Question to Jens regarding energy drinks

Jens, I think I've understood your perspective in most of your posts and topics that you feel strongly about, but the only one that has never made much sense to me is the energy drink thing.

What is in them that you consider to be a drug? As far as I can tell from looking at their ingredients, they're mostly caffeine and sugar (like a soda or coke) with a few added vitamins and herbs. I was wondering why you think of these drinks as drugs, and don't condemn sodas and coffee at the same time?

Thanks

Shenan

PS: I heard an ad for this the other day and it immediately made me think of your messages on Rally-L proposing the idea of filling your rally car tires with Nitrogen: http://www.ultrafill.com/

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http://www.max-attack.com

Caffeine is a drug. There are many that can not tolerate it. It is thought to be addictive by some.

Remember, years ago when your grandmother told people not to give the kids coffee because it would stunt their growth?

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RichardM

> Remember, years ago when your grandmother told
> people not to give the kids coffee because it
> would stunt their growth?
>
> RichardM

So you have seen my 4-11" wife then.

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In the long run reality always wins.

Damn !!! The cat is out of the bag.

Shenan, I've been filling my tires, for the daily driver, service van, rally car and bike, with Nitrogen since '86. A lot easier to maintain steady(ish) tire pressure, no water content and less leak over time from sitting.

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Cheers
M.Samli
Phoenix AZ
Gaylant VR4
EVO III GSR (Stolen)


Rallies are no place for traitors

It is even better when you fill your tires with Red Bull. Then your vehicles have wings.

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RichardM

Richard, I should have elaborated a bit more. I know that caffeine is a drug and was going to mention it. Part of what I was trying to ask was, if caffeine is the drug that Jens is concerned about, why doesn't he say anything about coffee and sodas? Unless caffeine is not what he is concerned about in those drinks, so I am curious as to what is it.

Mustafa, now everyone knows the secret to your rally speed! So you had Jens beat then. It must have been around '99 when I first heard about the idea from Jens posts on rally-l. How do you get the stuff anyway?

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http://www.max-attack.com

Shenan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>>
> Mustafa, now everyone knows the secret to your
> rally speed! So you had Jens beat then. It must
> have been around '99 when I first heard about the
> idea from Jens posts on rally-l. How do you get
> the stuff anyway?


Just go to a welding supply shop and get a bottle. I have a bottle I keep in the service van to fill tires, run air tools, charge up the spud launcher... No need to carry an air compressor.

In the race cars we use nitrogen to keep more steady air pressures. It's the moisture that causes the air pressures to fluctuate with heat. We purge out the air using a humidity meter and try to get the humidity in the tire down to about 15% is good enough.

I have seen a few editorials about the drinks and as far as I remember, it is the caffine and sugar that people are complaining about. Red Bull contains another chemical that begins with T and sounds like toulene but isn't and I am too lazy before having my morning Red Bull to go look it up. Any way, that chemical had caused Red Bull to be banned in France and also Norway IIRC.

As to Jens specific complaints, I'm not quite sure. Is any one every sure about Jens?

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RichardM

Richard Miller Wrote:
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> Red Bull > contains another chemical that begins
> with T and sounds like toulene but isn't and I am too lazy
> before having my morning Red Bull to go look it
> up. Any way, that chemical had caused Red Bull to
> be banned in France and also Norway IIRC.

Perhaps you meant Taurine.

In recent years, taurine has become a common ingredient in energy drinks. Taurine is often used in combination with bodybuilding supplements such as creatine and anabolic steroids, partly due to recent findings in mice that taurine alleviates muscle fatigue in strenuous workouts and raises exercise capacity.[16] Taurine is also used in some contact lens solutions.[17]

Taurine has also been shown in diabetic rats to decrease weight and decrease blood sugar.

(Taken from wikipedia.)

Red Bull does what it claims, but isn't that great. Likewise, the Monster drinks are horrible. They're okay for a while, but then they just end up getting old. I figure most people just grab a monster because they're too scared/lazy to try something different.

Right now, the best, in my opinion as a consistent energy drink consumer, would be:


1. Rehab - blue/white can, 12oz, good herbal mix PLUS a large B-vitamin load, 120mg of Caffeine per 12oz serving. Light berry flavor. ***This one WILL wake you up and give you some energy. Haven't noticed any crash from it. Suspect that's the vitamins working. Well designed drink. Seems to be at Circle K only at this time (limited supplies).


2. Brawndo - yellow can w/ orange letters, has electrolytes, good herbal/B-vitamin load, 100mg of Caffeine per 16oz serving. (Yes. This is the stuff from Idiocracy.) ***This is good stuff. People who have seen the movie and appreciate the genius will see that you, too, have seen the movie and appreciate the genius. It is said that drinking Brawndo is like a locomotive full of screaming babies crashing into an aircraft carrier that's on fire. Good stuff. Only available online at Brawndo.com.


3. Amp (By Mountain Dew) - Pretty much supercharged Mountain Dew with a small dash of B-vitamins and herbals. Still tastes good like a Dew should. Available in up to a 24oz size which is good for drinking when you're really thirsty, but not overly tired. ***I personally prefer this to conventional Dew. Not as sweet. More refreshing. Can be found just about anywhere.


Bottoms up!

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Brian Driggs | KG7KCA | PHX, AZ | 89 Pajero
alterius non sit qui suus esse potest



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/01/2008 10:31AM by DR1665.

Shenan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Richard, I should have elaborated a bit more. I
> know that caffeine is a drug and was going to
> mention it. Part of what I was trying to ask was,
> if caffeine is the drug that Jens is concerned
> about, why doesn't he say anything about coffee
> and sodas? Unless caffeine is not what he is
> concerned about in those drinks, so I am curious
> as to what is it.
>
> Mustafa, now everyone knows the secret to your
> rally speed! So you had Jens beat then. It must
> have been around '99 when I first heard about the
> idea from Jens posts on rally-l. How do you get
> the stuff anyway?


what about tea? poor tea, so left out and forgotten about

Jens will love this thread on NASIOC Off Topic:

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1463817

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Andrew Steere
Lyndeborough, NH
KB1PJY

DR1665 Wrote:
> 2. Brawndo - yellow can w/ orange letters, has
> electrolytes,



> 3. Amp (By Mountain Dew) - Pretty much
> supercharged Mountain Dew with a small dash of
> B-vitamins and herbals. (...) a 24oz size which
> is good for drinking when you're really thirsty,(...)

Woah there. If you're really thirsty you should be drinking *water*, maybe Gatorade type drinks if you're thirsty because you're sweating a lot. (In which case you should be drinking before you get thirsty)

They sell iced tea in gallon jugs around here. (It seems to be a local thing) For about $1.50 you get a gallon of tea that has a pound of sugar per jug. Up until very recently, I was drinking one or two gallons *per day*. This in addition to a pot or two of coffee. I used to drink similar quantities of Mountain Dew when I was a teenager, up to the point where I developed stomach lining problems, which is why I switched to the tea, which is non-carbonated (duh). (I'm lucky I can drink beer... it's just flat enough to be okay)

Yes, sugar is addictive and should be classified as a drug. Yes, caffeine is a drug and there are definite withdrawal symptoms (aka "How come I have monster headaches every weekend when I'm away from the company coffeepot" You don't want to rehydrate with them, and rehydrating is what you need to do if you're thirsty. It's not for some BS about caffeine being a diuretic - WATER is a diuretic - it's because you're putting chemicals in your body that it really doesn't need at that point. And then you get to the point where you can't drink water because it makes you feel weak and anemic because your body is *expecting* a sugar/caffeine load. Sounds a lot like a chemical dependency, no?

It was a lot easier to quit smoking than to quit sugar, and I haven't quit it fully. It *is* required for nutrition, after all, although in low enough quanitites that I doubt anybody in the US is sugar-starved. Especially how everything has sugar/corn syrup rammed into it.

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Pete Remner
Cleveland, Ohio

1984 RX-7 (rallycross thing)
1978
Silence is golden, but duct tape is silver.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/08/2008 05:45AM by Pete.

Ok I will let one more of my cats out of the bag.

ISOSTAR

That's the shit I drink when I am rallying. Unfortunately it is not available in the US because some dimwit owns the name and a whole bunch if FDA and associated alphabetsoup agency requirements and shit like that.

I am lucky to have friends travelling around so they can get it for me in powder form from any supermarket, pharmacy, sports equipment store in Yurp.

You mix it with good old water and dump in your camelback, and voila, you have a safe and healthy energy drink that replenishes the electrolytes you sweated out.

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Cheers
M.Samli
Phoenix AZ
Gaylant VR4
EVO III GSR (Stolen)


Rallies are no place for traitors

Mustafa, I'm pretty sure they have those types of mixes that you can buy here in the US. I've never used them though, so couldn't tell you much about them. It's basically like gatorade in powder form, but without the sugar (I think).

Anyway, here is something that won't help Jens' perception of energy drinks much. I saw a van the other day with a full body vinyl graphic for this:

http://www.iloveblow.com/

I didn't realize what it was until I came across it while searching for energy drink mixes to post here.

Maybe someone should search them out as a rally car sponsor?

:-D

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http://www.max-attack.com



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/08/2008 04:07PM by Shenan.

Pete is right, water first. I try to start hydrating myself at least a couple of days before I know I'm going to be doing something that would cause me to lose a lot of water. Also, just plain old regular sleep. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea late last year. Since I've started therapy, I wake up refreshed and ready to tackle the world, rather than feeling like I've been on an all night bender. 7-8 hours of sleep a night would do people wonders. As far as "energy" drinks, I enjoy a couple cups of coffee in the morning and one cup of green tea. As far as Jens dislike of "drug dealer" energy drinks, I wouldn't drink something made from Bull Bile either!!

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It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favour of vegetarianism, while the wolf remains of a different opinion.
William Ralph Inge

TANSTAAFL



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/09/2008 12:43PM by Vorpal_Rally.