Functional drink
Functional beverages or functional beverages (Engl. Functional Drink ) are non-alcoholic beverages containing certain additives and according to the manufacturer similar functional food not only thirst to delete, but to have a healthy effect or stimulating.
Functional drinks can be roughly divided into
- Wellness drinks (with medicinal substances)
- Sports drinks and
- Energy drinks
- Relaxation drink
The German consumer advice centers identified a total of 103 active substances that were advertised in 238 functional drinks examined.
Vitamins , minerals , probiotics , fiber , aloe vera , apple cider vinegar or green tea are often added to drinks that promise additional health benefits . Well-known functional drinks of this type are multivitamin juice and drinking yogurt. The combination of vitamins A , C and E is very common .
Substances such as acerola , green tea, ginkgo or kombucha are often added to the so-called wellness drinks .
The sports drinks should not only compensate for the loss of fluid through sweating, but also provide minerals and in some cases have a performance-enhancing effect. This segment also includes mineral waters with special additives of herbs, vitamins or oxygen . In some cases, however, sugar is also added to these drinks .
Energy drinks are particularly popular with young consumers. They mainly consist of water and sugar and are enriched with additives such as caffeine , guarana or taurine . They are advertised as "energy donors". They have a stimulating effect, a performance-enhancing effect has not been proven. Mineral waters with added caffeine are now also on the market.
criticism
The German Nutrition Society (DGE) and the consumer centers are generally critical or even negative about functional drinks, as they doubt their health benefits. The DGE describes the supply of the German population with all necessary vitamins as sufficient; only vegans are often undersupplied with some B vitamins. A protection against heart attack or against cancer through the addition of ACE is not proven by studies. In fact, beta-carotene intake increases the risk of developing lung cancer in smokers . Many of the drinks on offer contain a relatively large amount of sugar and also contain artificial flavorings , including most drinking yogurts. The consumer advice centers reject the addition of medicinal plants, as caution is advised with uncontrolled intake. An overdose can also be harmful to health.