After exercising, staying up late working overtime, watching football all night, or driving long distances, in order to recover their physical strength and energy faster, many people will choose to drink a can of energy drink, which not only quenches their thirst, but also refreshes the mind and rejuvenates the blood ~
But according to 《UK According to the medical journal "", a 21-year-old young man drank 4 cans of energy drinks every day for 2 years. As a result, he developed shortness of breath and difficulty breathing due to exertion. He was diagnosed with heart failure and renal failure and was sent to ICU.
What are the common functional drinks? Can I still drink it? Let’s take a look.
1
What type of beverage does functional drink refer to?
Functional beverages refer to beverages that can adjust human body functions to a certain extent by adjusting the ingredients and content ratios of various nutrients in the beverage, and are not intended to treat diseases.
At present, functional drinks in a broad sense mainly include three categories: sports drinks , energy drinks and other health-care drinks.
Special substances often added to functional drinks
The reason why functional drinks can "refresh you" "Brain" is due to the addition of functional factors such as taurine, lysine, caffeine, and the help of B vitamins, inositol, nicotinamide, etc., to accelerate the body's metabolism. . So, what exactly do these ingredients do to the human body?
① Taurine
One of the important ingredients in functional drinks is a special amino acid . Taurine has the functions of maintaining the balance of osmotic pressure and of the body, maintaining normal visual function, maintaining exercise ability, and improving the body's immunity.
② Caffeine
is a central nervous system stimulant . Appropriate intake can temporarily drive away drowsiness and restore energy , and reduce mental fatigue to a certain extent.
③ Guarana
Guarana is a plant, and its seeds have a higher caffeine content than coffee beans. Therefore, even if some drinks are not labeled with caffeine, it does not mean that there is no caffeine, and the content may be higher. Some ordinary drinks will also achieve a "refreshing" effect by adding guarana extract.
④ Lysine
human body essential amino acid , which can promote protein synthesis and human body growth and development.
But even so, it is not advisable to consume too much lysine: on the one hand, the body cannot use it and it will be wasted; on the other hand, too much lysine will interfere with other amino acids (such as: histidine ), etc. Absorption in the intestinal tract, over time, will inevitably lead to a lack of histidine, arginine , etc. in the body, which will affect the metabolism of the entire protein and even the body's tissues.
⑤ Creatine
A nitrogen-containing organic acid, can assist in providing energy to muscles and nerve cells.
However, because the carbohydrates and creatine provided by energy drinks are very sufficient, if is not consumed in time, it will easily lead to weight gain.
Individually, these ingredients are not harmful to the human body, or the impact is not very great, but if they are combined and excessively consumed for a long time, the impact on the body will be beyond imagination!
2
How harmful is it to your health if you always drink energy drinks?
Effects on the Heart
The unique blend of sugar, caffeine and taurine in energy drinks can have an effect on the heart.
Researchers at the University of the Pacific once conducted an experiment on energy drinks. The results showed:
Compared with people who drink supplements, people who take energy drinks will have a QT interval, which is when the ventricles of the heart begin to beat again. The time is extended by about 6~7.7 milliseconds. This can lead to fatal cardiac arrhythmia !
Caffeine addiction
A small amount of caffeine will bring benefits to the body, but once you consume too much, you may experience insomnia, jitters, anxiety, fast heart rate, stomach discomfort, nausea, headache, irritability, etc. symptom.
It should also be noted that caffeine is addictive and users will continue to increase the dosage due to body tolerance. To put it simply, drinking one can in the past was effective, but now you may need to drink several cans in a row.
At this time, the effect of caffeine does not only stay in the cerebral cortex, it can directly excite the medulla oblongata, causing paroxysmal convulsions and skeletal tremors, and damaging important internal organs such as the liver, stomach, and kidneys.
The current range of caffeine intake generally accepted by the medical community is: healthy adults should not exceed 210~400mg of caffeine per day.
Most energy drinks contain a lot of sugar. Regardless of other ingredients, sugar intake alone will also put a lot of burden on the body.
① Excessive sugar intake will increase the risk of overweight and obesity, which in turn will increase cardiovascular risk;
② Long-term intake of large amounts of drinks containing high sugar content will put a great burden on the pancreatic system, thereby impairing insulin function . In severe cases, acute complications may occur, such as diabetic ketoacidosis etc.
3
Can you still drink functional drinks?
If you really like to drink functional drinks, the European Food Science Committee has put forward three suggestions:
Don’t be greedy for too much
Drink occasionally, like once a week or two, and no more than 1 can at a time.
People who should not drink it
Patients with congenital heart disease, patients with neurasthenia, pregnant women, children and adolescents under 16 years of age , etc., are more tolerant to taurine and caffeine than ordinary people. Low, so does not recommend drinking functional drinks .
Do not drink when you stay up late or drink
When you stay up late or drink alcohol The body is already very tired. Drinking energy drinks at this time is equivalent to overworking the horse, which is not good for health;
Drinking alcohol itself will increase the burden on the heart through another channel. The superimposed effects of alcohol and caffeine will make the heart more stressed. Tired. Some data show that drinking energy drinks while drinking can increase the risk of panic by 6 times .
Functional drinks contain electrolytes, which can replenish those consumed through sweating, so you can drink them in moderation before and after exercise.
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