Doctors and dieticians agree there is a big difference between sports and energy drinks, but confusion exists regarding the two, especially among younger consumers.
A few weeks ago, cans of Monster Energy, one of the most popular energy drinks in Canada alongside Red Bull, Rockstar and Beaver Buzz, were removed from the St. Paul Aquatic Centre vending machine after students from Glen Avon School brought it to the attention of their teacher Sandy Babyn.
“I’m the health teacher so they came to me. It started with the students and I’m so proud of my kids because I’m teaching it," Babyn explained. "I started teaching it last year when I got the clip.”
Babyn said she began shedding light on the health risks associated with energy drinks after she watched a report conducted by the Global television program 16:9. She has since been teaching students how to properly read labels to help them understand the difference between energy and sports drinks.
“We promote eating as healthy as you can,” she added. “I try to teach them to think for themselves and make good choices…I just want people to know the difference between sports drinks and energy drinks so they and their families can make wise choices.”
Parks and Recreation director for the Town of St. Paul, Scott Walker, said he wasn’t aware the energy drinks were being sold at the Aquatic Centre until last week. They were replaced within days.
“It was an easy decision to take them out,” Walker said. “There are so many other drinks you can replace with them, like Powerade and stuff. We just sort of felt that if we took them out it really eases parents’ minds.”
“It was something we thought was in the best interest to do,” he added. “We don’t have any at our other facilities in town so it made sense to take them out. I know it was replaced with something that was definitely seen as a better beverage than the energy drinks.”
Despite being removed from recreational facilities, experts say energy drinks, which contain warning labels because of the high amount of caffeine, are still associated with sports drinks like Gatorade for the wrong reasons.
According to an article written by Dave Ellis, a registered dietitian and certified strength and conditioning specialist, entitled ‘Pulling the plug on energy drinks,’ energy and sports drinks serve completely different purposes.
Ellis said most sports drinks focus on providing carbohydrates and electrolytes in a fast digesting form to supply energy to hard-working muscles and sustain physical activity for longer periods.
Energy drinks, Ellis stated, primarily depend on caffeine, a diuretic, which may make you feel like you have energy by stimulating the nervous system “right until the minute you crash and burn. The reason is that caffeine will temporarily blunt the feeling of exertion and fatigue, but when it wears off you will feel like a refrigerator jumped on your back.”
An Alberta Health Services (AHS) web article explained the majority of energy drinks contain 80 – 100mg of caffeine in a 250ml serving, but several brands like Monster are typically sold in 473ml cans that, according to the ingredients, contain 164mg of caffeine.
The article indicated the exact amount of herbal ingredients included in each product such as guarana, an effective stimulant that has around twice the amount of caffeine as coffee beans, are not specified on various energy drinks.
A decision by federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq last October to change the classification of energy drinks as ‘natural health products’ to ‘foods’ will require each brand to carry labels listing ingredients, allergens and nutrition information. Companies are expected to meet the new requirements within the next two years.
Additional requirements include indicating the total caffeine content, limiting the types and levels of added minerals and a warning that the drink shouldn’t be mixed with alcohol. The eight-member panel advising Aglukkaq suggested banning the sale of energy drinks to young people, which is a marketing issue.
Many energy drinks, such as Monster and Rockstar, sponsor events like the X Games or The Vans Warped Tour music festival that are generally targeted towards younger audiences. A report published by the American Academy of Pediatrics last May said kids don’t need the energy drinks that are heavily marketed to them.
“Rigorous review and analysis of the literature reveal that caffeine and other stimulant substances contained in energy drinks have no place in the diet of children and adolescents,” the report said.
Although energy drinks have been criticized for their high caffeine amount, Janna Zarowny, a dietician at the St. Paul Healthcare Centre, pointed out a proper understanding of sports drinks is necessary to maintaining a healthy diet.
“Even certain sports drinks aren't appropriate for a lot of athletic training,” Zarowny said. “There's no point in drinking a sports drink unless you're doing intense exercise.”
“The whole point of a sports drink is to re-hydrate you, give you an appropriate amount of sugar to absorb and electrolytes,” she added. “If you're just sitting down on a couch or even doing a little bit of a work out at the gym, a sports drink just isn't appropriate. Water is best.”
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, carbohydrates in sports drinks amount to extra calories unless the body is depleted of carbs from intense physical activity. Our body loses water through sweat and through the water vapour in the air we breathe. Sports drinks tend to be acidic, which can erode enamel from teeth, the report notes.
“Given the current epidemic of childhood overweight and obesity, we recommend the elimination of calorie-containing beverages from a well-balanced diet, with the exception of low-fat or fat-free-milk,” the report said.
Stats from the AHS website said energy drinks account for sales of approximately $300 million a year in Canada. Side affects from large amounts of caffeine include heart palpitations, anxiety, upset stomach and a temporary increase in blood pressure and insomnia, according to AHS.
The website stated drinking less than 500ml per day of energy drink poses no significant health risks for a healthy adult.
