Energy Drinks are BAD for you.

The title of this topic is very vague and makes this debate ambiguously defined. Are we talking about one energy drink? Or are we talking about daily use of energy drinks? Someone who drinks them more than water? I think we would be best served to clarify this by saying that your side of the debate is: "Energy drinks have more negative effects than positive" While my side postulates: "Energy drinks do not have enough negative effects to be considered completely unhealthy." Yes, energy drinks do have some "bad" effects, but almost every consumable product has at least one "bad" effect. Here I will present a case while energy drinks, in moderation, can be beneficial to its users, despite the health risks. You list several ingredients with no explanations for any of them. I am assuming that you believe all of those things are bad for you, or else you wouldn't have listed them to prove your point. Let me go through this list and explain the effects of each of these ingredients. Glucose/Sucrose/Sugar - Glucose and sucrose are complex carbohydrates that the body consumes during organic reactions for energy. The chemical reactions of these two sugars with oxygen gas have very high, negative enthalpy values. This means that during this process a lot of energy is released--this is energy that our body uses for fuel. When your body breaks down carbohydrates for consumption, glucose is the most abundant saccharide. So glucose is the main sugar that our body consumes for energy. When sucrose is broken down, its main products are glucose and fructose. As I've mentioned earlier, glucose is the good sugar that our body can efficiently use. Fructose, while still among the three most important blood sugars (along with glucose and galactose) and readily consumed by the body, is the main culprit in energy drinks. The problem with fructose is that, in excess, it can lead to many health risks. In moderation however, fructose is very beneficial to the body. The fact that energy drinks have a relatively high concentration of sugar is what leads some people to consider them unhealthy. But if you are going to stop drinking energy drinks on the basis that they have sugar, you would also need to stop drinking soda and most juices, as well as abandon the indulgence of any candy. Amino Acids/Taurine - Amino acids are the component structural units of proteins in your body. You will often see weight lifters consuming products with "key amino acids" to help the muscles use and build protein. Protein is NECESSARY for the muscle development and growth in almost all living organisms. Saying that energy drinks are unhealthy on the basis that they have amino-acids in them is not a strong argument. Herbal supplements - Most of those things you listed aren't necessarily unhealthy. Gingko Biloba is a supplement that you can buy at the grocery store. Many people take it regularly to supposedly enhance brain-functioning. Those other supplements can be (and are) consumed in moderate quantities by health-conscious individuals. The effects (positive or negative) of all those substances mentioned are in question however. Some nutritionists will say that those supplements will help you in various ways, while others say that they won't do anything. However, I would ask of you to find anyone that says that those supplements are unhealthy (in moderation). The truth is that those substances are present in energy drinks are only there in very low quantities--therefore ANY effects that they might have (positive or negative) are not significant enough to discontinue your use of energy drinks on the basis that they are some of the ingredients. Guarana - Guarana is classified by the United States as GRAS--Generally Recognized As Safe. Yes, it does contain caffeine, but that is the main psychoactive ingredient in energy drinks. You shouldn't be having an energy drink if you don't wish to be stimulated. The main ingredient in energy drinks, caffeine, is the substance that you should have listed first and foremost as negative. Many cases can be made against the use of caffeine, but it is a very practical, and relatively mild drug. It stimulates the central nervous system and should be used by those needing a boost. Oftentimes there is a "coming down" period with energy drinks--the time after your body has consumed and used the psychoactive ingredients where you might feel a little be tired and down. Any intelligent drinker of energy drinks would know this and plan accordingly. My argument is that for someone who needs/wants energy and a stimulant (someone like a truck driver), energy drinks are a perfectly acceptable way to get those desired effects. Energy drinks CAN be unhealthy when they are consumed in copious amounts. I'm not saying that it's okay for kids to have an energy drink twice a day. I'm simply saying that, in moderation, energy drinks can be positively used and are not permanently damaging to the body.