By Jocelyn Farias,
Staff Writer.
Finals week is rapidly approaching and end-of-the-year burnout and senioritis are already hitting hard. In the final stretch, students are choosing to drink energy drinks as a coping mechanism for these stressful, demanding times and to get the much-needed energy boost and push to the finish line. “I drink a lot of energy drinks because they help me feel more awake and focused,” said freshman Citlali Quiroz. However, many students don’t really know what exactly they are putting in their bodies.
Taurine and caffeine are the two key chemicals in many of these drinks, but have drastically different effects on your body — so what’s the difference? Taurine is an amino acid found naturally in your muscles, brain and organs. In conjunction with caffeine, the drink can temporarily provide an athletic performance boost and better cognitive function, similar to Actyl L-cartitine, another mental enhancer. Energy drinks such as Red Bull, Monster Energy, Rockstar, Celsius, among others, have both caffeine and taurine as key components. The benefits of drinking energy drinks with taurine in addition to caffeine is that it enhances your mental and physical performance. Caffeine can cause some people to have a jittery feeling, but the added taurine has a calming effect, counteracting the caffeine. Taurine also helps with electrolyte balance in your body aiding with hydration, and it has a longer lasting effect compared to caffeine.
On the other hand, a handful of energy drinks only have caffeine and no taurine, such as Guru, Yerba Mate or Score. The benefits with drinking energy drinks with no taurine are that you get that caffeine rush faster and that it directly affects your nervous system to enhance your ability to focus. Of the two, caffeine is the stronger chemical and so the drinks with only caffeine still have great effect. These types of drinks are best for simple fast wake-ups or very quick energy boosts.
Energy drinks with caffeine and taurine or energy drinks without taurine are incredibly useful if needed but each one has a different effect. Caffeine-only drinks are good for a quick energy boost while taurine is balanced and longer lasting, so your choice of which to consume should be based on your specific needs.
