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13 Energy Drinks In 3 Sessions
circletimessquare writes "As a member of the cult of caffeine, as I suspect many Slashdot readers are, I was pleasantly amused by this story in The New York Times entitled Opening 13 Cans of Whoop (reg req). Our brave reporter sucks down a number of energy drinks of various parentages and gives us the lowdown on their taste, appearance, ingredients, overall effect, and dubious appeal. Example: 'At this point, my energy level was not only elevated, it was speeding toward the red line. I felt myself staring holes through my computer screen, typing at five times my normal rate and thinking far too creatively about life questions like how many AA batteries I needed to buy when I went to the drug store. My mood was chipper. Too chipper.'"
Here's a registration free link thanks to Google.
jolt cola was limited to 72mg dose of caffine per 12 oz soda do to food laws. (at least in the USA)
which ironicly is less then coffee can be (normally 65-175 mg per 8 oz serving) and less then espresso (100mg per 1.5-2oz)
http://www.freshcoffee.com/html/caffaq-1.html
these energy drinks are not "soda" to get around the limit.
LD50 for caffine is 150mg/kg
(take your weight in kg * 150mg of caffine = a dose that has a 50% chance of killing you)
200 pounds = 90.7 kilograms => 13.6 grams
100 pounds = 45.3 kilograms => 6.8 grams
"Smoking crystal meth has the quickest effect, within 7 to 10 seconds, as the vapors enter the lungs, and are absorbed rapidly through the blood vessels lining the lungs, and then get pumped throughout the body and brain."
Coca Cola Used to Contain Cocaine
Honestly folks, out of all of us nerdy caffeine freaks, who hasn't tried the suculant taste of Bawls energy drink? I have sampled all of the major drinks on the market, and Bawls ranks in the top three on Taste, Power, and Look (Come on, the bottle is awesome). Do they not sell this stuff in New York? It would have been the one of the top three I'm sure.
Caffeine is actually benefical, it can help reduce asthma attacks, it helps prevent stone formation, it can help reduce the risk of colon cancer and it's an anti-oxident. There are a lot of others which I won't post here, but a quick googling will turn them up, but sure, too much caffeine like anything is bad for you.
Indeed, drinking too much water is toxic
Yes, but.....
From webmd.com:
You would need to chug down about three quarts of water or more all at once to come down with a case of true water intoxication. It does happen, but so rarely that I couldn't find statistics on the number of cases. These people become drowsy, lightheaded, and weak. They have trouble coordinating bodily movements and thinking straight, looking and feeling as if they just stumbled out of the local bar.
"If there's hope, it lies in the proles..."
(a) Eating nutritiously and sparingly,
I want to add to this: Eat lots and lots of uncooked vegetables. You seriously can't have too many. Most of us are familiar with eating habits that tend to go with the geek lifestyle: TV dinners, ramen, spaghetti-o's, fast food, and soda (pop) by the truckload.
However, when I made a conscious effort to start eating raw vegetables with *every* meal (and not just a carrot or so a day), I noticed that I started having fewer headaches, had more energy, and just generally felt all-around healthier. Now, if I don't eat my veggies, I find that those symptoms come right back. Carrots, celery, lettuce, and green peppers are almost always staples in my fridge.
Another thing while I'm on the soapbox: Drink water in lieu of pop and fruit juice. Almost any sweet beverage you can buy at the supermarket will dehydrate you more than it will hydrate you thanks to all the added sugar they put in those things. If you have frequent headaches and your pee doesn't come almost clear 9 times out of 10, then you're chronically dehydrated. Gatorade is okay, but only after a good workout. Otherwise, water is going to hydrate you best.
This was common even in the early 1900's -cocaine was used in veritable amounts most children's and adults' cough medicines, sleeping aids (!), some headache medicines and -I believe- in some tuberchulosis medicines. The use of cocaine was banned after some of the harsher withdrawal and side-effects had started manifesting in a considerable part of the population. Coca-cola, also, had a considerable quotient of cocaine in it.
Marxist evolution is just N generations away!
Indeed. Most people don't realise it is actually physically addictive.
Adenosine is a chemical messenger that tells cells to slow down. Caffeine, being structurally similar, can block adenosine receptors in the brain, and thus prevent this slowdown.
However, your brain cells compensate to prolonged exposure by creating more and more adenosine receptors... meaning that you'll be really tired unless you block them with caffeine. Repeat ad addictum.
Check here and here for more info.
On a more personal note, I always find that drinking something with tons of sugars in it keeps me active far longer than caffeine alone. Caffeine just makes me burn through my energy reserves faster, resulting in me being even more tired after a while.
Yeah, that's what I was doing for a few years... slam down a red bull toward the end of the night and pull an extra hour or two, get some more $$$. An extra two hours gave me an extra $80 no problems, or so I thought.
Last Christmas it all caught up with me when I had an epileptic fit and woke up finding myself in the emergency section of the hostpital unable to walk. I was lucky that I only tore my back muscles and didn't break my spine from the violent jerking involved with the siezure. The only reason given to me for this fit, by the various doctors I saw, was that it occured due to my working hours and that I was pushing my body to the limit. They all told me to slow down before I killed myself or someone else. I am only 29.
Be carefull with your use/abuse of these products. It can cost you more in the long run. I was only having two of these things a day at the most.
Does it go on forever?
there is no substitute for honest to goodness sleep.
Sure there is. It's called Provigil. It's not a stimulant and it doesn't give you "energy". It just relieves the need for sleep.
Maybe that is because guarana is caffeine? Actually, guarana (Paullinia cupana) is a plant, which according to Erowid contains 5% caffeine from which it derives its stimulant effects. There is no alternative to caffeine named guarana. Wikipedia's article on guarana has more information. Yet more misinformation from the Times.
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I've seen this joke stated wrong(ly?) far too many times.
The actual Steven Wright joke is:
I put instant coffee in a microwave oven and almost went back in time.
The key word is 'almost'. That's what makes it funny.
Almost any sweet beverage you can buy at the supermarket will dehydrate you more than it will hydrate you thanks to all the added sugar they put in those things
False. 100%, completely, absolutely, totally false. Sugar does not contribute to dehydration except insofar as it may contribute to diarrhea.
Sugar doesn't interferes with the takeup of water; is even specifically added to oral rehydration treatments because it improves bodily takeup. And the metabolization of sugar releases water, rather than taking it up.