A Can of Bull? Do Energy Drinks Really Provide a Source of Energy? by Merle Heid
ID: 97369 • Letter: A
Question
A Can of Bull? Do Energy Drinks Really Provide a Source of Energy? by Merle Heidemann, Division of Science and Mathematics Education, Michigan State University Gerald Urquhart, Lyman Briggs School of Science, Michigan State University Objectives Describe and categorize chemically the components of various ts of various popular "energy drinks. Determine the physiological role of these components in the human body. Explain scientifically how the marketing claims for these drinks are supported (or not) . Determine under what conditions each of the "energy drinks might be useful to the consumer. The Case After spending several years working the Sports Desk of the Lansing State Journal, Rhonda had landed the job of her dreams as a writer for Runners World magazine. The job was fantastid! Since high school, where she had excelled in cross country, Rhonda had been a consistent runner, participating in local races and those assigned to her for her job. For her last assignment, she had run and reported on the Leadwood, South Dakota, marathon-it uas a blast As if reading her mind, her boss Charley walked in just then with a can of XS Citrus Blast in one hand and a list of several other energy drinks in the other. We've been getting a lot of inquiries about the different energy drinks on the market, including XS Citrus Blast Do you know anything about them?" Charley asked. "I know that people use them for various reasons,"replied Rhonda. "It seems they're primarily used by athletes to provide some fuel' as they practice and compete. Other people use them more casually as a way to become energized. That's about all I know. That seems to be about all any of us knows," Charley said. “For your next assignment, Charley continued, "I want you to find out what each ofthe ingredients 1n these drinks is and what it does for a runner or for a non-athlete. You need to be very accurate in your analysis determine what each component really does for the body, not what the marketers want you to believe it does. Then look at the marketing claims of some of these drinks and see if the scientific facts match up to them. Many of our readers are using these drinks with some general notion that theyre helpful, but they're basing their use of them on no scientific information. I've got the marketing daims, a list of ingredients and nutrition facts provided on the cans for consumers, and a short list of questions that should get you started. When you research these, be sure to document all your sources of information, keeping in mind that all resources are not cqual. Here's the information."Explanation / Answer
***Energy practically means the capacity of a living being to do work or movement.
***Biologically energy means a storage in the cell in the form of molecules such as carbohydrates, proteins and fat which releases energy when metabolised to relese ATP. which is basically called energy currency of living being.
The ingridients listed on the can are
Caffeine- Is basially a alkaloid found in coffee and tea.
Role: This stimulate the central nervous system. This increases the brain perception activity level by increasing dopamine and epinephrine.. when the caffeine signalling drops it leads to anxiety, muscle tremors, insomnia.
Taurine - it is an amino acid. This acts as an antioxidant. helps regulate muscle contraction and energy levels.
vitamin B- vital element that body needs for normal functioning. supports cellular energy production.
Sucrose and glucose- carbohydrates. Usual source of energy when metabolised.
*****All ingridients provide energy when metabolised in the body.
*****Body tissue repair is always assisted by protein i.e., amino acids.
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