The Truth About Caffeine in Sports Drinks

Posted March 1, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Jamal Walker

Section: In The News, His Health, Physical Health, His Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Supplements

You see them at most convenient stores. Popular drinks with intense, flashy labels that promise to offer “energy” or a “boost” for your workout. The truth is, what you don’t know CAN hurt you – many of these popular drinks are labeling their products in a safe manner.

Elaine Magee, MPH, RD, is the “Recipe Doctor” for WebMD.  In a recent blog, she explained that companies are only required to list the caffeine content if the caffeine is added as an “actual added ingredient.” However, when caffeine is a component of another added ingredient, such as tea extract or herb, then caffeine is not required to be listed. As you can imagine, this can be misleading to many consumers.

The added caffeine can adversely affect many people who are sensitive to stimulants—like those with irritable bowel syndrome or people with a tendency toward low blood sugar after the caffeine surge (which is very common and can be dangerous). 

Research sources and for more information: [WebMD Healthy Recipe Doctor]; [picture]