lunes, 27 de marzo de 2017

Energy boost in a can: is it as beneficial as it seems? | Health.mil

Energy boost in a can: is it as beneficial as it seems? | Health.mil

Health.mil

Energy boost in a can: is it as beneficial as it seems?

Consumers who rely on energy drinks for a boost should understand how to dose caffeine because nutrition labels can be misleading, experts say (Photo by Sgt. David Bruce/Camp Atterbury Public Affairs).

Experts say consumers who rely on energy drinks for a boost should understand how to dose caffeine because nutrition labels can be misleading. (U.S. Marine Corps graphic)



GRabbing an energy drink or two may seem like a good idea when you’re looking for a lift to get you through the day. After all, these drinks are marketed to provide mental and physical stimulation. The energy boost can help temporarily, but Military Health System experts want you to know there’s more to energy drinks than meets the eye.
Patricia Deuster, Ph.D., director of the Consortium for Health and Military Performance at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, said energy drinks can be beneficial when consumed properly, but people should understand how to dose caffeine.
“The amount of caffeine varies [between brands],” said Deuster, adding that information on the nutrition labels of energy drinks can be misleading. Other ingredients in energy drinks, such as guarana (Brazilian cocoa), can also contain caffeine, making the true caffeine content higher than the amount listed on the nutrition label.
Some people see performance benefits from caffeine, while others can be hypersensitive to it and have adverse reactions with even small amounts.
“People don’t realize that drinking a couple of energy drinks in a fairly short amount of time, like in one hour, can potentially harm them,” said Deuster. Drinking such high doses of caffeine and sugar in a short amount of time could overstimulate a person’s central nervous system, causing short-term effects like nervousness, shakiness, rapid heart rate, irritability, or sleep issues, said Deuster. More serious side effects include heart palpitations and an increase in blood pressure. Long-term effects of energy drinks are not yet known. Depending on a person’s caffeine tolerance, combining an energy drink with other caffeinated products like soda, tea, and dietary supplements – including pre-workout and weight loss supplements – can also overstimulate the central nervous system.
Maj. Sean Spanbauer, a performance dietitian for U.S. Army Special Operations Command, recommends limiting energy drink consumption to one or two per day, and no more than one in a four-hour period.
“A general rule of thumb is not consuming more than 400 milligrams of caffeine per day,” said Spanbauer, or 200 milligrams every three to four hours. According to OPSS, the most popular energy drinks contains about 80-120 milligrams of caffeine per eight ounce serving, and some contain more than one serving in a can.
“In a deployed environment,” Spanbauer added, “if somebody is sleep deprived and mission critical, there are benefits to caffeine, so I would start with 200 milligrams but do not exceed 600 milligrams in one day.”
A 2010 study by Walter Reed Army Institute of Research found that almost 45 percent of deployed service members drank at least one energy drink per day, and nearly 14 percent drank three or more a day. The long-term effects of consuming energy drinks regularly aren’t known, but in the short term, sleep quality can be impacted. Long-term sleep issues can negatively affect health and disease risks.
“If you consume caffeine habitually, the cognitive boost or physical performance benefit becomes less effective just because your body gets used to it,” said Spanbauer.
Coffee and caffeine gum can provide a quick energy boost for those who aren’t keen on energy drinks. However, getting enough sleep, staying hydrated and eating a healthy diet are essential for maintaining good health and energy in the long run.
“It’s very important to talk about this because it’s a safety issue that affects our service members and their families, their ability to stay healthy and perform the mission, and potentially their long-term health,” said Spanbauer.
To learn more about supplements in dietary drinks, visit the Operation Supplement Safety website, a DoD dietary supplement resource for the military community, leaders, health care providers, and DoD civilians. 




DoD campaign guides military community on use of supplements

Article
3/23/2017
Operation Supplement Safety aims to help people make informed, responsible decisions on supplement use. (U.S. Air Force graphic)
A DoD initiative through the Human Performance Resource Center, offers guidance to people about the potential benefits and dangers of using supplements
Recommended Content:
Nutrition | Human Performance Resource Center

Bedtime snack to optimize bone health, give trainees a fighting chance

Article
3/20/2017
A new fortified snack bar developed by the Military Nutrition Division at the U.S. Army’s Research Institute of Environmental Medicine boosts calcium and vitamin D levels, making trainees less vulnerable to the fractures.
A bedtime snack for new military recruits isn’t coddling; it’s building better warfighters
Recommended Content:
Nutrition

Six ways to “spring performance forward”

Article
3/10/2017
Warmer temperatures and longer days mean more opportunities to get outside. Exercising outdoors can calm your nervous system, help you recover from stressful events, and improve your overall well-being. (DoD photo)
Six ways to leverage the longer periods of daylight and spring your performance forward.
Recommended Content:
Human Performance Resource Center | Physical Activity | Sleep | Nutrition

MHS partners with other agencies to build healthy diets, peak warfighters

Article
3/1/2017
The Defense Commissary Association (DeCA) Nutrition Guide Program places nutritional data on store shelves with food products so shoppers can make more informed choices.
March is National Nutrition Month. The Military Health System is working with other federal agencies to make sure warfighters and their families get the right food.
Recommended Content:
Nutrition

SuperTrack nutrition for fitness

Article
2/16/2017
Exercise and diet are ways to keep the pounds off. One of the best ways to start losing weight or just improve your nutrition overall is to keep track of what you eat and drink every day. (MHS photo illustration)
One of the best ways to start losing weight or just improve your nutrition overall is to keep track of what you eat and drink every day
Recommended Content:
Nutrition | Human Performance Resource Center

Weight-loss supplements are tempting

Article
1/26/2017
The supplement business is a multi-billion dollar industry that is not currently regulated like conventional food and drug products by the Food and Drug Administration. Not only are they potentially unsafe, weight-loss supplements that advertise “quick fixes” likely won’t help you meet your goals. (U.S. Air Force photo illustration by Airman 1st Class Daniel Brosam)
The Food and Drug Administration has categorized many weight-loss supplements as high-risk products
Recommended Content:
Nutrition | Human Performance Resource Center

'SMART' goals can improve health for new year

Article
1/24/2017
Travis Combest, exercise physiology and personal trainer in Outpatient Nutrition Services at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, works out in the fitness center at Naval Support Activity Bethesda. For better health, Combest encourages people to set SMART goals – Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound. (U.S. Army photo by Bernard Little)
SMART goals build momentum, as well as confidence leading to improvements in fitness and nutrition
Recommended Content:
Physical Activity | Nutrition

Track your weight loss

Article
1/18/2017
Mobile apps and programs are becoming simpler and more intuitive to help monitor your healthy eating. Some programs are interactive as well. They also provide nutrition information for more than 45,000 food items, including brand name and restaurant foods. Entering foods and calculating their calories takes only a fraction of the time when compared to a “paper” food diary. (MHS graphic)
The first step to losing weight and gaining better health is using self-monitoring techniques to track your calories
Recommended Content:
Nutrition | Physical Activity | Human Performance Resource Center

New year, new you: Health and fitness tips

Article
1/9/2017
Elizabeth Harris, fitness center manager at Defense Health Headquarters (DHHQ) partakes in a workout session. Harris considers herself to be a fitness ‘lifer’and says, “Being healthy is not a hobby; it’s a lifestyle.”
Some helpful guidelines to become healthy and fit for the new year
Recommended Content:
Health Readiness | Nutrition | Physical Activity

The science behind why you should stop chugging so many energy drinks

Article
12/30/2016
Army Spc. Kevin Alexander of 138th Quartermaster Company grabs an energy drink at the Post Exchange. Most energy drinks contain anywhere from 70 to 200 milligrams of caffeine. The daily recommended intake of caffeine is no more than 300 milligrams. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. David Bruce)
Energy drinks became the beverage of choice for many service members during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, promising to give an energy boost while in the field
Recommended Content:
Nutrition | Health Readiness

Mindful eating during the holidays

Article
12/19/2016
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Jonathan Lewis carves turkey for a holiday dinner aboard USS Coronado.
The holiday season can be a challenging time to eat sensibly
Recommended Content:
Human Performance Resource Center | Nutrition

Stay fit during the holidays

Article
11/28/2016
Navy Chief Petty Officer Eduardo Medero, right, takes height and weight measurements from Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Rodney Good during a physical fitness assessment weigh-in. Experts say to keep weight in check. Weigh yourself in the morning, at least once or twice a week, during the holidays. This should enough to notice any slight increase from the week and to keep you in check for the weekend and vice-versa. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Theron J. Godbold)
It seems as if the Thanksgiving-to-New Year's holiday season is one long, tempting food-fest designed to make you gain weight
Recommended Content:
Physical Activity | Nutrition

Proper nutrition can help manage diabetes

Article
11/21/2016
A Soldier performs a glucose screening. A person diagnosed with diabetes is lacking insulin or is insulin resistant so that the body can’t process sugars normally. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jessica A DuVernay)
Good nutrition is important for any healthy lifestyle, but for diabetics balancing nutrition, activity and medication is vital
Recommended Content:
Conditions and Treatments | Nutrition | Preventive Health

Dietary Supplements

Photo
9/26/2016
Supplements may lack nutrients a body needs that it can only get through eating certain foods. Individuals who are taking supplements may in fact not need what they are taking and what they are taking could produce adverse effects.
Supplements may lack nutrients a body needs that it can only get through eating certain foods. Individuals who are taking supplements may in fact not need what they are taking and what they are taking could produce adverse effects.
Recommended Content:
Nutrition

Dietary supplements, fact vs. fiction

Article
9/26/2016
Supplements may lack nutrients a body needs that it can only get through eating certain foods. Individuals who are taking supplements may in fact not need what they are taking and what they are taking could produce adverse effects.
Individuals taking supplements may not need what they are taking and what they are taking could produce adverse effects
Recommended Content:
Nutrition

No hay comentarios:

Publicar un comentario