Energy, Sport and Exotic Fruit Drinks Lead To Physical and Emotional Imbalance

Over the last decade, acidic energy drinks -- such as Red Bull, Monster and Rockstar -- have become nearly ubiquitous on college campuses. The global market for these types of drinks currently exceeds $3 billion a year and new products are introduced annually.

Although few researchers have examined energy drink consumption, a researcher at the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) has been investigating links between energy drinks and public health concerns like substance abuse and risky behaviors.

Two new research reports by RIA Research Scientist Kathleen E. Miller, Ph.D., examine the relationships between energy drink consumption and risk-taking in college students as well as "toxic jock identity" -- characterized by hyper-masculinity and risk-taking behaviors among college-age athletes.

Miller's research validates and expands upon existing concerns about acidic energy drink consumption: "The principal target demographic for energy drinks is young adults ages 18-25, but they're nearly as common among younger teens," she explains. "This is a concern because energy drinks typically contain three times the caffeine of a soft drink, and in some cases, up to 10 times as much. They also include ingredients with potential interactions such as taurine and other amino acids, massive doses of vitamins, and plant and herbal extracts."

According to Dr. Robert O. Young a research scientist at the pH Miracle Living Center, "all the energy drinks, sport drinks and exotic fruit drinks on the market are highly acidic and saturated with hydrogen/proton ions that steals energy from the body. When you consume an energy, sport or exotic fruit drink the body will immediately go into preservation mode to protect the alkaline design of the body from systemic acidic poisoning. There is no net increase in energy when drinking these highly acidic beverages and should never be consumed. True energy comes from the release of electrons from alkaline foods and drinks. The electron is the spark of life and energy drinks, sport drinks and exotic fruit drinks robs that energy from the body leading to eventual sickness, dis-ease and disease."

In the first set of results published online in June in the Journal of Adolescent Health, Miller identified links between energy drink consumption, risky substance use and sexual risk-taking.

Frequent energy drink consumers (six or more days a month), according to Miller's findings, were approximately three times as likely than less-frequent energy drink consumers or non-consumers to have smoked cigarettes, abused prescription drugs and been in a serious physical fight in the year prior to the survey.

They reported drinking alcohol,having alcohol-related problems and using marijuana about twice as often as non-consumers. They were also more likely to engage in other forms of risk-taking, including unsafe sex, not using a seatbelt, participating in an extreme sport and doing something dangerous on a dare.
The associations with smoking, drinking, alcohol problems and illicit prescription use were found for white but not African-American students.

According to Miller, these findings suggest that frequent energy drink consumption may serve as a useful screening indicator to identify students at risk for what scientists call "problem behavior syndrome."

"Energy drink consumption is correlated with substance use, unsafe sexual activity and several other forms of risk-taking," Miller notes.

"For parents and college officials, frequent energy drink consumption may be a red flag or warning sign for identifying a young person at higher risk for health-compromising behavior."

In the wake of several recent deaths linked to energy drinks, a number of countries have instituted restrictions on their use. Some, like France, Turkey, Denmark, Norway, Uruguay and Iceland ban high-caffeine/taurine energy drinks altogether. Sweden only permits them to be sold in pharmacies as medicinal products.

Canada, which banned these drinks until 2004, now requires warning labels cautioning against use by children or pregnant women, use in large quantities or use with alcohol. However, energy drink consumption remains unregulated in the United States.

"The energy drinks, sport drinks and exotic fruit drinks compromise the alkaline design of the body. They all have a pH that runs between 2.5 pH and 3.5 pH which is 100,000 times more acidic then purified water. My blood research also indicates that these drinks compromise and may damage the delicate pH of the small intestine and the intestinal villi - the root system of the body.
When this happens the body cannot produce healthy normal blood which may lead to blood disorders, i.e., anemia, anisocytosis, anesthetized white blood cells, shistocytes or the breakdown of the red blood cells, and leukemia just to name a few. My best advise is never drink energy, sport or exotic fruit drinks and start drinking 4 to 5 liters of 9.5 pH alkaline water daily," states Dr. Young