Energy Drinks are BAD for you.

Please read the ENTIRE debate before voting. Thank you! >> Im not asking for a more positive than negative but simpliy whether or not they are good for you(health-wise).<< If we're going to get technical, then you have made a false statement. You say that your argument is that energy drinks are "not good for you". This is different than saying that they are bad for you. Just because something isn't good doesn't necessarily mean that it is bad. The topic of the debate is "Energy Drinks are BAD for you" --with capital B, A, and D. Therefore YOU must prove that energy drinks are unhealthy for you (which you haven't done), not simply take the position that they are not good for you (which is closer to what you have done). >>So yes it is agreed that glucose is a simple sugar that your body breaks down for energy and is good for your body when used. But this is really only in small doses compared to avg. energy drink having about 21.5 g sucrose, 5.25 g of glucose, which if not used can quickly add unwanted pounds to the body.<< I ask that you look at this site. Take notice of the fourth clause about sugar. http://www.teennutrition.net... As a teen (which apparently you are one), this guide says that you shouldn't have more than 55g of sugar in one day. Consuming an energy drink does not even come close to exceeding this amount. This site does talk about how sugar CAN be unhealthy, but that is obviously if it consumed in quantities that are excessive. If you can control your sugar-intake the rest of the day, the sugar you would consume in one energy drink is not an unhealthy amount. The problem with kids today, is that they DON'T control their diet, so they end up having too much sugar. However, the sugar in an energy drink, in and of itself is not necessarily "BAD" for you. >>Here is a site with info on gingko biloba and as far as i can tell..its not saying its the best thing for you either.<< Again, just because it doesn't say that gingko "is the best thing for you" does not prove your point that it is bad for you. >>With Severe side effects ; possible effects include headache, dizziness, heart palpitations and GI and dermatologic reactions.<< Every drug has the "possibility" of side effects. But I hope you are not implying that all or even a majority of people who consume gingko experience these effects. I'm sure you wouldn't consider ginger extracts to be unhealthy would you? Here is some information (from the same source you used for gingko no less) about ginger. http://www.drugs.com... Notice some of the "possible" side effects: "rash, hives, itching, difficulty breathing, tightness in the chest, swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue, change in the amount of urine, drowsiness, irregular heartbeat" Surely these reactions are "bad", but you can't hope to claim that something is unhealthy based solely on its "possible side effects". >>Ginkgo pollen can be strongly allergenic. Contact with the fleshy fruit pulp causes allergic dermatitis, similar to poison ivy.<< Yes gingko "CAN" be strongly allergenic, but so "CAN" peanuts. Some people will asphyxiate and die if they consume too many peanuts. So just because some people are allergic to something, we should call it unhealthy? I hope not. And notice how it says "contact with the fleshy fruit pulp causes..."--when you consume energy drinks, you are not coming in contact with the "fleshy fruit pulp" of the gingko plant. You are consuming a trace amount of its extract. >>So im not saying all herbal supplements are bad for you that are included in a energy drink, but they are all not definetly good.<< No you aren't saying that all herbal supplements are bad for you. But if you want to effectively defend your topic, then you ought to at least be able to say more than "they are all not definetly good" about the ones you brought up. (And hopefully do it with better spelling.) >>Yes guarana is "generally considered safe"<< Here you explicitly concede that guarana is not BAD for you. >>but its basically a twin to caffiene. So when you have 25 mg of guarana and 280 mg per serving size of 240 ml (8.2 US fl oz)(Rockstar-common energy drink sold in stores)It all adds up to a very unhealthy amount of caffiene. Also the crashes that "tend" to happen after a couple hours prior to drinking an energy drink are linked to that of the high doeses of caffiene. Its also been included that the heart rate increase made from energy drinks is unhealthy due to it all being caffiene.<< If you want to talk about an "unhealthy amount of caffeine", you need not look any further than here: http://www.nextag.com... These are 500mg caffeine pills. Many consumers take multiple pills at once, amounting to over 1000mg of caffeine. THAT is an unhealthy amount of caffeine. The average 8oz. serving of an energy drink (according to Wikipedia** http://en.wikipedia.org...) has only 80mg of caffeine. An entire 16oz. can has only 150mg of caffeine. For someone seeking enhanced mental alertness and wakefullness, 150mg of caffeine is not an excessive dose to achieve these effects. Hencethereforeto, an energy drink is an appropiate and desirable medium to administer this dosage. **I apologize for citing Wikipedia, but I couldn't find its source that it cites in this statement (Mintel Energy Drink Report 2006, 07.05.06) >>Sorry but this has nothing to do with anything. Still unhealthy. Sorry alex.<< In reference to: <<"Any intelligent drinker of energy drinks would know this and plan accordingly."- Antipatriot>> In reference to the "crash" associated with energy drinks. I don't know how you profess to know my name, but, I digress. My statement definitely has SOMETHING to do with SOMETHING. Why is it "still unhealthy"? Because you say it is? The "crash" that some of the drinkers of energy drinks experience is not, in and of itself, a BAD thing. The coming down period of caffeine is simply the body's natural function as it returns to homeostasis. If you are a responsible user, this crash would have not affect you in any negative manner. In fact, with the right timing, some could even use it as a sleep aid--making a positive out of a naturally occurring process. >>By saying the second line your saying that they are unhealthy if not permanently but in short term. I would like to conclude that even though they may be convienent for the working trucker for needs a "pick me up", that does not help the case that over all the avg. energy drink is more unhealthy than healthy.<< I believe you are reading between the lines my friend. That, and putting words in my mouth. I would like you to find where I state that energy drinks are "unhealthy in the short term". By saying that energy drinks are not permanently damaging, all I am saying is that energy drinks are not permanently damaging--no more, no less. Please don't try to tell me what I'm saying. This was a good debate, but I find that my opponent has yet to prove that energy drinks are BAD for you. Every point he brought up about health and risk, can easily be either falsified, or refuted. It seems even he concedes to my point: "I would like to conclude that even though they may be convienent for the working trucker for needs a "pick me up", that does not help the case that over all the avg. energy drink is more unhealthy than healthy" He just said that it did NOT help the case in proving that energy drinks are more UNhealthy than healthy. As I conclude, I would like to thank my opponent for the debate. Peace.