“Party like a rockstar, party like a rockstar.” declares a Shop Boyz song. Similarly, Nickleback’s song, “Rockstar” reflects this rockstar fixation with its lyrics, “We all just want to be big rockstars..” It’s true: our culture is obsessed with sports stars, movie stars, and of course, rockstars.
This obsession was taken to the next level when a beverage company, Rockstar energy drink, launched their caffeine-filled line of products. The company capitalized on this cultural preoccupation by promoting their products through “rockstar” songs and videos on their Web site as well as through their photo gallery of scantily-clad rockstar models. They even used the Shop Boyz song to their benefit; the bottom of every one of the 16oz cans is marked with the phrase, “party like a rockstar.”
Why does this concern Wash. U. students? These energy drinks are now sold on campus in vending machines in the Athletic Complex, in Bear Mart and in the Village Market. Whether or not these drinks do in fact have the power to allow you to “party like a rockstar” is not nearly as important as whether or not they are safe or healthy to drink.
Since the original Rockstar drink, several other varieties have been put on the market including sugar free, zero carb, juiced mango, juiced guava, juiced pomegranate and punch varieties. The original was packed with sugar, carrying 31 grams in just 16oz, which contributed to the 140 calories per drink. Chugging this sugar-filled drink obviously can be an impediment to maintaining or losing weight. In response to a weight conscious society, the company came out with the sugar free and zero carb editions-each with zero grams of sugar and only ten calories (in fact, after inspecting the nutritional information listed on the cans it seems to me that the sugar free and zero carb versions are the exact same product packaged in a different aluminum can). While this takes care of immediate health worries of weight control, it in no way addresses the other health concerns associated with these drinks.
The most pressing of these issues is probably the caffeine content of these drinks. Many people do not realize, especially since the drinks are marketed as health promoting, that the caffeine level is so high-approximately that of a coffee drink from Starbucks. There are ten milligrams of caffeine for every ounce of liquid, which adds up to 160 milligrams of caffeine in the 16 ounce can. The level is so high that Rockstar Energy Drinks contain a label that reads, “Not recommended for children, pregnant or nursing women, or those sensitive to caffeine.” This is similar to notes that alcoholic beverages bear warning of the harm that alcohol can do to pregnant mothers and children. In my opinion, that label warrants enough concern on its own.
If a drink comes with a label warning that it could be harmful to your health, chances are, it is.
In addition to caffeine, these drinks are filled with several vitamins and minerals, all of which are supposed to promote energy. They are loaded with B vitamins, including B2, B3, B5, B6, and B12. It is believed that these vitamins are essential in the metabolism of carbohydrates, and by aiding in the breakdown of carbohydrates they have been linked with increased energy and improved mood. In addition to the B vitamins, there is an “energy blend” of which I am a bit more skeptical. This “blend” contains varying amounts of taurine, ginkgo biloba leaf extract, guarana seed extract, inosital, L-carritine, parax ginseng extract, milk thistle extract and of course, caffeine. Whether these other herbal supplements do much of anything to increase energy, or whether the effects of these drinks is merely due to their high caffeine content and placebo effects is still to be determined.
While not highly dangerous, these drinks, Rockstar brands and others alike, are still not entirely safe and should be consumed judiciously. They should also never be consumed in conjunction with alcohol. Drinking stimulants with depressants is dangerous and can result in cardiopulmonary or cardiovascular failures, which could ultimately be fatal. That means you should definitely think twice before knocking back a few J†gerbombs next time you head out the door on your way to a frat party. Remember, even if you skip the energy drink, you can still party like a rockstar.
Information for this article was provided by:
Rockstar69.com
Energyfiend.com
Vitamins-nutrition.org
Sciencedaily.com