■Press: What do I need to pay attention to when drinking functional drinks?
Can functional drinks really refresh and fight fatigue? How much "invisible sugar" does a can of functional drinks contain? Which functional drink is the best?
In October 2020, Consumer Report sent 12 mainstream functional drinks on the market to an authoritative third-party testing agency to find out for you.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="11" > detection metrics</h1>
Taurine, total sugar, taste, odor
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="120" > test results</h1>
1, 12 drinks refreshing ingredient taurine content difference is large, from 40mg / 100mL ~ 1000mg / 100mL range, of which, warhorse and daily full are 40mg / 100mL, force health care up to 1000mg / 100mL.
2, the total sugar content of 12 functional drinks is 0g/100mL ~ 15.2g/100mL, of which the alien is 0g/100mL (not detected), and li health care is as high as 15.2g/100mL, reaching the standard of "high-sugar food".
3. From the perspective of the total sugar content of each bottle, Dongpeng, Red Bull, Youzhen, Lehu, Zhongwo and other 5 models have reached more than 30g/bottle, and drinking a bottle will exceed the reasonable "control line" of 25g of sugar per day recommended by the dietary guidelines.
4. It is worth noting that the sugar content of Zhongwo reaches 66.6g/bottle, and consumers drink one bottle per day, and the intake of sugar will exceed the maximum daily limit (50g) recommended by the dietary guidelines.
5. In terms of subjective evaluation, Dongpeng's taste and smell are good, with a comprehensive score of 8.1, which is the most popular one among volunteers; the taste and smell of Li Health Care and Black Kr are evaluated as "relatively strange", and the comprehensive score is lower, only 3.7 and 4.3, respectively.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="122" > anti-fatigue components differ by up to 25 times</h1>
At present, there are many anti-fatigue food additives, one of the more common ingredients is taurine, which is also the "GB14880-2012 Food Nutrition Enhancer Use Standard" allows ingredients to be added to food.
Public information shows that taurine, also known as taurine, is an essential non-protein amino acid that exists in almost all organs of humans and mammals in a free form, and about 70% of taurine in the human body needs to be ingested from food.
It is understood that the exercise process will produce a large number of free radicals, free radicals will attack various tissues leading to physical fatigue, taurine has a good impact on the metabolism of free radicals in the human body, thus showing the effect of anti-exercise fatigue.
The GB14880-2012 Standard for the Use of Food Nutrition Enhancers stipulates that the amount of taurine added to special-purpose beverages and flavored beverages (functional drinks) is ≤50mg/100g (mL) and ≤60mg/100g (mL), respectively, but health food beverages are not subject to this restriction.
The test results showed that the taurine content of 12 functional drinks was between 40mg/mL and 1000mg/mL, of which the warhorse and the daily recharge were 40mg/100mL, and the force health care was as high as 1000mg/100mL, and the gap between them was as high as 25 times.
It is worth noting that because Li Health Care and Dongpeng are health foods, their taurine content is higher than the provisions of the "GB14880-2012 Food Nutrition Enhancer Use Standards", which is normal.
Taking Li Health as an example, the ingestible taurine per bottle (150mL) is 1500mg, is there a risk of overdose for consumers?
Medical data show that for adults, the maximum daily intake limit of taurine is 6000 mg (6g), so each bottle (can) of the 12 functional drinks tested this time provides taurine within the safe range.
"To date, there have been no adverse reactions due to taking or overdosing taurine, but anyone with an allergic reaction to taurine is advised not to take it so as not to cause discomfort." A professor from the Food College of South China Agricultural University once told this journal.
In addition, for consumers, the choice of functional drinks with health food logos will be better, on the one hand, their taurine content is higher than that of ordinary drinks, on the other hand, they have also been verified by animal experiments.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="123" > Zhongwo and other 7 total sugars exceed the dietary "control line"</h1>
The anti-fatigue formulations in functional drinks are interactive, with sugar added to the drink, which facilitates a quick return to blood sugar levels and provides energy to the body.
"Functional drinks add sugar, in addition to providing energy, there is also a taste problem, in order to reconcile the mouth, a certain amount of sugar will be used." Some food experts said.
However, in addition to overweight and obesity, excessive sugar intake may also increase the risk of chronic diseases such as dental caries, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Referring to the definition of "high-sugar food" by the Centre for Food Safety in Hong Kong, China, the sugar content of more than 15g per 100g (mL) of food is called "high sugar".
According to the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2013 Edition), the intake of added sugars should be controlled, and the intake should not exceed 50g per day, preferably below about 25g.
The test found that the total sugar content of 12 functional drinks was 0g/100mL~15.2g/100mL, of which the total sugar content of aliens, black krypton, nichigaman, devil's claw, youzhen and so on was below 10g/100mL, and the total sugar content of aliens was 0g/100mL (not detected).
It is worth noting that the total sugar content of Li Health Care is as high as 15.2g/100mL, which is the highest of all functional beverages, and it also meets the standard of "high-sugar food".
However, because consumers basically eat a bottle as a standard, the sugars that can be ingested in the 12 functional drinks are different.
The total sugar available in the 12 functional drinks is 12.7g/bottle~66.6g/bottle, of which 5 models such as Dongpeng, Red Bull, Youzhen, Lehu and Zhongwo reach more than 30g/bottle, and drinking one bottle will exceed the reasonable "control line" of 25g per day.
In addition, the sugar content of Zhongwo reaches 66.6g/bottle, and drinking one bottle will exceed the maximum daily limit (50g) recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2013 Edition).
Therefore, from the perspective of better control of total sugar intake, this journal recommends that consumers in addition to choosing functional drinks with low sugar content and small volume to maintain health.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="124" > health care taste "unpopular"</h1>
Taste and odor are important indicators for evaluating the sensory quality of functional beverages. Whether a functional drink has a good taste is an important basis for most consumers to make a purchase choice.
The taste of functional drinks is mainly adjusted by adding sugar and sweeteners to cover up the bitter taste of B vitamins and the like; the purpose of adding flavor is to modulate a soft odor and avoid irritation.
Among the 12 functional drinks sent for inspection this time, all of them are nominally added with taste adjusters such as sugar and flavor. In order to evaluate their tastes, the journal invited 10 volunteers to conduct a subjective blind evaluation experiment.
The evaluation dimensions of the subjective blind evaluation experiment mainly include two indicators of taste and smell, the single full score is 5 points, and the total score of the two indicators is the comprehensive score of the sample, with a full score of 10 points.
The experimental results showed that Dongpeng's taste and smell were good, 4.0 and 4.1 respectively, and the comprehensive score reached 8.1, which belonged to the level of "very favorite" and was the most popular one among volunteers.
Some volunteers commented that Dongpeng has a faint fruity aroma and Jianlibao flavor, and the taste is slightly sweeter, but the overall sour and sweet feeling is still more coordinated.
The taste and odor scores of Rigaman, Red Bull, Youzhen, Warhorse, Leopard Power, Zhongwo and Yuanqi Forest were all above 3.0, and the comprehensive scores were 7.8, 7.2, 7.1, 6.8, 6.7, 6.4 and 6.3, respectively, all of which belonged to the "preferred" level.
Some volunteers said that the day is full of fruity aroma and mint flavor, and there is "residual strength" after drinking; Red Bull has no special taste, the taste is decent; Youzhen has a bit of cough and water flavor, and the taste is slightly sweeter; the "artificial" sweetness of the warhorse is slightly obvious; the leopard has a sea buckthorn flavor, and the taste is relatively single; the smell of Zhongwo is flat and sweet; the smell of Yuanqi Forest is not special, and the taste is like Sprite.
Lehu, Devil Claw and Black Krypton all had average taste and odor performance, with a combined score of 5.7, 5.3 and 4.3 respectively, which belonged to the "general like" level.
Some volunteers think that Lehu has a flavor flavor and a sweet taste; the taste of magic claw medicine is very pungent, not very real, and the entrance is sour; black krypton has a wind oil essence, which is more pungent, and the entrance has a ginseng flavor and a bitter aftertaste.
The taste and odor scores of Li Health care are only 1.6 and 2.1, respectively, and the comprehensive score is only 3.7, which belongs to the level of "not very liked". Most of the volunteers complained about the strong smell of the potion, the taste was sour and bitter, and it was difficult to say a word.
The taste and odor scores in the subjective evaluation experiment only reflect the personal preferences and subjective feelings of some consumers, so the score is only used as a reference, and consumers can make choices according to their own situation.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="125" > review preview</h1>
Preservatives, artificial colors, sweeteners... Are the functional drinks you drink safe? Lock in Consumer Reports and follow the next review.
【Special Notice】: The test results and mentioned brands in this report are only responsible for the test samples and do not represent the quality status of the same batch or other models of products.