P.S. This is going to be a really long post.
Energy
Drinks in Society
May
13th, 2013
Janessa
Scarbrough
ABSTRACT
Cannot
be completed until all sections are done.
INTRODUCTION
Energy
drinks. They seem to be popping up everywhere. They have become so abundant
that it seems like there is a new brand gracing store shelves every day. Over
the years, energy drinks have caught everyone’s eye, particularly the younger generations.
In fact, these drinks have almost become a necessity among many young people. This
is true due to the fact that energy drinks have become the coffee of their generation.
Whether a person likes or dislikes energy drinks, it’s hard to ignore that this
beverage type is on the rise. Why are they so popular? Why do people like them?
What is it about these sugary, caffeinated beverages that make people go nuts?
All these things are answered within the pages of this paper as well as some
other vital information. This paper will not only discuss the reasoning behind
people flocking to energy drinks, but it will also discuss some controversies
among the drinks themselves as well as the current trends in the energy drink
field. What this essay seeks to prove is
that energy drinks have become a popular go-to drink for many people due to
their appeal, their overall use, and society's influence.
REASONS AND USES OF ENERGY DRINKS
Before
one can understand anything about trends, one must first know the reason why a
product is popular. Energy drinks are popular for many reasons. The first thing
that makes an energy drink appealing is its allure. Energy drinks promote that
they can give people an energy boost that will allow them to be more productive
and alert. Aufiero (2011) states that, “Energy drinks are marketed toward
people who desire a boost in energy.” Due to this fact, many people in the
younger generations such as Gen X and Gen Y flock to these drinks. Even the Millennials
are starting to pick up these beverages.
“The regular use of energy drinks may be
indicative of an underlying condition such as fatigue or insomnia, according to
registered dietitian Kara Mitchell from Duke University. Fatigue is a symptom
of a multitude of mental and physical health conditions. Fatigue caused by
insomnia or lack of sleep is treatable. However, frequent use of energy drinks
may mask the underlying condition.” (Aufiero, 2011)
This proves that many people do not get their
recommended dose of sleep. Therefore, they turn to energy drinks to get them
through the day.
Another
appeal of the energy drink is that it can supposedly enhance one’s performance
in many different things. Things like studying or exercise are among the top
uses. The Guardian, an online news source, produced an article that asked
readers why they use energy drinks which shed some light on this topic. One
reader stated that she “uses coffee, caffeine pills and Red Bull for energy
around exam time and to get an edge at the gym.” (Energy Drinks on Health)
Another stated, “every weekend morning, in 'preparation' for the gym, I buy a
Red Bull imitation drink for 35p.” (Energy Drinks on Health) It seems as though
exercise is the driving force for turning to energy drinks to enhance
performance. This is proven in the following quote.
“In a
recent survey of American high-school athletes, 32 percent reported drinking
energy beverages. In another survey, 27 percent of a group of 16,000 adolescent
athletes, some as young as 11, said that they used caffeine, usually in the
form of energy drinks, to improve their sports performance; 13 percent said
they did so at the urging of their coaches.” (Reynolds, 2010)
This quote is proof that many athletes depend
on energy drinks to enhance their performance in sports. However, using an
energy drink for this purpose isn’t exactly healthy. This will be investigated
further in the next section of this essay.
The
last thing that energy drinks have going for them is the fact that certain
social groups can influence their peers to drink energy drinks. This is done by
friends within a clique thinking it’s the cool thing to drink. That puts peer
pressure on the other friends which influences them to drink the energy drink
because they think it will make them look cool. A reader of the Guardian
stated,
“I
started drinking Relentless when I was 17 because it looked cool and boyfriend and
his friends all drank it. I used to drink it to stay up to revise before exams
and to get through exams. Also to stay awake for nights out. I now occasionally
drink it to get through meetings at work but mostly I just drink them because I
like them and not for the effects. I love the taste of them and I get cravings
for them.” (Energy Drinks on Health)
This reiterates the fact that people drink
these drinks because they are being influenced by their peers. After the first
bout of peer pressure, drinking the drinks becomes a thing of habit which is
something that is hard to kick. Yet another reason people decide to drink energy
drinks is that it is a way to obtain a legal “high”.
“Some
report downing several cans in a row to get a buzz, and a new study found a
surprising number of poison-center calls from young people getting sick from
too much caffeine.” ( DNR)
Teens don’t care about the consequences; they
just want to do anything that is considered a little rebellious. DNR’s article
about energy drinks stated,
“Wow, this drink is some serious stuff. I mean
about half the bottle is the warning label, and it is serious, this drink is
INSANE. It says that you should not drink it unless you are over 18, which I
would say is a good warning. — From a review of an energy drink by Dan Mayer on
his website.” (DNR)
This is the exact reason teens want to drink
energy drinks. “Danger only adds to the appeal.” (DNR) If something or someone says that teens are
not allowed to have something, they are more likely to want it. They will be
defiant and will manage to get their hands on that something one way or
another. In this case, it’s energy drinks. This scenario is no different to the
regulations on cigarettes and alcohol. Now that the reasons for energy drinks
and their uses have been explored, one can dive into the controversies
surrounding them.
THE CONTROVERSIES
Energy
drinks aren’t as glamorous as they are portrayed to be. In fact they seem to be
of high concern when it comes to a person’s health. This is due to their
questionable ingredients as well as their high caffeine content. The first
thing that needs to be discussed are the ingredients that are being used in
energy drinks.
Many of
the brands boast that they contain essential vitamins but in reality, it’s just
a clever ruse. Some of the top ingredients that are used in energy drinks are
as follows. Caffeine, glucose, guarana, ginseng, taurine, ephedrine, B-vitamins,
carnitine, creatine, inositol, and ginkgo biloba can all be found in popular energy
drinks but what exactly do these ingredients do? Some people have probably
never even heard of these ingredients before. To get a better picture, one
needs to understand what these ingredients are as well as their purpose. Caffeine
will be discussed a little later in this section.
To
start off the explanation of these ingredients, glucose will be discussed
first. Glucose is sugar. “Sucrose, another ingredient you'll often see on
energy drink labels, is a combination of fructose (the natural sugar found in
fruit) and glucose. Many energy drinks contain 50 to 60 grams (g) of glucose or
sucrose in a 16-ounce can.” (Loeb) This ingredient serves the purpose of
igniting a boost of energy. Next on the list is guarana. Guarana is “a South American
shrub. One seed has a caffeine content of 4 to 5 percent, while a coffee bean
has 1 to 2 percent. The amount of guarana in a 16-ounce energy drink ranges
from a minuscule 1.4 mg to as much as 300 mg.” (Loeb) Its purpose is another
source of caffeine that contributes to an energy drink’s caffeine content.
Ginseng is “an extract made from the root of the ginseng plant. Panax ginseng
is the species most commonly used. The ginseng content in energy drinks
typically ranges between 8 mg and 400 mg in 16 ounces.” (Loeb) Its purpose is
to boost your brainpower. The next ingredient that will be discussed is taurine.
Taurine is “one of the most abundant amino acids in your brain, where it can
act as a neurotransmitter—a chemical messenger that allows your cells to
communicate with one another. You'll find anywhere from 20 mg to 2,000 mg of
taurine in most 16-ounce energy drinks.” (Loeb) Its purpose is still unknown.
However, it has been the subject of much controversy seeing as it is claimed to
come from bull testicles. This is just a rumor that has been proven to be
false. (Watson)
The next few don’t really serve much of a
purpose in the drinks; they are more so used as enhancers. Ephedrine is “a
stimulant that works on the central nervous system. It is a common ingredient
in weight-loss products and decongestants, but there have been concerns about
its effects on the heart.” (Watson) B-vitamins are “a group of vitamins that
can convert sugar to energy and improve muscle tone.” (Watson) Carnitine is “an
amino acid that plays a role in fatty acid metabolism.” (Watson) Creatine is “an
organic acid that helps supply energy for muscle contractions.” (Watson) Inositol
is “a member of the vitamin B complex (not a vitamin itself, because the human
body can synthesize it) that helps relay messages within cells in the body.”
(Watson) Finally, Ginkgo biloba is “made from the seeds of the ginkgo biloba
tree, thought to enhance memory.” (Watson)
Looking
at all these ingredients can be a little overwhelming as well as a little
conspicuous. “Trouble is, by letting consumer research influence ingredient
lists, energy-drink companies are helping popularize exotic-sounding compounds
that even scientists don't yet fully understand.” (Loeb) With at least half of
these ingredients containing caffeine even more caffeine is added to the
drinks. All of these things create the perfect cocktail of energy that everyone
seems to be seeking. This cocktail does have a downfall though. All of the
caffeine and sugars create numerous health concerns and caffeine appears to be
the main culprit.
Before
one can dive deeper into this subject, one must first understand what caffeine
is and how it works.
“Caffeine
works by blocking the effects of adenosine, a brain chemical involved in sleep.
When caffeine blocks adenosine, it causes neurons in the brain to fire.
Thinking the body is in an emergency, the pituitary gland initiates the body's
"fight or flight" response by releasing adrenaline. This hormone
makes the heart beat faster and the eyes dilate. It also causes the liver to
release extra sugar into the bloodstream for energy. Caffeine affects the
levels of dopamine, a chemical in the brain's pleasure center. All of these
physical responses make you feel as though you have more energy.” (Watson)
The
problem with caffeine is that there is just too much of it that is found in
energy drinks. While caffeine is fine in moderation, many of the energy drink
companies are putting far past the recommended dose in their products. The daily dose of caffeine recommended by the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the American Medical Association
(AMA) is considered to be 300 milligrams (about two cups of coffee). (Brain)
“A typical energy drink can contain up to 80
milligrams of caffeine (about the same amount as a cup of coffee). By
comparison, a 2006 study found that the average 12-ounce soda contains 18 to 48
mg of caffeine.” (Watson) Knowing this information is quite astonishing when it’s
considered that most people that consume energy drinks are drinking at least
two to three a day. Some might think,
how can they do this? Why aren’t these drinks being regulated? The truth is, “they get around the FDA's limit by not calling themselves
sodas.” (Brian) This means that they are in a category of their own and since
energy drinks are a fairly new beverage, the FDA does not have enough
information to regulate them. It is quite a shame that the drinks aren’t being
regulated for their caffeine content because caffeine is not only addictive,
but it is also a drug. A reader of the
Guardian stated that her energy drink intake has been of some concern to her
friends. She stated,
“People have expressed their concern with the
amount I take. If I don't take them I am so tired I cannot function. I need
them to wake up, to concentrate and to feel normal … One time the shop near my
work had run out of Red Bulls and I was very distressed – I knew I would not be
able to work without them.” (Energy Drinks on Health)
The quote above reiterates the fact that
caffeine is addictive and it is solid proof that caffeine is something that people
need to know about when they choose to drink these drinks.
Caffeine
has many effects on a person’s body and some of them aren’t a good thing. Some
of the effects are as follows. Pupils dilate, the airway opens up (this is why
people suffering from severe asthma attacks are sometimes injected with
epinephrine), the heart beats faster, blood vessels on the surface constrict to
slow blood flow from cuts and increase blood flow to muscles, blood pressure
rises, blood flow to the stomach slows, the liver releases sugar into the
bloodstream for extra energy, and muscles tighten up. (Brian) These effects can
prove to be a bad thing when caffeine is used for long periods of time. Some of
these can even lead to health concerns. As an example, “once caffeine-induced
adrenaline wears off, you face fatigue and depression. Another cup of coffee or
energy drink can get the adrenaline flowing again, but having your body in a
state of emergency, jumpy and irritable all day long, isn't very healthy.”
(Brain)
Energy
drinks also have a few symptoms that come with them and some of them are
downright frightening. Things like the jitters, nausea, and sweating have been
reported and some of the more extreme symptoms include heart palpitations and
in one case, apparent seizures. (Energy Drinks on Health) When a person sits
down to think about this it’s actually terrifying. In the past few years there
have been accounts of people coming into emergency rooms due to drinking these
energy drinks.
“In the
US, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said it found
a nearly ten-fold increase in the number of emergency-room visits related to
energy drinks. Samhsa, as it is known, recorded 1,128 visits in 2005, 16,055
visits in 2008 and 13,114 visits in 2009, the most recent year for which data
was publicly available. Nearly half the emergency room visits involved alcohol
or drugs being used in conjunction with the energy drinks.” (Energy Drinks on
Health)
This proves that energy drinks need to be
regulated in some way, shape, or form. One thing to keep in mind is that
regardless of the controversies, people are still going to drink energy drinks.
So how can this industry become healthier?
ENERGY DRINK TRENDS 2013
By
knowing all the risks and controversies of energy drinks one can now understand
the reasoning behind the newest trends for the beverages. “The constant threat
of a global recession, a rising awareness of an obesity epidemic, and
increasing concerns over the negative effects of constant stimulation have
simultaneously increased consumer interest in functional drinks while making
consumers more skeptical of their benefits.” (Johnson)
This quote summarizes that due to current
events, people want something that is a healthier and safer alternative to the
usual energy drinks. Seeing as this is so, one of the biggest trends that is on
the rise in the energy drink field for 2013 are natural energy drinks.
These
drinks aren’t made with the usual ingredients. Instead they are made from
natural ingredients using a blend of real fruit juices and natural caffeine
from green coffee beans and other natural ingredients. “It is a pure and honest
source of natural energy, with no added sugar or sweetener.” (Natural energy) Another big part of the natural energy drink
scene is making the drink 100 percent organic. This assures that everything in
the drink is natural which means that the drink won’t contain the typical crud
that’s bad for people. In fact, these drinks don’t contain any taurine or
vitamin b complex. (Natural energy) Yet the best benefit of these natural
energy drinks is that fact that they only use sources of natural caffeine which
means that extra doses aren’t being added to the drinks. So why is this trend
on the rise?
“As health
and wellness awareness grows, more people are turning away from old-fashioned
pop and looking for healthier, lower calorie drinks, as well as drinks that
offer the functionality to meet their specific lifestyle needs. Many people associate classic soft drinks with
“empty calories” and note the list of artificial ingredients they contain.” (Johnson)
This is the reason why people are gulping down
this new trend.
After
knowing that natural energy drinks are the main trend for 2013, other companies
might need to reconsider both the direction the brand is taking as well as
rethinking their target market. Before a company can even consider rethinking
the brand, the target market needs to be determined. First, one must look at
the general target market for energy drinks. For the typical energy drinks, they
are usually
“geared
towards athletes, ravers, night clubbers, daredevils, shift workers,
executives, long-distance drivers and the hip-hop crowd. That means the energy
drink market is revving up everyone between the ages of 15 and 30 years old.” (The
Target Market)
There is a flip side to this seeing as there
is a select niche of energy drinks that is aimed at the health conscious. (The
Target Market) After knowing the general target market for the typical energy drinks
one can progress forward and develop a new target. This target would include
the people that are looking for a healthier alternative to the sugary, energy
juice that has become so popular. These people that are seeking a healthier
drink are more than likely living a healthy or green lifestyle. This means that
they’re the types of people that exercise regularly, shop organic, and are conscious
of the need to replenish the earth by conserving on driving and recycling. By
knowing this, a company can conduct research on these types of individuals and
determine how they should rebrand their product. So, after knowing this, how
can an energy drink brand keep up with this current trend for 2013?
Brands
can keep up with the trends by doing multiple things. According to Johnson, companies
need to do four things. The first is that they must develop a unique brand.
‘ “New and old companies must create a
brand that resonates with their target market and be consistent across all
channels. Brands may need different marketing and product versions for every
market – an international marketing strategy is critical for sustained growth.”
(Johnson)
The second thing a company must do is to differentiate
on more than a name.
“With
near identical options consumers get confused and head to stability – as the
first-mover this tends to be Red Bull. Monster tackled this challenge by
introducing products and flavors for every taste – knowing that once a customer
eventually tried and found a Monster drink they enjoyed they’d be more likely
to try other Monster products in the future. Monster is still targeting the
same market as Red Bull – but it’s doing so with product differentiation.”
(Johnson)
He goes on and lists other ways a brand can
differentiate themselves. He stated that a company can differentiate their
product by being unique in ingredients, packaging, price, quality, and experience.
(Johnson) The third thing that energy drink companies can do is to eliminate
unhealthy ingredients.
“Consumers
pay premium prices for products that they perceive as being healthier choices.
Developing a diet version, eliminating preservatives and manufactured
chemicals, and sourcing ingredients from sustainable sources all rank highly
with consumers.” (Johnson)
The final thing that companies can do is that
they can expand to new markets. “Energy drink manufacturers, especially those
located in the saturated U.S. market, must expand to remain competitive.”
(Johnson) He states that companies can do this in two ways. They can start “increasing
the number of possible consumers for the current product offerings, or by developing
new products for new markets.” (Johnson)
By
knowing all this one has a better idea of how to approach things when it comes
to both the energy drinks themselves and well as the current trends.
A NEW ENERGY DRINK
I cannot yet write this section due to the
fact that I am still in the process of completing my product line.
Point 4:
My final analysis of my project. (What I did
and why I did it)
An explanation of what I did for my project
and why I chose to do things the way that I did them.
CONCLUSION
I cannot yet complete this section until I
have completed section 4.
Conclusion:
Sum up paper/ prove thesis right or wrong.
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Aufiero, B. (2011). Why Do People Buy Energy
Drinks? | LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM - Lose Weight & Get Fit with Diet,
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Caffeine Works". HowStuffWorks "Science". Retrieved May 11,
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Johnson, S. (n.d.). The Energy Drink Market
World Outlook for 2013. Lief International - An Export Trading Company.
Retrieved May 11, 2013, from http://www.liefinternational.com/blog/market-research/consumer-trends/world/energy-drink-market-world-outlook-for-2013/
Loeb, H. (n.d.). Energy Drink Ingredients -
Men's Health. Men's Health Magazine : Men's Guide to Fitness, Health, Weight
Loss, Nutrition, Sex, Style and Guy Wisdom. Retrieved May 11, 2013, from http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/effectiveness_of_energy_drinks/
Natural energy drinks trend is emerging in
2013. (n.d.). MyDrink Beverages: Beverage Development & Consulting Company.
Retrieved May 11, 2013, from http://mydrinkbeverages.com/natural-energy-drinks-trend-is-emerging-in-2013.html
Reynolds, G. (2010). Do Energy Drinks Improve
Athletic Performance? - NYTimes.com. Health and Wellness - Well Blog -
NYTimes.com. Retrieved May 11, 2013, from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/08/phys-ed-do-energy-drinks-improve-athletic-performance/
The Target Market for Energy Drinks. (n.d.).
eDrinks.net - Consumer Guide to Energy Drinks, Sports Drinks & more!. Retrieved
May 11, 2013, from http://www.edrinks.net/energy-drinks/drink-market/
Watson, S. (n.d.). HowStuffWorks "How do
energy drinks work?". HowStuffWorks "Science". Retrieved May 11,
2013, from http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/energy-drink.htm
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