Beverages: The True Cost of Energy Drinks

Learn More about this Quiz

Sports and energy drinks call to us with their shiny bright colors and cool names. They tell us that if we drink them, we'll have more stamina to compete at higher levels for a longer time. Or even to help us get through a mid-day slump. Who wouldn't want that?Sales of energy drinks are higher than ever. They can be found anywhere from kids soccer games to dorm rooms to office cubicles and home refrigerators. It seems that everyone could use a little extra energy.But what exactly is in those drinks that give you that energy boost? Are their shiny colors and cool names doing more harm than good?

Truth About Energy Drinks

Gatorade, the original energy drinkreplacements for lost electrolytes. In fact, the original batch tasted so terrible that the inventor threw up the first time he drank it. Adding fructose and lemon for flavor made the drink palatable. For 15 years, the only flavor of Gatorade was lemon-lime. That is, until it was purchased by a major food manufacturer in 1983. Since then the energy drink market has grown enormously while being poorly regulated by the FDA, so brands have considerable leeway regarding their ingredients. Today those highly advertised energy drinks contain significantly more than simple electrolyte replacements

Contributions by: