While visiting a local hypermarket, something caught my eyes in the beverage section, an energy drink with eye-catching colours. When I picked the product, it was labelled as “Caffeinated drink”, on closer look I observed some other declarations such as “contains caffeine” and “contains taurine”, which made me even more curious to know more about it. Why does this drink contain caffeine and taurine? And why are these substances highlighted on the product label?
Well here are the findings, so let’s start from the scratch.
The concept of Energy Drinks:
So basically energy drinks are non-alcoholic drinks marketed as a drink providing an instant energy boost, often containing ingredients such as caffeine, inositol, taurine which act as stimulants, helping you to keep awake and focus. These drinks are added with vitamins such as Vitamin B1, B2, B6, B12 etc. Apart from these, energy drinks also contain high levels of sugar to provide an instant energy boost or sometimes reduce sugar as a sweetener, hence being mindful of this, especially for diabetes patients or individuals managing their sugar intake.
Further I thought to have a look at these products in terms of regulatory perspective, to know exactly what FSSAI means by Energy drinks.
Understanding Energy Drinks in terms of FSSAI:
The energy drinks that are available in the market come under the “Caffeinated beverages” category of FSSAI. As per FSSAI, non-alcoholic beverages that contain caffeine higher than 145 mg/l, but not more than 300 mg/l come under the food category “Caffeinated Beverages”. Such drinks can contain added vitamins such as vitamin B1, B2, B3, B6, B12 along with other additives such as caffeine, taurine, inositol etc within their prescribed limits for per day serving. Along with this the food label should contain some special declarations of the food label, so that the consumer is aware of what he is consuming. (FSSR, 2011)
(Image: Red bull energy drink) (Image: Predator energy drink)
Special declarations for caffeinated beverages as per FSSAI:
- It is mandatory to have “Contains Caffeine” declaration on label which is clearly visible, with quantity of caffeine (as high caffeine:…mg/serving size)
- There should be a declaration that says “Not recommended for children, pregnant and lactating women, persons sensitive to caffeine” on the pack.
- There should be a declaration about the quantity to be consumed stating “ Not to consume more than 500 ml per day”.
(Image: Sting energy drink)
After having a regulation understanding, it was important to know why these substances are added in these kinds of beverages? As I am the person who reaches for energy drinks when I need a quick boost of energy or feel tired. Let’s understand how these ingredients can impact our body.
Understanding the role of caffeine:
Caffeine is a stimulant that increases the activity of your brain and nervous system, it is naturally present in food items such as coffee, tea, chocolates. We often consume tea or coffee in the morning to feel refreshed. Caffeine performs the same function, it stimulates our nervous system, helps us to focus better and be alert. Hence people who are sensitive to caffeine or consume tea or coffee rarely, feel that they are not able to sleep on such food items consumption.
Understanding the role of taurine:
Taurine is an amino acid that is present in our body. It is believed to help with energy production and fluid balance and also enhances the effect of caffeine when used together.
Mechanism of Caffeine action:
Caffeine primarily affects adenosine receptors of the brain. It is fat as well as water soluble component, hence easily cross blood-brain barrier and antagonize adenosine receptors, which is particularly responsible for caffeine alertness or wakefulness effect.
(Image: Caffeine comparison in different foods)
As the basic understanding on the purpose of addition of such substances was cleared, some questions remained unanswered: “Why was there a limit prescribed for such ingredients? Are there any side effects of such substances or why such special declarations on packs are required?” On further research, all the questions were answered.
Caffeine sensitivity and special declarations need:
The most common side effect of caffeine is insomnia, as it’s intentionally trying to keep you awake. The individuals who consume caffeine rarely or sensitive to caffeine are more vulnerable to this. While some individuals can consume caffeine and go straight to bed, because they are regular users and their body system is familiar with such amounts of caffeine consumption. Other common side effects of high caffeine consumption include restlessness, nervousness, increased heart rate and digestive issues.
For the pregnant individuals, energy drinks or caffeine is not recommended as it can readily cross the placenta, can go to the baby and can speed up the baby’s heart rate. Some studies conducted (1,2,3), also suggest that high caffeine consumption during pregnancy may be associated with lower birth rate and increased risk of miscarriage.
For lactating or breastfeeding individuals, caffeine is detectable in mothers milk. Higher caffeine consumption may decrease iron levels in breast milk, and may disrupt the sleeping pattern of infants. Also, the infants or childrens have slower caffeine metabolism as that of adults (4). Hence special declaration in bold letters is mandatory on energy drinks that says “NOT RECOMMENDED FOR CHILDRENS, PREGNANT AND LACTATING WOMEN, INDIVIDUALS SENSITIVE TO CAFFEINE”.
This made me realise that reading labels can help us make more informed decisions about what we are putting in our body. Understanding ingredients added, their dosage along with potential risk associated with their consumption, are of utmost importance in order to make healthier and more informed choices.
References:
- Bracken MB, Triche EW, Belanger K, Hellenbrand K, Leaderer BP. Association of maternal caffeine consumption with decrements in fetal growth. Am J Epidemiol. 2003 Mar 01;157(5):456-66.
- Chen LW, Wu Y, Neelakantan N, Chong MF, Pan A, van Dam RM. Maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy is associated with risk of low birth weight: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. BMC Med. 2014 Sep 19;12:174.
- Chen LW, Wu Y, Neelakantan N, Chong MF, Pan A, van Dam RM. Maternal caffeine intake during pregnancy and risk of pregnancy loss: a categorical and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies. Public Health Nutr. 2016 May;19(7):1233-44.
- Evans, J., Richards, J. R., & Battisti, A. S. (2024). Caffeine. In StatPearls . StatPearls Publishing.
- Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011
