 |
| Coffee Products lead the rankings in many categories |
Ask Yourself, Why Am I So Jittery?
More products than ever before contain unbelievable amounts
of caffeine!
CrackHeads2 Candies (1 box 37 grams) = 1.5 Starbucks coffee
(20 ounces) = two shots of 5-Hour Energy = 2.5 Monster
Energy Drinks (16 ounces) = 12 cans of Coca-Cola (12 ounce) = 21 Hershey's Special
Dark Chocolate Bars (1.5 ounces) = 2 NoDoz tablets.
Even though caffeine might keep people alert — some may
argue it’s a prized quality of an always-turned on world. Hyped-up, amp'd, and buzzed nearly all day
long like so many are, it stimulates the brain's pleasure centers, and it’s mildly
addictive. More than just naturally occurring, these are just two
possible reasons why so many manufacturers and suppliers add a little extra to
foods and drinks.
 |
| Energy Drink Brand |
Data supplied by FoodNavigator-USA reveals how the 5-Hour Energy
shot surged 35.7% to $924 million in
the 52 weeks ending August 7. Producing
36- million bottles a month, this gives the little shot an 88% market
share. And while the brand extension of 5-Hour
Energy Extra Strength jumped to $13.6 million, the 5-Hour Energy brand owns
89.3% of the market share for energy shots.
Comparatively, the energy drink
market enjoys $8.0 billion in sales each year in the U.S. alone. Overall, the
energy shot market in the United States is worth $1.05 billion, and doesn’t
include Wal-Mart sales so the numbers could be a lot bigger.
 |
| Typical ingredients |
The growing caffeinated-foods industry has raised a high
level of scrutiny at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration lately. Although the FDA does not regulate the amount
of caffeine in foods and drinks— they say less than 400 mg a day "is not generally associated with
dangerous, negative effects." However, it is reconsidering regulations
because some manufacturers are adding caffeine in many other products you'd
never suspect, and at such high doses, and combined with large serving sizes,
they can pack a bigger punch than you'd ever know. Energy drinks often provide a bigger kick
because they contain a cocktail of other ingredients that artificially magnify
alertness, and what you might perceive as stamina and endurance when all it’s
nothing more than a stimulant —with a crash sure to come.
The FDA is concerned about the cumulative effects of the
daily and multiple intake of caffeine products all through the day, which
could lead to dependency. All too often
it’s the “caffeine withdrawal headache” experienced by some alerting them to a
problem. If they fail to get their
caffeine fix by 10 o'clock in the morning, these headaches can be worse than a migraine
headache episode, and the withdrawals can last for days at a time. All because of the rebound swelling of blood
vessels around the brain from not being artificially constricted sometimes
days, weeks or months at a time thanks to the effects of caffeine. Also, the American Academy of pediatrics
cautions parents that the consumption of caffeine products by children may be
linked to the onset of some neurological and other cardiovascular problems.
Bless and be blessed, ALWAYS
