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Does anything boost your energy?

jenpohl

New Blood
J
Joined
Oct 2, 2008
Messages
11
Okay, I guess it's a given that caffeine and other stimulants will wake you up, but the claims that energy drinks actually "boost your energy" always sounded like BS to me. What does "boost your energy" even mean?
I know they've done studies that showed that kids don't get hyper when they eat sugar; is there any evidence that anyone gets more energetic when they eat sugar? How about a sugar crash? I've never experienced anything like that.
What about all those other things that people say give you energy? Taurine? Creatine? Ephedrine (when mixed in a drink)?
 
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Well, it's certainly true that food as such provides the body with energy.

So I think the idea that certain foods work faster/better than others doesn't seem very far fetched.

The "sugar flash" is about more than energy, though. It is about restlessness and hyper activity - so sugar might still provide lots of energy regardless.
 
What bugs me is when, on a children's show, they try to get the kids to eat healthy food by telling them that a healthy snack (like a banana) will give them more energy throughout the day than an unhealthy snack (like a big piece of chocolate cake.) I'm not trying to imply that it's good to eat cake so that you can play all day, but there's a heck of a lot more calories in a piece of cake than a banana...
 
Rasmus said:
Well, it's certainly true that food as such provides the body with energy.

So I think the idea that certain foods work faster/better than others doesn't seem very far fetched.
The "sugar flash" is about more than energy, though. It is about restlessness and hyper activity - so sugar might still provide lots of energy regardless.
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Not far-fetched at all: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_load
 
jasonpatterson said:
What bugs me is when, on a children's show, they try to get the kids to eat healthy food by telling them that a healthy snack (like a banana) will give them more energy throughout the day than an unhealthy snack (like a big piece of chocolate cake.) I'm not trying to imply that it's good to eat cake so that you can play all day, but there's a heck of a lot more calories in a piece of cake than a banana...
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I wouldn't say that caloric intake is the same as resulting energy. Some foods tend to make a person more energetic than others, without any direct correlation to the amount of calories they contain. The effect is due to how well the foods maintain your health, allowing the metabolism to increase and burn calories at a higher rate. That is one reason why a 2000 calorie diet of just cake will make you fatter than a 2000 calorie diet of balanced vitamins, nutrients, and fiber.
 
Yeah, of course food gives you energy, as far as chemical bonds that your body can use to power its functions. But the way I usually hear it, people are saying sugar, or caffeine, or certain foods can make you more energetic. Is there any truth to that?
 
I know what you mean, jenpohl.
I've seen dancers gulp down chocolate while awaiting in the wings for their stage entrance.
I'm told cyclists tend to eat enormous amounts of pasta when they're in competitions.
I know I 'feel' better with a high protein diet.
The truth will be in studies, rather than anecdotes, of course.
What do the studies say?
 
Rather depends on what you're doing. Professional road-racing cyclists, competing in a stage race like the TDF, will burn some 2000 calories per HOUR... Someone commuting to work on his bike at a more leisurely pace hardly a fraction of that.

The term "energy" in this regard is left rather vague...Do they mean actual fuel for muscular activity? A feeling of well-being? Manic behavior?
 
Bikewer said:
Rather depends on what you're doing. Professional road-racing cyclists, competing in a stage race like the TDF, will burn some 2000 calories per HOUR... Someone commuting to work on his bike at a more leisurely pace hardly a fraction of that.

The term "energy" in this regard is left rather vague...Do they mean actual fuel for muscular activity? A feeling of well-being? Manic behavior?
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Not to mention: alertness, reaction time, endurance, basal metabolism, cardio-pulmonary performance, neurotransmitter release/re-uptake etc. "Energy" is way too vague to answer the question unless you're talking strictly about food calories.
 
When it comes to energy drinks, isn't the calorie content typically pretty huge? In the simplest terms of "energy", there's a lot in there. But of just as much importance is glycemic index (as referenced by Prometheus above), rate of absorption, what other nutrients (or other elements) are present, etc.

Energy drinks offer a massive amount of energy that is absorbed very rapidly, and nothing else of much benefit. If you ingest one, you'd better plan on using all that energy fast, otherwise it's only going to be detrimental. I think a lot of people misunderstand the effectiveness of these drinks, and consider them some sort of antidote to "feeling tired".
 
Bikewer said:
Rather depends on what you're doing. Professional road-racing cyclists, competing in a stage race like the TDF, will burn some 2000 calories per HOUR... Someone commuting to work on his bike at a more leisurely pace hardly a fraction of that.

The term "energy" in this regard is left rather vague...Do they mean actual fuel for muscular activity? A feeling of well-being? Manic behavior?
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2,000 calories per hour.
It's hard for me to even imagine what that woud be like.
 
Careyp74 said:
I wouldn't say that caloric intake is the same as resulting energy.
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As far as perception goes, I agree, but then what is energy if not the usable energy in the food you take in?

Careyp74 said:
That is one reason why a 2000 calorie diet of just cake will make you fatter than a 2000 calorie diet of balanced vitamins, nutrients, and fiber.
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Are you suggesting that if a person ate 2000 calories of a balanced diet and burned those 2000 calories he would be thinner than a person who ate 2000 calories of crap and burned those 2000 calories? That's against the law.
 
jenpohl said:
Okay, I guess it's a given that caffeine and other stimulants will wake you up, but the claims that energy drinks actually "boost your energy" always sounded like BS to me. What does "boost your energy" even mean?
I know they've done studies that showed that kids don't get hyper when they eat sugar; is there any evidence that anyone gets more energetic when they eat sugar? How about a sugar crash? I've never experienced anything like that.
What about all those other things that people say give you energy? Taurine? Creatine? Ephedrine (when mixed in a drink)?
Click to expand...
Energy drinks want to be stimulants, to raise heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, ect. Caffiene works to some extent, but is nowhere near as good as ephidrine, which was of course outlawed a few years ago. The best thing on the market right now is a drink called Red Line, not found in most stores, I think you are supposed to be 18 to buy it. The effects are a lot different then a large dose of caffiene, which has a lot of side effects. Not sure what is in it exactly, a mixture of stuff . You have to be careful with it though, if you drink a whole one before a workout and are not used to it, you can end up puking.
 
Snixtor said:
When it comes to energy drinks, isn't the calorie content typically pretty huge?
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That "5-Hour" energy drink says it only contains 4 calories, and appears to be mostly vitamins and caffeine. I can't see how that's going to "boost" anyone's energy, but lots of people seem to drink it.
 
bokonon said:
That "5-Hour" energy drink says it only contains 4 calories, and appears to be mostly vitamins and caffeine. I can't see how that's going to "boost" anyone's energy, but lots of people seem to drink it.
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You can't see how drinking something with caffeine is going to boost someone's "energy"?
 
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