturday when I will be attending the most kick-ass party I have ever heard of: A 7-11 Crawl. When I heard that this was how a friend of mine was celebrating her departure from Hong Kong I thought I might have died and gone to heaven. We will be going from 7-11 to 7-11 (there are more than 850 of my beloved convenience stores in Hong Kong) across Central and Western Hong Kong as a pub crawl. Best. Idea. Ever.

Although cows (beef) and buffalo (bison) are both considered “red” meats, they are two distinct protein sources. Veterinarians have recognized that feeding your pet (or your own body, for that matter) the exact same food for a lifetime cheats your pet out of excellent nutrition that a variety of meats and other foods can offer.

Remember, there is no one “perfect” protein, or food. Variety is critical for your pet to receive the full spectrum of amino acids, essential fatty acids, trace minerals, vitamins and antioxidants necessary to thrive. Bison meat is one of the richest natural sources of CoQ10 (humans should eat more bison as well!). Your dog will benefit from offering him or her this terrific alternative to the typical beef or chicken-based dog foods.

I recommend you rotate at least 3 different proteins annually (the more the better… I feed LOTS of different proteins to my pack: rabbit, ostrich, duck, quail, chicken, turkey, beef, bison, elk, venison, goat and fish before starting the list over).  

I also occasionally throw in some roast (free-range) pork, if I have fixed it for the family. However, if you do feed your dog some pork now and then make  sure the meat is fresh and well cooked, eliminating the chance of your dog getting worms from eating eating it. Pork is a fatty meat and has the potential to cause pancreatitis, a painful and potentially life threating illness, so feed it sparingly.

I also feed my dogs organ meats:  heart, liver, kidney, pancreas, gizzards, and brain twice a week. Organ meats are a nutrient dense source of food and too much organ meat is not good.

• There are two approaches to feeding organ meat:

  1. Feed organ meats in larger amounts twice per week.

  2. Feed organ meats every day but in smaller amounts

• Liver is high in oil soluble vitamin A (not to be confused with the vegetable source of vitamin A also known as beta carotene). If you feed too much liver then you will actually cause liver stones because liver stones are created when the body gets too much oil soluble vitamin A. 

• If you choose option 1 and thus feed organ meats twice per week, then the organ meat should be approximately 50% of the meat source. So let’s say, as an example, you were feeding 1 cup of meat. In this situation you would then use approximately 1/2 cup organ meat and 1/2 cup muscle meat.

• If you choose option 2 and thus feed organ meat every day then approximately 10% of the meat source should be organ meat. So let’s say again, as an example, that you were feeding 1 cup of meat. In this situation you would add approximately 1/8 of a cup as organ meat and the rest as muscle meat.  My personal favourite is heart because of its high taurine content.  Taurine is an essential amino acid.  Also often mix the liver or organs with brown rice and veggies.

Your dog will thank you for the variety.

Source:  Dr. Mercola

Another reason to feed your pets inside…

Patience

Energy Drinks

Its seems energy drink companies are cramming more and more ingredients into their products. “What do all these ingredients supposedly do to/for my body?”, has become a common question among consumers. So here is a list of the most common ingredients and their alleged effects on the body.

Caffeine

The most common stimulant, found in coffee, Coke and Mountain Dew. Found in much higher quantities in energy drinks. Most energy drinks contain between 70 and 200 mg. An 8 oz cup of coffee contains 110-150mg for drip, 65-125mg for percolated, and 40-80 mg for instant. Dr. Pepper gives you 41mg, and a can of Coke provides 34mg. A full can of RockStar has 160mg. Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system giving the body a sense of alertness. It can raise heart rate and blood pressure while dehydrating the body. A lot of people experience side effects above 200mg, which include sleeplessness, heart palpitations, headaches, nausea, and most commonly the jitters.

Taurine

Taurine is an amino acid that your body naturally produces. It helps regulate heartbeat, muscle contractions, and energy levels. Usually your body makes enough that you don’t need to supplement. It’s thought, but not proven, that under “stress conditions” like illness, physical exertion, or injury, the body does not create enough and supplements can help. Taurine might be a “mild inhibitory neurotransmitter”, some studies show it helps with excitable brain states. While this isn’t exactly what we want, maybe it helps level us out so we function better with elevated levels of other stimulants.

Guarana

Guarana comes from plants in South America. Amazonians have used it for a long time to increase alertness and energy. It’s more dense in caffeine than coffee beans (3-4% vs 1-2%). It’s not just called “caffeine” because it contains a couple other things: theobromine and theophylline. They’re found in coffees and teas, and are known stimulants. Marketing will sometimes call this one guaranine, as if it’s something different. It’s not.

B Vitamins

These are essentially the things that help you convert food to energy, like sugar which is found in abundance in energy drinks. The jury’s still out on whether or not they increase energy levels via supplementation. Search the interweb for info on proper dosing of the different vitamins. Common names for B vitamins are insotol, niacin, riboflavin, cyanocobalamin, and pyridoxine hydrochloride.

Ginseng

Ginseng, an adaptogenic herb, is known to increase energy, has some anti-fatigue components, supposedly relieves stress, and increase memory. Right now it’s suspected that ginseng helps stimulate the hypothalamic and pituitary glands, which then secrete something called adrenal corticotropic hormone. With a name like that, it can’t possibly be bad. Ginseng is nothing that’s naturally created by your body, so having this in your drink certainly won’t hurt. 200mg/day seems to be the standard dose, but you can safely take up to 2700mg. Rare side effects such as diarrhea and headache have been reported.

Ginkgo Biloba

This ingredient is named after the rare tree it originates from. It is believed to help with memory retention, concentration, circulation, acts as an anti-depressant, and even shows signs of helping people with Alzheimer’s. The German government recognizes it as something that helps with memory loss, concentration, and depression. 60mg is a standard supplementation dose, and you can easily take 240mg. It is advised, however, that most energy drinks do not contain enough ginkgo to be of any benefit. People on anti-depressants shouldn’t take ginkgo and some of the other side effects include blood thinning, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, dizziness, heart palpitations, and restlessness.

L-Carnitine

An amino acid usually created by your liver and kidneys, this stuff helps up your metabolism and energy levels. Because of the way it interacts with your body, it may act as a thermogenic and help increase weight loss and endurance during exercise. The jury’s still out on whether or not you need to supplement unless you have an unusual diet, but you can take 2-6 grams without worry. Make sure you get L-Carnitine, which is the type your body creates and can use. D-Carnitine is “inactive” and may actually hurt endurance levels. Rare side effects include include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.

Sugars

Glucose is the body’s preferred fuel. That’s why you get hyper with a lot of sugar. Energy drinks contain a ton of sugar. Therefore, energy. It’s a carbohydrate, and a lot of exercise regiments suggest a good dose of carbs for workouts lasting more than an hour. However, to much sugar intake has been linked to diabetes. See the sugar in energy drinks database for a sortable table of beverage sugar content.

Anti-oxidants

Anti-oxidants are things that help your body gracefully recover from the damage of free radicals. Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant, so claiming that your energy drink has a lot of anti-oxidants is like saying you’re buying really expensive orange juice. But they’re good, they help fend off illness and prevent cellular damage. Vitamins C and E, Vitamin A (aka retinol, beta-carotene), and selenium are all anti-oxidants.

1. Monster
Easily the best drink out there. Green can is best. I don’t know why they make other flavors. You can’t get better than perfect. I tried the orange one once. It tasted like fruity ass. Green Monster for fucking life.

2. Rockstar
This isn’t as good as Monster but it’s a good enough substitute if that’s all a store has. Make sure to get the black can, not the “diet” white one. The coffee one is probably pretty badass, but I don’t want to try it. Rockstar gets my 2nd place vote.

3. Red Bull
Red Bull was the first energy drink to come out that didn’t taste like fucking medicine. It was expensive and came in small cans, because it was so powerful. Or was it? Monster and Rockstar came out in MUCH larger cans for CHEAPER! So why the fuck does Red Bull still charge $3 for a fucking 6 oz shot can? Fuck Red Bull, but it’s a good drink, if someone else pays.

4. Everything Else
Sucks. Nothing else is good. The only ones worth buying are Monster in the green can, and Rockstar in the black.

You know you’re addicted to energy drinks when every time you get gas, or pass a gas station for that matter, you wonder what energy drinks they have. It has gotten to the point where I know which gas stations have which energy drinks. I don’t choose which gas station I go to by gas price anymore. I choose them by which energy drinks they have and if they have specials. Shit, I had to drink an energy drink just to write this. Coffee is great. Don’t get me wrong, I love it. But there’s a different buzz I get from taurine.  I need… aaaa I mean I want that pick-me-up around 2:30pm to get me through my day of work.

And why don’t they advertise to this market? I’m not a rock star or a extreme X-Games athlete, or even want to be. I’m just your run of the mill working man that wants a taurine pick-me-up to wind out my workday. I wouldn’t feel so silly buying a can of “Productivity”. No, instead I have to buy “Monster!”. These things are more addictive than cigarettes. I know, I smoke too. So, cigarette companies can’t market to kids but energy drinks can? How’s that fair? I mean my heating bill went up this month and I broke it down in the number of energy drinks I just burnt. It’s getting out of control…. my heating bill that is. Not my energy drink addiction.

My typical morning routine usually consists of waking up late, rushing to get ready and then stopping by my favorite convenient store to purchase a beloved Redbull before heading in to work.  Yes, I will shamefully admit; I’m addicted to those damned beverages (amongst other things as well but for now let’s focus on one demon at a time).  It puts a spark of excitement in my belly to just think about them and the energy I will have after just a couple of sips.  I arrive at work with enough vigor to pull my body to my cube and then sit down, turn on my p.c. and pop my Bull.  I am not a morning person as you can tell but after allowing the sugars and chemicals to flow through my veins I become alive and full of pizzazz.  I quickly knock out my bank reporter and reconcile it in no time and then move on to my next project effortlessly.  However, I’m starting to get worried about my Redbull habit.

If I do not have one, I will get a headache.  And not just any headache…the headache from hell!  This pounding, pulsating, vibrating, brain pain that would drive an insane person crazy.  I try to stay away from them on the weekends and have noticed that it’s not the easiest task.  I find myself longing for one and I do not like to rely on anything to get me through the day (especially if I sleep in and have the energy naturally) so I’ve came to the conclusion that I need to slow down/stop drinking them.  I will probably turn to coffee, which isn’t much better and I’m sure the headaches will still be there but at least it doesn’t contain taurine; which has been at the center of some controversy lately.  Taurine is essentially an amino acid naturally found in meat, fish and breast milk but there is little known about the effects of heavy/long-term use of this ingredient and the taurine used in Redbull is entirely synthetic.  

Countries such as Norway, Denmark and France have banned the sale of this product as it has been tested on rats and results showed them anxious, petulant, sensitive to noise and the scariest part – -  self mutation.  While it would be cool to have the powers of Jean Grey from X-Men, I will pass on those for now thank you.  The road to a Redbull free life will be difficult but I’m going to try and break the habit or at the very least, slow it down.  FYI, this article was generated from a Lindsey that has downed 1 medium, Iced McDonalds, premium Roast blend and 2 samples of a Gourmet/French Roast blend courtesy a vendor attempting to make a sale in my break room this morning.  All before 10 a.m!  Now I’m off to compete in a 5K race, rearrange my file room and if there’s time left, read a copy of War and Peace.  God, I love caffeine! 

I continue to be amazed at what I see in the world of foods and beverages in the US.

I’ve been researching this energy drink phenomenon and here are some of the things I’ve found:

FoxNews: Aug 15, 2008- reports: Red Bull might give you wings but new research suggests just one can of the popular energy drink may increase the risk of heart damage.

IVillage: September 23, 2008- HealthDay News shows Drinking too much of the popular Red bull energy drink may lead to heart damage says an Australian study.

ABC News in Nevada reports You may want to think twice before grabbing a can of Red bull. A new study says just one can of the Sugar Free beverage may up your risk of heart damage. This may be due to it causing the blood to become stickier, thus raising the risk of blood clots which can cause heart attacks and strokes.

Red Bull contains sodium citrate, a flavor additive. Americans consume far too much sodium, putting them at risk for high blood pressure and heart disease. It is also stated that extremely large oral dosages may produce gastrointestinal disturbances.

Red Bull vehemently denies that their drink is harmful to anybody. When I researched further on Wikipedia, it stated that natural Taurine can help the heart. Conversely, the synthetic Taurine has a negative effect on the heart. It is also stated on Wikipedia that it is the synthetic Taurine (the type that Red Bull uses) can lead to heart damage.

L-taurine, the natural Taurine contained in some energy drinks on the market, has been shown to reduce the risks of heart disease and combat heart damage, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and arthritis. Some of them also contain green tea leaf extract, which helps metabolize fat and reduce the risk of cancers, heart and liver disease.

It is shocking that most of the students that participated in the Australian study have refused to drink Red Bull, and will never consume it after learning the results of the study.

With 75 million energy drinks being consumed on a daily basis, how can we warn the younger generation of the dangers of drinking these kinds of beverages? With increased consumption of beverages like Red Bull, it will lead to increased health problems & possibly lead to more deaths.