Consumption of energy drinks increases the risk of nervousness and insomnia among athletes, a new study finds.
The study was conducted by researchers from Camilo José Cela University (UCJC). For the study, researchers asked top footballers, climbers, swimmers and basketball, rugby, volleyball, tennis and hockey players to consume the equivalent of three cans of energy drink or an energy drink placebo before a sports competition. They then used GPS devices to measure sporting performance of each participant. Researchers also used dynamometers and potentiometers to measure muscle performance in other sports. Researchers noted that by consuming energy drinks, athletes were able to increase their performance by 3 to 7 percent.
"What is more, they ran further in team competitions, specially at higher intensities, which is related to sports performance," said Juan Del Coso Garrigós, one of the authors of the study, in a press statement. "Energy drinks increase jump height for basketball players, muscle force and power for climbers and trained individuals, swimming speed for sprinter swimmers, hit force and accuracy for volleyball players and the number of points scored in tennis".
Researchers also made a note of each athlete's sensations after consuming the energy drink and measured the frequency of the side effects in comparison with the placebo drink.
"Athletes felt they had more strength, power and resistance with the energy drink than with the placebo drink," the researchers said. "However, the energy drinks increased the frequency of insomnia, nervousness and the level of stimulation in the hours following the competition".
Energy drinks were found to create similar side effects as did caffeinated drinks and this effect was found to be the same in both males and females.
"Caffeinated energy drinks are a commercial product that can significantly increase sporting performance in many sports activities," argued Del Coso. "The increase in their consumption is probably driven by the hard advertising campaigns of energy drink companies related to sports sponsorships".
The findings of the study were published online in the British Journal of Nutrition.
