1. Another Can of Bull? Do Energy Drinks Really Provide a Source of Energy?
Adapted from NCCST case study by Cheryl D. Davis and Nancy A. Rice, Western Kentucky University
Based on a case by Merle Heidemann and Gerald Urquhart, Michigan State University

2. Do energy drinks really live up to their claims? 2

3. CQ#1: Which of the following best describes your use of energy drinks?
I have never tried an energy drink.
I drink an energy drink occasionally.
I drink an energy drink whenever I need a “boost” of energy.
I drink an energy drink almost every day.

4. CQ#2: I drink energy drinks because:
They do give me an energy boost.
They taste good.
They give me an energy boost and they taste good.
I don’t drink energy drinks.

5. CQ#3: The average cost of a canned energy drink is:$1 $2 $3 $4

6. The Case
After spending grades 9-11 working at the Sports Desk of the Weston TV Club, Breanna found the job of her dreams as a writer for Weston’s Running Magazine. 6

7. The job was fantastic! During high school, Breanna excelled in cross country, and had been a consistent runner, participating in local races and those assigned to her for her job at the school TV club. For her last assignment, she had run in and reported about the annual CN Tower Climb, and it was a blast all the way to the top!

8. Breanna’s Story
The day she returned, her boss Thanika walked in her office with a can of Red Bull® in one hand and a list of several other energy drinks in the other. “We’ve been getting a lot of inquiries about the different energy drinks on the market. Do you know anything about them?” Thanika asked.

9. “I do know that people use them for various reasons,” replied Breanna
“I do know that people use them for various reasons,” replied Breanna. “They’re primarily used by athletes to provide some “fuel” as they practice and compete. Other people use them more casually as a way to become more ‘energized.’ That’s about all I know.” 9

10. “For your next assignment,” Thanika continued, “I want you to find out what each of the ingredients in these drinks is and what it does for a runner or for a non-athlete. You need to be very accurate in your analysis. Determine what each component really does for the body, not what the marketers want us to believe it does. Then look at the marketing claims to see if the scientific facts match up to them. Here are the marketing claims, a list of ingredients and nutrition facts provided on the cans for consumers.”

11. “Guess I’ll have to brush up on my biochemistry…
As Thanika left the office, Breanna looked over the materials.
“Guess I’ll have to brush up on my biochemistry…
No problem!
I’m interested in knowing if my running would be improved by drinking this stuff.” 11

12. Breanna perused the marketing claims for each drink on the list.
Red Bull®
(from advertising materials)
is a functional product developed especially for periods of increased mental and physical exertion.
can be drunk in virtually any situation.
improves performance, especially during times of increased stress or strain.
improves concentration and reaction speed.
stimulates the metabolism. 12

13. Lo-Carb Monster Energy® (from advertising materials)
Tear into a can of the meanest energy supplement on the planet. We went down to the lab and cooked up a double shot of our killer energy brew.
We hacked out the carbohydrates and calories, transplanted the “wicked buzz,” and dialed in the flavor.
Lo-Carb MONSTER energy drink still delivers twice the BUZZ of a regular energy drink, but only has a fraction of the calories. 13

14. Sobe Adrenaline Rush® (from advertising materials)
This maximum energy supplement delivers an energy boost with a natural passion fruit flavor. It’s lightly carbonated with a clean smooth feel.
This maximum energy supplement delivers an energy boost with a unique blend of natural energizing elements, including d-ribose, l-carnitine and taurine. It’s pure, concentrated energy in an 8.3 fluid ounce can. 14

15. Impulse® (from advertising materials)
Elevate Your Performance.
Impulse® Energy Drink contains special supplements to immediately enhance mental and physical efficiency and give you the energy boost you deserve…replenishing your strength.
Impulse® Energy Drink gets its energy from a simple source: nutrients, minerals, and vitamins that occur naturally in the body and foods we eat. Enjoy: the wake-up power of caffeine, the alertness-inducing properties of taurine, the lift you get from vitamin B6 and B12. Combined with Impulse’s other ingredients, these are known to increase mental focus and physical well being, enhance performance, and accelerate metabolism. 15

16. Breanna recalled that a food’s calorie content was the simplest reflection of its energy content. Looking at Thanika’s list, she saw that the different energy drinks contained the following calories per can:
Lo-Carb Monster®
Red Bull®
Sobe Adrenaline Rush® 140
Impulse®
For comparison
Coca Cola® 16

17. What is a biological definition of energy?
Breanna realized that before she could start analyzing the energy drinks, she needed to know the answer to the following questions:
When we say something gives us “energy” what does that mean?
What is a biological definition of energy? 17

18. ATP and Coupled Reactions
ATP Working Inside and Outside the Cells
There are at least three distinct uses
for ATP in cells:
Chemical work ATP supplies the energy needed to synthesize the macromolecules that comprise the cell.
Mechanical work ATP supplies the energy needed to permit muscles to contract, cilia and flagella to beat, chromosomes to move and other functions.
Transport work ATP supplies the energy cells need to pump substances across the cell membrane

19. CQ#4: Food energy is the amount of stored chemical energy in food that is available following digestion and metabolism. The most common value for expressing the amount of available energy in food is:
Calvins
Joules
Ounces
Calories 19

20. How is food used for energy? A brief review of metabolism
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the primary energy molecule of organisms
The hydrolysis of ATP provides the chemical energy that powers most cell work.
On the flip side, making ATP takes energy; this comes from the oxidation of sugars and other reduced compounds.
This energy is used to phosphorylate adenine diphosphate (ADP) to make ATP
+ H20
ATP
ADP
+ Pi
+ 7.3 kcal/mol of ATP
Energy

21. So, how do we get from food to ATP?
Respiration and fermentation are two of the fundamental chemical reactions that power metabolism.
Metabolism is the process by which the cells break down (or build up) glucose and produce ATP in order to provide the cell with a constant source of energy.
Glucose is a key intermediary in cell metabolism. Cells use glucose to build fats, carbohydrates, and other compounds; and cells recover glucose by breaking down these molecules.
Glucose is a monosaccharide (carbohydrate) that is oxidized through either cellular respiration (under aerobic conditions) or fermentation (under anaerobic conditions) to produce ATP. 21

22. Matter conversions that accompany energy transformations / transfers
Energy conversion
Energy storage
(Photosynthesis)
(Fats and carbohydrates)
CO2 + H2O + sunlight
O2 + (CH20)n
Glucose
Fermentation
Glucose + ADP + Pi
Small organic molecules
+ ATP (low yield)
But it is fast!
Respiration
Glucose + O2 + ADP + Pi
CO2 + H2O + ATP (high yield!)
Energy use 22

23. CQ#5: ATP is used as an energy source for nearly all cellular metabolic processes. Which of the following macromolecules, if available, is used preferentially for ATP synthesis?
Amino acids
Caffeine
Proteins
Lipids
Carbohydrates 23

24. and Oxidative Phosphorylation
The combination of glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and the electron transport chain is called cellular respiration.
Glycolysis
Pyruvate processing
and Krebs Cycle
Electron Transport
and Oxidative Phosphorylation
Glucose
Pyruvate
ATP
CO2
NADH
Krebs
Cycle
FADH2
Electron transport chain establishes a proton gradient that is used to produce ATP O2
H20 24

25. Processing Glucose: Glycolysis
Glycolysis, a series of ten chemical reactions that take place in the cytoplasm of the cell, is the first step in glucose oxidation.
In glycolysis, glucose is broken down into two molecules of pyruvate.
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is reduced to NADH, an electron carrier that donates electrons to more oxidized molecules.
At the end of glycolysis, each molecule of glucose yields a net gain of 2 ATP molecules. 25

26. 1. Glucose activation
2. Sugar splitting
3. Oxidation
4. Formation of ATP

27. CQ#6: The net products of glycolysis are:
2 ATP, 2 CO2 , 2 ethanol
2 ATP, 2 NAD+, 2 acetate
2 ATP, 2 NADH, 2 pyruvate
38 ATP, 6 CO2, 6 H2O
4 ATP, 2 FADH2, 2 pyruvate 27