Enter any convenience store and you’d be able to find an energy drink sitting idly on the shelf. You’d be tempted to reach for it if you need that extra boost of energy or before or after a workout, but are they really worth it?
Dangers of Energy Drinks
According to Dr. Eric Berg DC, the main composition of energy drinks includes Caffeine and Sugar. In the name of “energy”, caffeine is often treated as a fuel to keep one going through the day. On the contrary, Caffeine is a stimulant that is revs up your adrenal glands, giving you that false sense of energy. When the adrenaline gets destroyed by your liver eventually, that burst of energy you felt previously will also die down. This will make you feel lethargic again.
The sugar used in energy drinks would cause the sugar levels in your blood to spike before a hormone intercepts and brings your sugar level all the way back down again. This will cause you to become irritable and low in energy once again. What’s more, this sugar is fructose, not glucose, and fructose will only go to your liver and not the muscles. This will then be converted to more belly fat, so this is something to look out for anyone who’s conscious about their physique.
What has Singapore done?
Singapore has implemented “Nutri-grade” mark and food and beverage outlets in Singapore will be required to include nutrition labels on their menus, according to measures announced by the government in early August 2022.
I believe this is done so that Singaporeans can become more aware of what they are consuming and moderate said consumptions by themselves.
As can be seen, Energy Drinks are being categorised under a “D” grade, meaning its nutritional value is rather low. However, this is where the main question lies: Is Singapore doing enough? Should measures pertaining the consumption of energy drinks be more stringent?
Perhaps sugar taxes would work? According to Hashem Al-Ghaili, in Mexico, when a 10% sugar tax was imposed in 2014, a 12% reduction in sales in the first year can be seen. What about a full on ban on energy drinks? I personally am in disagreement with those suggestions.
As a sweet-tooth, sugary beverages would be very difficult – if not, Impossible – to cut off in my diet. That being said, there would also bound to be people out there who will not care about the nutri-grades and carry on consuming these energy drinks in high consumptions. Thus, I personally believe that as long as you drink it in moderation, it would be all right.
So, I pose the question back to you: Should there be stricter regulations on energy drinks in Singapore?
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