Liz Neporent is a diet and fitness expert and co-author of "The Fat-Free Truth." She regularly appears on national TV programs and is the president of Wellness 360, a New-York based wellness provider. You can also follow her on Twitter @lizzyfit.

Photo: zmtomako, Flickr

Will switching from soft drinks to energy drinks help me lose weight?

I know plenty of people who guzzle soft drinks and plenty of people who don't like drinking water. They are constantly looking for a tasty alternative to help them quench their thirst. So, are energy drinks the answer?

Perhaps. If you're a soda addict, each 8-ounce can you knock back without giving it a second thought will set you back about 100 to 120 empty calories. There is no calorie savings with some of the newer energy drinks, like Red Bull, plus they pack crazy amounts of caffeine and may not be great for your teeth. The same amount of the classic sugary energy drinks like Gatorade deliver just 50 calories. True, that's just half the damage of soda and may contain a few essential vitamins and minerals, but it's still a fairly significant slug of calories. Plus, who drinks just 8 ounces of anything, especially when you're parched? As a recent Columbia University study shows, most people easily chug their way through nearly 250 extra calories a day. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health also found that liquid calories had a stronger impact on weight loss than calories from solid foods.

Quercetin is found in the skins of apples and red onions. Photo: visualpanic, Flickr

In the world of sport, it seems everyone's talking about quercetin, a phytochemical that could increase your athletic performance and, perhaps more importantly, it comes in an energy drink endorsed by Lance Armstrong. But not so fast says a new study funded by Coca-Cola -- it seems quercetin won't actually do you much good on the race track.

The research, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, tested performance levels at maximum-effort biking of 30 recreational cyclists -- half were given 1 gram of quercetin in their sports drinks, while the other half weren't. At the end of the one-to-two-week study, participants who took the supplement showed no difference from those who hadn't in a variety of measures, including metabolic changes, peak oxygen consumption and strength after testing.

The study's lead researcher, Kirk Cureton, was surprised by the findings, as he had predicted positive effects on athletes, especially since tests on mice had proved promising. However, he adds "Only one study that I am aware of has found a positive effect" referring to research done by the U.S. Army, that had heavily invested in the supplement. But it is not necessarily a waste. Quercetin has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, so even if it's not shrinking your split times, you may be reaping other benefits.

My husband has an energy drink habit. It's something we disagree on. I think that it's better to boost your energy through a good night's sleep and maybe a morning coffee, that energy drinks have too much sugar and possibly too much caffeine. He likes the kick the drinks give him. He's even known to buy an off brand from the dollar store, which gives me even greater pause.

The energy drink market has exploded over the last few years, and have become highly popular, especially among young men. But I'm not the only one who's concerned. Forbes recently interviewed Roland Griffiths, a John Hopkins scientist who has studied the effects of caffeine. He, among others, is calling for labeling of the drinks by the FDA. Griffiths says that because some energy drinks have as little as 50 mg of caffeine, while others pack as much as 500 mg, drinking an energy drink is tantamount to "drinking a beverage and not knowing, not being able to taste, whether it's straight vodka you just drank or beer."

Though Griffiths has concerns about the overuse of energy drinks, all he and his peers are urging right now is labeling requirements so that consumers can be aware what they're drinking. Seems reasonable to me ... what do you think?

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The debate over whether energy drinks have health implications usually centers around heart-related issues. But, a new study published in the journal General Dentistry reveals yet another compelling reason for oral argument.

Citing the General Dentistry study, Women's Health reports that drinks like Red Bull and Amp have the same acidic effect on our teeth as sodas. The article states that these power-up drinks restrict our saliva's natural ability to neutralize acids-which thereby allows this acid to take up temporary residence in our mouths, where it is then able to penetrate our gums.

To fight back against these tooth-tarnishing energy drink villains, the folks at Women's Health suggest using straws (aim your drink toward the back of the mouth), rinsing with water to dilute acids, and not brushing your pearlies for 30 minutes after downing energy drinks, for the scrubbing can remove enamel ­weakened by acidity.

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My husband loves energy drinks. More specifically, he loves the jolt he gets from an energy drink. While I could never picture him trying to mix an energy drink with alcohol (that would defeat the purpose after all), I can see where someone else might give it a try. But the folks over at CNN tell us that mixing energy drinks and alcohol is a bad idea. The combination stresses the nervous system and can lead to heart palpitations and difficulty breathing.

And since it's nearly the Fourth and we're talking about alcohol, studies have also found that when alcohol is mixed with diet soda, it enters the bloodstream at a much faster rate than when mixed with a regular soft drink. So if you're going to have a drink or two this weekend, you might want to splurge on the extra calories in a regular soda and have a snack as well. The sugar and extra food will slow down the rate the alcohol leaves your stomach.

For more tidbits on what foods work well together and what don't, check out Real Simple's article on food pairings.

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After spending many college weekends popping caffeine pills before heading out to party, my stomach felt ripped to shreds by the age of 22. Stupid. I've since matured -- herbal tea and my favorite rainbow coffee mug are best of friends these days.

Now energy drinks are the rage. However, beyond the jitters, researchers have seen an association between high consumption of canned energy and risky "toxic jock" behavior, such as unprotected sex, substance abuse and violence. It's not just young adults reaching for super-caffeinated cans of Red Bull, Monster, Full Throttle, Amp and the like. Four middle schoolers headed to the ER last spring with heart palpitations and sweating after downing Spike Shooter -- a 428 milligrams of caffeine powerhouse.

While many energy drinks have less caffeine than a cup of brewed Starbucks coffee, they are served cold, which means people may down multiple cans quickly. It's even worse for those mixing alcohol with energy drinks -- a study published this month revealed college students choosing these super-charged mixers got drunk twice as often as alcohol-only drinkers. The awake drunks were also far more likely to be injured and more likely to be victims or perpetrators of aggressive sexual behavior.

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As a follow up to my recent post on how mouthwash may actually be causing your bad breath, I thought it would be fitting to write again on the topic of proper oral care (I'm sure there are plenty of disappointed people who ended up at this site after Googling those last two words). Specifically, I wanted to tackle the question of whether soft drinks are bad for your teeth.

Obviously, the high amount of sugar in soft drinks can wreak havoc on your teeth, so that's pretty much a given. Does this mean that you're in the clear if you drink sugar-free soft drinks? Not at all, says an article that appears in the November 2007 issue of General Dentistry, the the Academy of General Dentistry's (AGD) clinical, peer reviewed journal. The study focused mostly on sugar-free energy drinks, a beverage market that is expected to reach $10 billion in growth by 2010.

According to the article, pH levels are not solely to blame for erosion of tooth enamel. A beverage's "buffering capacity," or the ability to neutralize acid, is also major factor in dental erosion. In efforts to thwart any oral problems, dentists suggest following these simple tips for keeping your teeth healthy:

Use a straw positioned at the back of the mouth so that the liquid avoids the teeth

Rinse the mouth with water after drinking acidic beverages

Limit the intake of sodas, sports drinks and energy drinks

Not that research was actually necessary to ascertain this, but it turns out that caffeinated energy drinks can raise a persons blood pressure.

Products such as Red Bull, Amp, Full Throttle, Jump Up and Down for an Hour (okay, so I made that one up), Monster, and Rush have become the drink of choice for many teenage kids. In particular, many "gamers" (players of video games) are especially fond of these full-energy drinks, as they allow them to play late into the evening without tiring. However, people of all ages have also jumped on board with this trend, calling into question their safety when consumed by, say, a 40-year-old man with a known heart condition.

The problem is, these drinks raise blood pressure and resting heart rate. The study showed no immediate threat from these drinks to people who did not already have high blood pressure. But, as you might expect, people who already had high blood pressure could be at risk.

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Though I'm not one for binge drinking anymore, a few of my friends think nothing of spending $100 at the bar on a round of drinks. One of the latest trends in drinks is mixing red bull or another energy drink with some form of alcohol. It seems like a good idea if you're planning on staying up all night -- maybe the energy drink can counteract the drowsy effect that alcohol causes?

But I have my doubts that this is true, or even remotely safe. This article confirms that mixing alcohol with energy drinks is dangerous. But I doubt information like this will reduce the risk -- both energy drinks and binge drinking seem to be at an all-time height of popularity these days. What do you think?

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Red Bull gives you wings, or so says it's well-known slogan. But while that offer is tempting, it's also makes me a bit wary -- what's the magic ingredient that makes you fly? Fitsugar addressed this question recently, and here's the lowdown: A regular Red Bull has 27 g of sugar, which is the equivalent of 2 tablespoons, so that doesn't hurt. It also contains:

• Taurine: originally from bull bile but now synthetically made, it can be used either as a stimulant or a sedative, and it can help regulate your heartbeat.
• Glucuronolactone: supposedly this additive fights fatigue
• Caffeine: one can had 80 mg of caffeine -- three times the caffeine that's in a can of coke
• Niacin: Usually, Niacin helps with cholesterol but it's barely traceable in Red Bull.
  

Fitsugar sums up by saying it's basically caffeine with sugar and I agree. What about you?

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Are all those alcoholic energy drinks really filled with hearty ingredients meant to give your body the tools it needs to create its own energy? That may be the image these products give off, and some states are a little fed up with it.

As such, state attorneys from more than 24 U.S. states want more federal review of these products as well as an examination of their ingredients. If there is alcohol in these products and they are marketed to under-21 customers, then we have a severe problem even outside the goofy energy marketing angle.

The letter from 28 states attorneys said that "Nonalcoholic energy drinks are very popular with today's youth ... beverage companies are unconscionably appealing to young drinkers with claims about the stimulating properties of alcoholic energy drinks." Yep -- very much agree here. Want specific examples? The attorney group mentioned the Sparks, Sparks Plus, Bud Extra, Liquid Charge and Liquid Core drinks by name.

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Mathew Penbross felt like he needed a little boost while competing in a motocross event last weekend. The 28-year-old subsequently drank eight cans of Red Bull in five hours -- and it nearly killed him.

When ambulance crews arrived to deal with Penbross' overdose, they found that his heart had stopped, and he needed defibrillation. Fortunately the emergency medical technicians were able to save his life, but now the former energy drink-enthusiast is facing 6 weeks off work.

To be fair, the label on Red Bull cans clearly state that it's dangerous to consume more than 1.5 cans per day -- but what's alarming is that they've conveniently neglected to mention that going beyond their recommended limits could lead to sudden death.

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With the bold colors and jazzed-up names many 'energy' drinks have these days, one would think that the amount of caffeine in these beverages would be equal to a pot of coffee.

According to a new report, the image does not match reality. In fact, ounce-for-ounce, many popular energy drinks contain no more caffeine than an ordinary cup of coffee. At least they have flashier colors by way of artificial coloring, right?

What if these drinks became the "coffee for a new generation," a premise which has been suggested recently? Coffee has been around for, well, a very long time, and these souped-up energy drinks are relatively new. My vote goes toward coffee, and if Starbucks is any indication, I'm not alone.

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While it may sound like nothing more than fodder for your spam folder, abnormally prolonged erections are a real medical condition -- known as severe priapism. Christopher Woods was suffering from this condition, and he says it's because of a vitamin-enriched health drink called Boost Plus. He's subsequently filed a lawsuit against the beverage-maker.

According to the company's website, Boost Plus is "a great tasting, high calorie, nutritionally complete oral supplement for people who require extra energy." But according to Woods' court papers, that "extra energy" forced him to undergo a number of medical procedures -- including the implantation of a Winter shunt (which moves blood from one area of the body to another), and the closing off of blood vessels in the penis, to decrease the likelihood of an erection.

Unfortunately there's no word on why the drink might be causing this condition, or what other, outside factors may have contributed.

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Are you a fan of energy drinks? The recent uptick in the flashy-colored energy drink product made me curious, so I started looking at the ingredients in these products. I wish I hadn't.

The amount of sugar and caffeine in these things is beyond unhealthy in many cases. Sure, there are traces of ginseng and other healthy ingredients, but taking that long with a few dozen grams of sugar in a single servings is, umm, probably not a good idea.

Yet, these products are some of the most advertised beverages I see these days, and the inventive packaging and coloring used on them definitely gets your attention. But, the thing that gets y attention is what is inside -- and I'm no fan of that.

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