Liquid liftoff

• Here are the things that give energy drinks their kick
• Nelly gives Pimp Juice street cred

By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor

"I'm trying this (SoBe brand) today because I'm tired and I heard it's very strong." — Sascha List 22, Germany "It really helps right around exam time." — John Goh 23, Singapore "They taste funny, but you kinda get used to them after a while." — Jayde Cardinalli 19, California "I've tried Red Bull, but I don't like feeling the buzz." — Jodie Kaneshiro 18, Hawai'i "Guys drink them more than girls do." — Johanna Alvtorn 24, Sweden Photos by Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

Gibson's classmate Adrian Harvey, of New York, first encountered energy drinks in Europe. He smiles as he thinks of another common use for Red Bull — as an adjunct to a convivial evening at home or in clubs. "Vodka Red Bulls are tasty," he says. "Yeah, you're drunk, but you're wired."

Ironically, another common use for energy drinks is as a treatment for hangovers — a colleague who spotted a group of energy drinks on my desk quipped, "Rough night, huh?"

Energy drinks — among a growing category of products termed "functional foods" or "nutriceuticals" — are characterized by several common attributes:

• Bullet-shape can in odd sizes.
• A blend of ingredients that generally include sugar, caffeine or an herbal stimulant, B vitamins and amino acids that are supposed to boost your metabolism.
• Names that are shorthand for the effect they're supposed to have (Amp, Monster Energy, Piranha, Go Fast, Energy Dense).
• Steep prices (on average, four times as much as carbonated soft drinks).

Sascha List, 22, says energy drinks are sold in pharmacies in his native Germany and widely accepted there. Red Bull, his usual tipple, is headquartered in neighboring Austria and is the industry leader, with more than 60 percent of the worldwide market in energy drinks, according to industry watcher Beverage Digest. (In Hawai'i, Red Bull has 90 percent of the market, according to Pat McGuirk, director of the nonalcoholic division of Johnson Brothers of Hawaii Inc., which distributes the drink.)

Working on his laptop at a table in front of a Fort Street Mall sandwich shop, List explains that he's feeling a bit tired, and so plunked down $2.25 for a 16-ounce SoBe No Fear Super Energy Supplement that he's heard is particularly powerful. (Amino acids, herbs, grapeseed extract, 158 milligrams of caffeine — slightly less than a tablet of NoDoz, slightly more than 8 ounces of coffee — "Meet your new addiction," the Web site says.)

Jayde Cardinalli, 19, an HPU student from California, says she knows people who drink energy drinks instead of alcohol at parties; the slight buzz allows them to keep up with the fun.

Johanna Alvtorn, 24, from Sweden, doesn't much like energy drinks, but says her boyfriend is a fan. He uses them to get ready for a workout. She thinks energy drinks may have a slight edge among guys.

HPU student Anila Washington, 20, of Chicago, agrees. She thinks women may be more sensitive to the buzz and more concerned about calories and carbohydrates. The drinks average 110 to 130 calories per 8-ounce serving, and more than 28 grams of carbohydrate, mostly from refined sugar, though sugarless versions are a recent trend.

For their primary market — young people 18 to 30 — energy drinks are an old story.

The drinks have proliferated in America for half a decade; McGuirk said the category overall is growing 250 percent a year, and there were more than 250 newcomers last year. Most industry-watchers date the entry of Austria's Red Bull into the U.S. market in 1997 as the start of the fad here.

The concept is much older. Coke and Dr. Pepper both were introduced to the market as pick-me-ups. And in Asia, where energy drinks are rooted, teas, tinctures and infusions of ginseng, ma huang and other herbs have been amping people up for centuries. Red Bull is based on a popular, inexpensive Thai tonic (Krating Daeng, Thai for Red Bull) encountered by founder Dieterich Mateschitz on a trip to Bangkok.

In Hawai'i, the typical energy drink is purchased at a convenience store, snack shop or nightclub in a single serving by a person 18 to 30 years old — an impulse purchase based on the individual's feeling at the time, said McGuirk.

But now there's evidence the drinks are moving outside the young demographic, according to Bill Johnston, president of SunGlo Distributors in 'Aiea, which brought Red Bull to Hawai'i and now markets GoFast. He said more companies are producing low-sugar (and therefore low-calorie and low-carbohydrate) drinks to appeal to 40-somethings and above.

Energy drinks have come under scrutiny because of concerns that the energizing ingredients may be harmful in large concentrations or for people with certain health conditions, and that some ingredients can interact negatively with medications.

Australia is considering regulating or outlawing drinks containing guaran‡ (a high-caffeine biproduct of a tropical berry), ginseng and St. John's Wort. Red Bull is banned in France and classified as a medicine in Norway. In Japan, as in Germany, some of these drinks are sold in pharmacies and imprinted with health warnings. Some products carry labels warning against their use by young children, diabetics, pregnant women or those with high blood pressure.

Dietitian Amy Tousman of Straub Medical Center said her major concern about the drinks is that they offer "a lot of sugar, a lot of caffeine and a lot of calories" for not a lot of benefit. Drinking a can a day in place of a meal, or other such moderate use, would not be harmful to the average, healthy individual, she said.

Mixing a stimulant with alcohol, however, is of concern. Tousman said a stimulant such as caffeine can overbalance the effect of alcohol, making it difficult for a person to tell how inebriated they are becoming. Several deaths have been reported in the United States, Japan and Europe after the use of energy drinks during or after exertion (dancing, sports and such) or in company with alcohol. No direct connection has been made, however, and little research has been completed on the topic.

Young people often don't heed such cautions. "I've heard some of that, about the dangers, but unless you, you know, drink a case or something, I don't think you're going to get too much caffeine or whatever," said Lucy Chee, 20, of Honolulu. "I think they're fine for what they're meant for — a short-term boost so you can pull an all-nighter for finals or whatever."

What are the drinks like? Here's one of the ironies of the trend: Some of them taste downright nasty — oversweet, medicinal, thin or artificial. And their colors are like nothing on earth; DayGlo doesn't begin to describe it.

I tasted 10 of them, and there wasn't one I would drink again for the taste. Of people who say they don't use energy drinks, taste came up often as the reason. "They're gross. I can't get through a whole Red Bull," said Tiffany Combs, 19, of California. Her friend John Goh, 23, of Singapore, said he didn't much care for the taste either, though he uses them at exam time.

In interview after interview, energy drink fans said they persevered and learned to tolerate the drinks for their effect. "To be honest, I haven't found any that I really enjoy, although SoBe's not too bad — kinda cherry, fruity flavor. I just drink 'em when I'm working on a paper and I'm having trouble thinking clearly," said Nani Wiesman, 21, of Kane'ohe.

"My mom — she does a lot of writing — she says that coffee would be the same, or even just getting up and walking around clears your head, she says. But I don't know, I just thinks these work better."

"Yeah, maybe it's a little bit like medicine," said John Kitagawa, 19, of Honolulu. "But to me, coffee tastes like medicine. I'd rather have an energy drink."

Here are the things that give energy drinks their kick

Common ingredients in energy drinks:

B vitamins — The eight B-complex vitamins are essential for many key body functions, including the breakdown of carbohydrates into sugars used for energy, and of fats and proteins that aid in the function of the nervous system.

Caffeine — An organic compound found in coffee, tea and certain nuts and seeds. A stimulant that dilates blood vessels and causes the release of insulin.

Ginseng — Panax quinquefolium, a perennial herb whose root has long been used in Asian medicine, is a stimulant that is also to act as a digestive tonic and reduce the effects of stress.

Guarana — Pronounced gwa-ra-NAH, the dried and roasted seeds of berries from the Amazon guarana shrub, Paullinia cupana, create the characteristic flavor of Brazil's national drink, guaran‡ soda. The key ingredient is guaranine, chemically identical to caffeine; it increases blood pressure and heart rate, delays sleep, depresses appetite and causes dehydration.

Sugar — Besides yielding a sweet taste, dietary sugar is readily used by the body to to create glucose (blood sugar). If blood sugar has run low, dietary sugar can offer quick uplift, promoting better brain function and an energized feeling.

Taurine — A nonessential amino acid (one of the building blocks of proteins), taurene plays a role in digestion; it is also thought to help regulate the heartbeat and aid the central nervous system as a neurotransmitter or neuromodulator. Excessive alcohol consumption is said to deplete the body's ability to use taurine. Taurine has some medical uses related to specific ailments.

Sources: guarana.com, "On Food and Cooking" by Harold McGee, "Food Lovers Companion" by Sharon Tyler Herbst, medical dictionaries, Southern Illinois University's ethnobotanical leaflets

Nelly gives Pimp Juice street cred

A sidebar to the energy drink story is a backlash that has arisen over one of the most recent entrants into this crowded market: Pimp Juice, fronted by hip-hop star Nelly and named for a song on his Nellyville CD, released in August.

The name — which Nelly says is urban street talk for "having an edge or doing your best at something" — prompted calls for a national boycott from some black leaders and outraged editorials in newspapers around the country.

Other rappers have introduced such drinks — notably Ice T's Liquid Ice and Russell Simon's DefCon3. Another rumored release is one named for a Dr. Dre cut, the Chronic (a slang term for marijuana).

Despite the outcry, 7-Eleven stores in some parts of the country are giving Pimp Juice a tryout.