The Effect of an Energy Drink on Blood Glucose Levels - Essay Example

The Effect of an Energy Drink on Blood Glucose Levels Energy drinks have become a popular way in which to create and sustain energy through long hours of work. They are popular for their effects, their flavour, and for the smart marketing that is done to promote the drink in relationship to lifestyle. The health risks associated with energy drinks have come to the attention of researchers in order to understand how caffeine when combined with sugar can both positively and negatively affect the body and more specifically blood glucose levels. Measuring the impact of energy drinks on blood glucose can help to identify risks that occur from using the drinks. The following research was conducted using a small group of 6 participants in order to track the differences in fasting blood glucose with the exception of the consumption of one energy drink. The six participants consisted of four females and one male, all between the ages of 20 and 22. One of the results of the test was that variation at the beginning of the test of the glucose level was wider than that at the end of the test. It was clear through the consistency of spiking and then dropping that the consumption of an energy drink had an effect on blood glucose levels within the participant group. It was clear by the reaction of the blood glucose measures at 30 minute intervals that a spike followed by a drop beneath the beginning level of blood glucose was fairly consistent across the participant group. 1. Introduction Energy drinks have become a popular way in which to increase alertness and endure long hours of work and play in the 21st century. The use of these drinks bring into question whether or not they have a healthy or detrimental effect on the user. The experiment that has been conducted will measure the effect of an energy drink on glucose. The effect of the energy drink is evaluated in relationship to a letter that was produced in 1994 by the Mayo Clinic about the effects of caffeine on sugar in the blood. The letter indicates that there are symptoms of low blood sugar, increase need for sugar by the brain, and a reduction in blood flow when caffeine and sugar are introduced together into the blood stream ('Can caffeine cause symptoms of low blood sugar’ 1994, p. 6). In order to create an evaluation of the effects of energy drinks on blood glucose, six young men and women were given a glucose test in which an initial blood sample was taken before consumption of the drink, and then in 30 minute intervals until two hours had passed. The following paper discusses the use of energy drinks after which the methods and results of the experiment are explored. 1.1 Background One of the issues of the 21st century is a rising pressure to spend every moment of life focused on intense success or intense pleasure. As a result, energy drinks have gained popularity as a way to revitalize the body when natural fatigue is pushing the individual towards rest. Through the use of these drinks, whether they have a placebo effect or an actual effect, people are stretching their active period further (Sillivent, Blevins, and Peak 2012, p.215). This is often times to the detriment of their health. The popularity of energy drinks brings into question the effects that they have on the overall condition of the body and supports the use of experimentation to evaluate what is happening when these drinks are consumed. The specific demographic for primary consumption is defined by males in their late teens and their 20s. Women do not tend to gravitate towards the product to the same level as men. The marketing of the product tends to also be specific; some targeting sports enthusiasts, others targeting those who are gamers (Smith, Gupta, and Gupta 2008, p. 34). There is an age relationship to the effects of caffeine on the body. O’Mathuna (2012, p. 135) writes that young men and boys show a lowered heart rate after the consumption of caffeine than do men who are older. Pettit and DeBarr (2011, p. 335) determined that college students in the United States developed the habit of drinking energy drinks at an increasing rate between their 1st year and their 3rd year of university. The use of energy drinks was negatively correlated to academic performance, with gender factoring in significantly as males over females chose more often to use the drink. By the third year of university, males were consuming 3.2 energy drinks per day, with females drinking .80 drinks per day. 1.2 Energy Drink Ingredients There are three primary ingredients that may have an effect on the physiology of the individual who is consuming the energy drink. Caffeine, simple sugars, and taurine are the most common ingredients to cause interest from researchers. In four studies exploring the effect of consumption of simple sugars reported by O’Mathuna (2012, p. 136) it was found that in two studies they would decrease fatigue and increase vigilance, while no effect was found in the other two studies. Taurine is found throughout the body and is an organic acid. The acid has been a part of the ingredients in infant formula for thirty years and is also found in energy drinks. About 1 to 2 grams can be seen in popular brands per serving and is included because there are claims that it promotes exercise performance and energy utilization. Studies that report this claim have also included other ingredients in the test and are therefore inconclusive (O’Mathuna 2012, p. 136). O’Mathuna (2012, p. 136) reports that a study done with eleven male endurance cyclists showed that while there was no performance enhancement, total fat oxidation was increased by 16% when compared to a control group when the test group received 1.66 g of taurine. A UK company called Firefly has pursued the idea of energy drinks without potentially harmful unnatural ingredients. Using additives that are organic, the company has included such ingredients as chilli, ginseng, and angelica to provide the same kick without the punch of ill health effects (Firefly Case Study 2009, p. 2). Alternatives to the ingredients that are in most common energy drinks may prove useful should the evidence of research and discovery determine that energy drinks as they are currently manufactured are harmful to health. A list of ingredients that Firefly is using can be found in Appendix 2, providing context for less invasive 1.3 Caffeine Caffeine is considered an ergogenic aid, which means that it will enhance physical performance (Chu 2012 p. 3). Cherniske (1998) reports that caffeine will increase insulin resistance and can disrupt the blood sugar regulation of insulin. Energy drinks have high levels of caffeine and sugar which contributes to insulin resistance and containing the risk for hypoglycemic reactions in low blood sugar. One of the advantages of caffeine where diabetes is concerned is that it seems to have a modulatory effect on hyperglycaemic awareness. It is a mild effect, but the results are being looked at as a way of finding pharmaceutical uses in relationship to increasing awareness (Shaw and Cummings 2012, p. 208). However there is significant evidence that conflicts with the belief that caffeine will negatively affect insulin resistance, but can improve insulin resistance and help to correct abnormal glucose metabolism, working as a prevention to type 2 diabetes (Preedy 2012, p. 1547). This experiment helps to clarify what can be perceived about the effects of a highly caffeinated energy drink that has sugar in order to define the process of glucose in the blood after consuming the drink, reflecting the rate at which sugar rises and falling. 1.4 Hypotheses Hypothesis 1: Blood glucose is measured with a hard spike immediately after consuming an energy drink with a sharp decline in the following two hours, therefore energy drinks are not recommended for contributing to stable blood sugar. Null Hypothesis 1: Blood glucose is measured as remaining steady immediately after consuming an energy drink without a sharp decline in the following two hours, therefore energy drinks are recommended as part of a plan to stabilize blood sugar. Hypothesis 2: Through evidence from secondary sources and the evidence in this experiment, energy drinks can be considered unsafe because of the fluctuations in blood glucose that can be measured, therefore limiting or eliminating them from the diet is recommended. Null Hypothesis: Through the evidence from secondary sources and the evidence in this experiment, energy drinks can be considered safe and can be safely consumed. 2. Methods/Materials Pellatt, Griffiths, and Wu, S. (2010, p. 6) discuss how students need to practice in a small environment in order to understand how to expand into a more meaningful sized environment. This experiment focuses on six students who take glucose measurements at periodic intervals after consuming an energy drink. The experiment included using the six volunteers through roles that would help to facilitate the experiment. This included using one to watch over the volunteers, one to record the results, and two to work the equipment. See Appendix 3 in order to see a detailed outline for the experiment. Materials used in the experiment allowed the researcher to take blood samples by using the Roche Accu-Chek Softclix® Pro lancing device to cut the participant so that a small amount of blood could be put ont the glucose testing strip. After this procedure, the test was tested using the Roche Advantage blood glucose monitor. The initial test before the drink was consumed was counted as 0 minutes, with a test at regular 30 minute intervals after until a 2 hour time limit was expended. The materials included: 30x Roche Accu-Chek® Softclix® Pro lancing device 6 cans of energy drink 6x Roche Advantage blood glucose monitor 30x blood glucose testing strips The experiment was conducted in a private residence where the area had been sterilized and prepared for the work. 3. Results Figure 1 shows a comparison of the blood glucose for each of the participants, providing for a clear understanding that they effect of the drink was similar in each. The participant group consists of four females and two males ranging in age from 20 to 22. The average weight in the group is 72.83kg with the lowest weight at 57kg and the highest weight at 97kg, both represented by female participants. The blood glucose spiked after 30 minutes and continued to drop from that point until the 2 hour time limit had expired. At 120 minutes the blood glucose was lower than at the time of the first measure, meaning that in a two hour time period the blood glucose level spiked quickly, then descended and dropped to below a normal level. The one exception to this was participant number five, a male who weighed 69kg but whose blood glucose began at 6.1mmol/L and then dropped to 6mmol/L by the end of the first 30 minutes. His blood sugar dropped dramatically at 60 minutes to 4.8 mmol/L, with it continued to drop to 4.7 mmol/L and 4.6mmol/L at the end of the experiment. The most dramatic spike was seen in female subject 2 who had the highest weight in the group and whose blood sugar began at 5.6mmol/L, but spiked up to 8.5mmol/L in 30 minutes, dropping by 60 minutes to 5.3mmol/L and then continued down to 4.4mmol/L and back up to 4.8mmol/L at the end of the experiment (see Figure 2). In comparing Chart 1 to Chart 2, it is clear that there is a correlation between body weight and the level of blood glucose in each participant (See Figures 3 & 4). Figure 1 Comparison of Glucose Differences for the Six Participants Subject: 1 Female 20 years Subject: 2 Female 20 years Subject: 3 Female 20 years Subject: 4 Female 20 years Subject: 5 Male 22 years Subject: 6 Male 21years Weight 75kg 97kg 57kg 63kg 69kg 76kg Control 5.3mmol/l 5.6mmol/l 4.7mmol/l 4.6mmol/l 6.1mmol/l 4.9mmol/l 30 minutes 6.7 8.5 6.7 6.9 6 7.5 60 minutes 5.2 5.3 5.3 5.1 4.8 5.2 90 minutes 4.6 4.4 5.1 4.5 4.7 4.4 120 minutes 4.4 4.8 3.5 3.9 4.6 4.5 Figure 2 Experiment Results Figure 3 Chart 1 Weight Figure 4 Chart 2 Beginning and Ending Glucose Comparison The t-test when comparing 30 minute glucose to weight showed that the mean weight was 72.83kg with average blood glucose at 7.05mmol/L. There was a variance in the weight of 192.1kg, with .735mmol/L for the blood glucose. t-Test: Paired Two Sample for Means   Variable 1 Variable 2 Mean 72.83333 7.05 Variance 192.1667 0.735 Observations 6 6 Pearson Correlation 0.786736 Hypothesized Mean Difference 0 df 5 t Stat 12.20859 P(T Read More