Researchers from Camilo José Cela University and the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (Spain) carried out a large-scale 4-year study to compare the positive effects on performance and the negative consequences on health of drinking beverages. energizing.
Scientists followed athletes (footballers, mountaineers, swimmers …) to conduct their investigation. Before each competition, these athletes drank the equivalent of 3 cans of energy drinks or a placebo drink. The researchers evaluated the physical performance of athletes and their state of health.
More negative effects than positive
” The energy drinks slightly increase performance by 3 to 7% ”explains Juan J. Salinero, researcher and co-author of the study. “On the other hand, all the athletes declared during the study to have more frequent insomnia, to be more nervous and to have too long muscular stimulation after the effort”.
The effects on muscle performance and stimulation and sleep are due to the caffeine in these drinks. The declared caffeine concentration is 32 mg per 100 ml of product, i.e. 80 mg per 250 ml can.
But, a previous study found that these drinks contained too much caffeine. The US equivalent of 60 million Consumers, Consumer Reports, tested 27 brands of energy drinks, like Red Bull, Rockstar, and Starbucks Double Shot, and found that caffeine amounts ranged from 6 to 242 milligrams per serving. To compare, Consumer Reports recalls that a 236 ml cup of coffee contains about 100 mg. And that it is recommended for health not to exceed 400 mg of caffeine per day.
In France, the issue of the safety of so-called “energy” drinks (BDE) has been monitored by the National Food Safety Agency (ANSES) for several years. In 2013, she awarded a report and sounded the alarm about the dangers of consuming these types of drinks. “The main symptoms noted following the consumption of so-called energy drinks are essentially cardiovascular (95 cases), followed by psycho-behavioral (74 cases) and neurological (57 cases) effects. Digestive, respiratory, allergic or muscular disorders are also reported but with a lower incidence, ”recalls the Agency.
