UK Government advisor calls to ban all energy drinks from schools - "‘Energy drinks are effectively - Polidicks

[QUOTE=ewitwins;43611903]Vodka Red Bulls in general make me cringe because you're combining what is basically an upper with what is basically a downer. Your heart is gonna fucking explode if you keep up with shit like that.[/QUOTE] Yeah I had a few nights on those when I was at uni. After getting in I'd just lay down and go to "sleep" but really I was just unconscious shaking and sweating whilst not really getting any rest and would be exhausted in the morning with killer anxiety. Nerfed sleep :P

[QUOTE=JustExtreme;43611996]Yeah I had a few nights on those when I was at uni. After getting in I'd just lay down and go to "sleep" but really I was just unconscious shaking and sweating whilst not really getting any rest and would be exhausted in the morning with killer anxiety. Nerfed sleep :P[/QUOTE] Yep. I did two in one night and it wrecked my sleep schedule for a week. I thought I was going to die of dehydration (I live in Arizona, so the sweating didn't help at all) because it was all of those problems stacked on top of 110F heat. Definitely don't suggest it.

[QUOTE=ewitwins;43611903]Vodka Red Bulls in general make me cringe because you're combining what is basically an upper with what is basically a downer. Your heart is gonna fucking explode if you keep up with shit like that.[/QUOTE] Four Loko got banned and subsequently rereleased sans caffeine just because of that. It may not be as drastic as combining cocaine with heroin, but the effect is definitely there.

red bull is about the only thing i'll drink because its not ridiculously huge or overpowered, all the rest are just disgusting

[QUOTE=Sableye;43612032]red bull is about the only thing i'll drink because its not ridiculously huge or overpowered, all the rest are just disgusting[/QUOTE] Red Bull is on par with monster in terms of undrinkable due to the shitty sweet/sour taste. Only energy i'd drink today would be original Bawls, shit tasted good and didn't burn my mouth with it's sourness like monster always did, it also was more like a slightly more powerful soda too, barely enough to even class as an energy drink. It used to be sold locally, but it's pretty much nonexistent, all the different varieties of monster replaced it on most store shelves.

[QUOTE=bitches;43608026]These drinks being abused is a legitimate concern, but likening them to drugs is definitely the wrong way to go. Sure it sensationalizes to the target power-holding audience, but they are so obviously not drugs that this might rub them the wrong way like it does us.[/QUOTE] How is it sensationalist when caffeine and taurine, by definition, are drugs?

If you want to curb diabetes and obesity for children stop letting companies push their unhealthy products in schools.

[QUOTE=FrancisGalton;43607687]Schools ought to teach about nootropics. Students are going to be using them anyway and they're arguably positive if taken correctly. Plus, more knowledgeable students gain an unfair chemical advantage. A healthy dose of modafinil is much better for you than energy drink abuse.[/QUOTE] Energy drinks aren't nootropics though. You're looking at piratezam, advil and similar instead. [QUOTE=Swebonny;43609312]Yeah I understand caffeine is addictive, but this thread gives the impression that energy drinks are especially bad. ..which they maybe are after all given that they're so easily accessible to children and reminds a lot of normal soft drinks.[/QUOTE] Compared to coffee? You could generally make the argument they are actually far worse. Keep in mind that coffee has a fairly bitter taste, so that in itself is barrier of entry for a lot of people, and the concentrations of sugar are much smaller. With energy drinks, you've essentially got kids drowning half a liter of a liquid which has a relatively large amount of caffeine, lots and lots of sugar (far beyond the amount you'd get from a single coffee even if you'd sugar it gratuisly) as well as smidgen of other stimulants. They're also somewhat acidic like normal soft drinks. So you have kids swishing down a cocktail which is pretty much designed to appease them (colour, taste, sugar amount, packaging) while being very unhealthy, most of all for them in the stage they are in.

Talk all the shit you want about them but 1. Some of them taste great 2. I rely on them to wake up for 4am shifts some days. I prefer classic red bull but I've been cheating with some rockstars and monsters recently

[QUOTE=DesolateGrun;43612439]If you want to curb diabetes and obesity for children stop letting companies push their unhealthy products in schools.[/QUOTE] Well fundamentally, nutrition education should be taught as well. But yes, at such a young age, while kids are impressionable, pushing these products only causes long lasting negative effects, most of which are psychological. If you want kids to be healthy, teach them about nutrition, about how their bodies react to food, and what the guidelines are for education. Take PE for example. When I was in school, physical education was simply spending 35 minutes doing some really week workout, and then spending then 20 minutes playing a short game. Instead of revolving PE around short-term exercise, (which, let's face it, most kids don't actually do because kids want to run around and play, not do pushups (which is good, playing is arguably much more beneficial to the body than muscle work at that young of an age)) spend time teaching kids how food works, what nutrition actually is. There is an alarming amount of people out there that don't actually know what calories are; there are people out there that don't know what lipids are, or what protein is, or what riboflavin does, or even how to read the nutritional information on the back of boxes. Hell, most people don't, simply because they are raised eating a certain food type, and of course they are going to continue eating a familiar product into adulthood, and then pass that down onto their kids. (see. How McDonald's Gets Buyers) It's not as simple as banning things, (though in this case, it's less about nutrition and more about drug abuse) but more about getting kids and their parents to realize what these foods actually contain, and what those things do. I mean, there were people in this thread who didn't realize caffeine was a drug/stimulant, or that energy drinks contain additives beyond simply caffeine and sugar, or that caffeine was addictive. [editline]20th January 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=wraithcat;43612577]Energy drinks aren't nootropics though. You're looking at piratezam, advil and similar instead.[/quote] It is a nootropic drug though as it falls into the realm of stimulants like amphetamines. [quote]...as well as smidgen of other stimulants.[/quote] In the case of vitamins, actually more than double your recommended dose in most cases.

Personally, I've grown to like the sour, tangy taste of redbull.

[QUOTE=Yumyumbublegum;43607628]I don't understand how some people can drink like 2-3 a day. how are you even alive[/QUOTE] Just looking at the damn things makes my stomach say "Yeaaah no."

I'm surprised it took this long to actually try and ban these, considering the age to drink them is meant to be 16 anyway [QUOTE=Zonesylvania;43607570]First, ban soft drinks and energy drinks from your government offices. We'll see about the rest later.[/QUOTE] I swear like the last 10 articles I've read you [I]always[/I] have the first reply, and quite often it's not exactly productive

[QUOTE=Loriborn;43607734]For reference, Red Bull has around 76mg of caffeine, (in a 258g can) Monster has around 86mg, (in a 240g can) and Coke has around 39mg (in a 370g can). For reference, a caffeine pill has 100mg of caffeine, which means these energy drinks have about as much caffeine as a caffeine supplement, which you can, and people have, OD on. This doesn't count those massive 710ml cans that some people chug like normal cans of coke. The excess vitamins in the drink are also damaging to the kidney, as each drink contains 100% of your recommended daily intake of vitamins (like riboflavin and B6) and the more you drink, the more stress you put on your kidneys and liver, which must filter out the excess. Proportionally, the amount of caffeine in a single can of Monster is more than three times the amount in a can of coke, and caffeine as a LD50 in humans of about 150mg/kg. While you're not going to OD (very easily) on monster, the high concentration of caffeine and sugar is incredibly damaging to developing children and adolescents. It also has a high rate of physical dependence, and the withdrawal can be awful. sources: [URL="http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/4266"]USDA Red Bull entry[/URL] [URL="http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/4440"]USDA Monster Energy entry[/URL] [URL="http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/4260?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=Carbonated+beverage"]USDA Coca Cola entry[/URL] [URL="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691502000960"]Caffeine Addiction[/URL] These drinks have no place being sold in a school setting to children who are still developing mentally and physically.[/QUOTE] So I was wondering how much caffeine I was drinking every time I order a medium double double... [url]http://www.timhortons.com/ca/pdf/CAFFEINE_CONTENT_-_Canada_-_Nov2013.pdf[/url] Apparently double that of energy drinks!

[QUOTE=Angus725;43614168]So I was wondering how much caffeine I was drinking every time I order a medium double double... [url]http://www.timhortons.com/ca/pdf/CAFFEINE_CONTENT_-_Canada_-_Nov2013.pdf[/url] Apparently double that of energy drinks![/QUOTE] Isn't a medium double double essentially worth 3 standard coffees and you usually don't drink more than a single one a day? Don't forget, that discounting redbull, most standard energy drink cans are half a liter, and you have most people drinking 2+ of those that do drink them.

[QUOTE=wraithcat;43614227]Isn't a medium double double essentially worth 3 standard coffees and you usually don't drink more than a single one a day? Don't forget, that discounting redbull, most standard energy drink cans are half a liter, and you have most people drinking 2+ of those that do drink them.[/QUOTE] Yea, extremely rarely I have more than a single medium per day.

[QUOTE=Mingebox;43612672]Personally, I've grown to like the sour, tangy taste of redbull.[/QUOTE] It tastes like liquid gummy bears IMO I expect them to drink the energy drinks in secret if it gets banned. In fact, it'll probably worsen the problem. Things are always more appealing to kids when they're banned.

They'll start smuggling them in and selling them to one another just like other drugs.

[QUOTE=Aurastorm;43607614]energy drinks taste shit and are terrible for your health anyone who disagrees is objectively wrong[/QUOTE] I'm gonna have to disagree with the taste comment man. What tastes bad to you doesn't necessarily taste bad to everyone else.

I love the taste of Monster, which is primarily why I drink it. To me, it tastes good. I've heard bad things about it but considering how most of the people who tell me these bad things go out and get ridiculously drunk on large quantities of alcohol every couple of days I find it rather hypocritical of them. At first it's quite a strong drink but before long you get adjusted to it and it's more of a pleasant rush of energy than being hyper. I know people who only drink coffee and most young people I know will specifically just drink coke, so I doubt a monster a day or so is bad comparatively. Might be worse than someone who drinks only water but if I like the taste and it makes me feel good I'm going to drink it. I do think that schools shouldn't sell it though, it can be addictive to smaller/younger people and they're idiots who'll keep buying it anyway. Also, health stores sell vitamin pills with 10,000% your daily recommended vitamin B, so I heavily doubt getting 400% from a drink is going to have a big effect on anything.

[QUOTE=drake90001;43609955]Our school doesn't sell regular soda, but instead sells strictly diet soda which is far worse I believe. I think it's ridiculous.[/QUOTE] But don't you just love the aspartame? [editline]21st January 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=Yumyumbublegum;43607628]I don't understand how some people can drink like 2-3 a day. how are you even alive[/QUOTE] We are wise in the dark magics....

How about teaching kids about [B]moderation[/B] instead of outright banning these drinks. No, wait, that's kinda progressive.

I think, simply forbidding the sale of energy drinks in schools would be enough, stopping people from bringing in energy drinks should be allowed.

Whenever I want to clear my head, I usually just drink a big cup of black coffee. Or, if I want to add a sense of luxury, buy a mug of cappuccino from my local coffee shop, tastes amazing.

Never saw the appeal of energy drinks, or what it's even supposed to do.

[QUOTE=AntonioR;43607847]I could never understand the success of Redbull, it just tastes weird and artificial. But then again I don't even drink beer... I know, it's me... I am a freak :([/QUOTE] Beer tastes like shit tbh.

And this ladies and gentlemen is the reason why we can't have nice things. Because some fuckwit went and drank about 3 liters of this a day and had a heart attack and then said, "Hey this stuff is bad lets ban it!".

[QUOTE=Zonesylvania;43607570]First, ban soft drinks and energy drinks from your government offices. We'll see about the rest later.[/QUOTE] How the fuck is that going to change anything?

[QUOTE=Mad Chatter;43616637]How about teaching kids about [B]moderation[/B] instead of outright banning these drinks. No, wait, that's kinda progressive.[/QUOTE] The fact that this opinion isn't more widely upheld is terrible Why not teach people why they shouldn't drink this shit and let them decide for themselves instead of just banning it under the "WE KNOW WHAT'S BEST FOR YOU" guise [editline]21st January 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=DEMONSKUL;43617452]How the fuck is that going to change anything?[/QUOTE] And to this point I believe he was trying to talk about the hypocrisy that sometimes goes on between government regulations and the regulations for everyone else iirc the same sort of thing happened when the government banned smoking inside their buildings with the exception of Congress

[QUOTE=Loriborn;43609854]These are effects in adults, not children. The negative effects are related to the over-consumption of caffeine, not the consumption of caffeine. Because children are smaller, they must ingest less before they reach caffeine's LD50. The short-term effects of acute caffeine ingestion are definitely real, though not necessarily life threatening unless the child reaches the overdose value based on their weight. There are also long-term affects such as damage to the heart, that can occur with over consumption, which children are extremely susceptible to. Related; the problem with energy drinks, the problem that makes them worse than coffee, is that they contain additives, (and sugar) which pose even greater risk to children. Niacin and Vitamin B6, for instance, have relatively reachable toxicity levels in children, though the greater damage occurs due to how much has to be filtered out of the blood.[/QUOTE] Caffeine is an incredibly safe stimulant, the LD50 is 150-200mg per kg. That's an insane amount, and you would feel like shit and stop consuming caffeine far before that. Then there's overdosing which has relatively mild symptoms and is self regulating, as anyone isn't going to want to feel like shit so they'll moderate their consumption in the future if they ever hit that point. The rest of what you've said is valid, but applies to just about every food and drink, so I don't get why you have this little vendetta against caffeine.