It seems like an oxymoron at first. Energy drinks are usually laced with artificially produced caffeine, High Fructose Corn Syrup, synthetic Taurine (ref: ) and of course, for marketing effect artificially produced vitamins. How can any of this be good for you. It isn't.

Many of today's 18-30 year olds consume energy drink daily. Some are starting to suffer from skin, liver, pancreas or digestive tract problems. This is besides the effect these chemical cocktails can have on one's heart (increased and irregular heartbeats) or skin (dehydration).

An entire new generation is coming into adulthood without their parents' coffee routine, but with a morning, afternoon or evening energy drink. Sometimes all three. Many spend hours online gaming, instead of exercising, which accentuates the problem with energy drinks, introducing type 2 diabetes and other sedentary diseases.

Why are energy drinks worse than coffee? One could say that many more people drink a cup or two or three of coffee every day and have never had any of the health issues associated with Taurine and energy drinks. This is because coffee derives its caffeine from coffee beans.

Like most natural substances, the caffeine in the coffee beans cannot easily be separated as a distinct molecular structure. It comes with many other elements, including fibrous membranes, which actually reduce the speed of absorption of the active caffeine.

With these new drinks, the caffeine is produced in a laboratory, usually in Eastern Europe or Asia. This chemical has one big plus over natural caffeine: it is extremely powerful, perhaps too much so. All of the natural elements that come within the coffee beans or Guarana seeds or tea leaves are eliminated in factory produced caffeine. Synthetic caffeine is also easier to produce than natural caffeine, another advantage from the producer's point of view. Unfortunately, for us consumers, this potent and purely chemical caffeine shot is absorbed into our circulatory system as soon as it hits the first part of the intestine.

Natural products like Guarana or tea, on the other hand, are absorbed more slowly by the body. They are also less concentrated and therefore less poisonous than the white powdered caffeine. There are a few advantages with the natural versions of caffeine (whether it be in coffee, tea or Guarana). Firstly, the duration of the increased mental clarity will be longer. Instead of the instant buzz you get from most energy drinks and then the inevitable crash, you get a prolonged feeling of alertness for a several hours and the effect eventually wears off gradually.

Secondly, continuous exposure to synthetic caffeine over saturates our nervous system. If this excessive exposure continues, our nerves go haywire. This is Mother Nature's way of telling us to be careful. Our hands may quiver, nervous habits develop; our body starts to show signs of stress not different from those related to anxiety or depression. Not recommended for anyone.

With guaranine or tea or natural coffee beans, our digestive and circulatory system can easily eliminate the excess quantities without unduly affecting the nervous system. But even with natural stimulants, they must be used carefully and not in excessive amounts. It is best to stick with one cup per day; of coffee (not the grande which is really like 6 coffees) or one 12 oz can of a natural energy drink or unsweetened cold tea.

Organic coffees don't contain any of the chemicals used in large farming operations. has a wide variety of these.

Some natural energy drinks that I like are and . They are both made with natural caffeine from Guarana and/or coffee. What I like about GURU is that it is entirely natural, has not artificial sweeteners or vitamins. Sysmo is made from good ingredients but is more costly, and is not a usual taste. GURU has a low-calorie drink sweetened with Stevia called (), which is also a favorite of mine (see my post on Benefits of Stevia: (ref: ). Both of these are available on the respective companies' website and at .

With regards to teas; cold, brewed teas will provide the best combination of anti-oxidants and natural caffeine. A brand I like is ITOEN, from Japan. Itoen Teas seems to be the purest, unsweetened product out there. The Zen taste grows on you after a couple of bottles. See their website at: . Another cool brand is the US based , but they recently sold out to Coke and now it seems they're selling out to the sweeter American taste buds.