Functional Beverages

The ADA publishes a list of hot topics and I thought this was a good one...

Title of Topic:	Functional Beverages
Date of Release:	February 2008
Claim of Topic:	Functional beverages, which include energy drinks and vitamin waters, are surging in sales. Marketing messages for these beverages imply additional health benefits for a public that is thirsty for healthiness-on-the-go. But just how healthy are functional beverages?

Discussion of Topic

Functional beverages are drinks that have been enhanced with added ingredients to provide specific health benefits beyond general nutrition. These beverages have become so popular they are displacing soft drink sales. Consumers are seeking specific health benefits in their foods and beverages and these functional drinks fit neatly into the "healthiness-on-the-go" market, part of the $25 billion functional food business. Both convenience and health have been identified as important factors when consumers make decisions about purchasing foods and beverages. Functional drinks are promoted with benefits such as heart health, improved immunity and digestion, joint health, satiety, and energy-boosting. They are marketed with "healthy" names and slogans that sell.
Popular ingredients in functional drinks include caffeine, green tea, yerba maté, vitamin C, schizandra, açaí, ginger, cranberry extracts, and ginkgo biloba. According to the package label, one of the biggest selling energy drinks contains taurine, glucoronolactone, caffeine, and B vitamins. Enhanced waters are also surging in popularity, with a number of formulations labeled with catchy names that offer up images of health and tranquility. Soft drinks are even branching into the functional market with vitamin-enriched colas.
Many functional and fortified beverages bear approved claims from the FDA. Others make function/structure claims. Functional foods are regulated by FDA under the authority of the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act, but they are not specifically defined by law. The FDA is currently reviewing its regulation of functional foods.
Health experts are concerned about functional beverages for many reasons. While some functional drinks may provide hydration, many may not address the major health issues today such as obesity, heart disease, and cancer. Most people do not benefit from low levels of vitamins and minerals found in many functional drinks. Typically functional drinks do not capitalize on recognized short fall nutrients like calcium, potassium, foliate, and vitamin D. In addition, functional drinks are often very costly and many contain significant calorie levels. For example, one popular energy drink contains 130 calories and 34 g carbohydrates in an 8.3-ounce serving - higher than cola. Other products contain ingredients that have not been sufficiently studied for health benefits, safety, and dosage. Caffeine content can be high in these products, as well. In a recent study, it was discovered that the caffeine content of caffeinated energy drinks ranged from 0 mg to 141.1 mg/serving. An average 8-ounce cup of coffee contains 133 mg of caffeine.

Bottom Line

Consumers should read product labels to see what ingredients functional drinks contain. Many ingredients may not be proven to benefit health; however, by reading labels consumers can make wiser beverage choices. If people are concerned with vitamin and mineral supplementation, they may be better off taking a daily supplement that does not exceed 100% of the RDA.