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News : 7-Eleven : fueling fitness and fatness
Drinks Business Review - USA, August 25 2005 -- Convenience store 7-Eleven's introduction of the new Formula 7 range of energy drinks and bars highlights the increasingly mainstream nature of the functional food market in the US. But while there is evidence that such products can improve athletes' performance, they may be more damaging to the health of inactive consumers than regular confectionery and carbonated drinks.
US convenience store operator 7-Eleven has announced plans to launch its Formula 7 range of private label fortified energy drinks and energy bars. The initial range will consist of one energy bar, one 'endurance bar' and three drinks targeted respectively at energy, mental focus and fitness.
The idea is a good one. Both energy drinks and energy bars are among the key food and drink industry success stories of recent years, particularly in the US. They have moved beyond being consumed chiefly by hardcore athletes towards a more mainstream market consisting of recreational athletes and even non-athletes, who believe that functional performance products are healthier than conventional soft drinks or confectionery.
Among professional and amateur athletes, it may well be true that energy food and drinks can help boost performance. A study carried out at the University of Birmingham, UK, on a group of cyclists in June 2005 found that caffeinated sports drinks increased the body's absorption rate of carbohydrates by 26%, reducing their reliance on stored energy reserves.
However, a study released this week by the Auckland University of Technology has found that caffeinated energy drinks risk causing greater weight gain in non-athletes than carbonated soft drinks. Study participants' bodies converted the sugar in a caffeinated energy drink to fat significantly faster than they converted the sugar in a normal soft drink.
7-Eleven's launch reflects the growing extent to which energy drinks (and functional drinks in general) are now in the mainstream in the US. But while the convenience chain's new product range may well provide a performance boost for amateur athletes on the way to the late-night gym, it risks exacerbating obesity and overweight problems among less active Americans.
(source : www.drinks-business-review.com)
