AdvoCare Spark is a sugar-free energy drink made by health and wellness company Advocare. It comes in five flavors and contains 45 calories per serving. AdvoCare promotes Spark, the company's best-selling product, as having a mixture of 21 vitamins and minerals that work "synergistically" to give the user sustained energy throughout the day. The drink has six main ingredients: a , taurine, L-tyrosine, choline, caffeine and GABA, or gamma-aminobutyric acid.
B-Vitamin Complex
The complex used in Spark is composed of a mixture of thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12 and pantothenic acid. B vitamins are necessary for the healthy function of almost all of the body's major processes. They are considered "essential" nutrients because they are necessary and cannot be made by the body, thus they must be supplemented either through vitamins or food.
B vitamins play an important role in the body's metabolic cycle and direct energy production. This is why most nutritional energy drinks, including AdvoCare Spark contain a B-vitamin complex.
B vitamins are also used by the body to help maintain healthy blood vessels, aid in the digestion of carbohydrates and in the normal functioning of the nervous system, muscles and heart. Most B vitamins work together and, in many cases, provide the greatest benefit when supplemented together.
Taurine
Taurine is a nonessential, sulfur-containing amino acid. It is found naturally in animal and fish proteins and is highly concentrated in organ meats. Taurine supports neurological development and is thought to have antioxidant properties. Many studies have shown that athletes who supplemented with taurine experienced improved athletic performance. These findings have encouraged many energy-drink manufacturers, including AdvoCare, to include taurine in their product formulations.
L-Tyrosine
L-tyrosine is another amino acid, and it's involved in the synthesis of neurotransmitters in the brain. It is a precursor for thyroid hormones and catecholamines, the body's "fight-or-flight" hormones, which are released by the adrenal glands. These two groups of hormones are very important for energy production, thyroid function and the body's ability to deal with stress.
Choline
Similar to B-vitamins, choline serves many functions in our bodies. It helps maintain the structure of cell membranes, is a precursor for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and protects our livers from accumulating excess fat. There appears to be a large need for choline during early fetus and infant development to support the rapid rate of growth and brain development that occurs during these stages.
Research published in a 2004 Journal of the American College of Nutrition article by Dr. Steven Zeisel, director of the University of North Carolina's Nutrition Research Institute, suggests that choline might be essential throughout life to help prevent memory loss, lower cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular disease.
Caffeine
Caffeine is well known for its stimulatory powers. Consuming caffeine does not eliminate the need for sleep; it temporarily reduces the feeling of being tired. Caffeine also increases the amount of physical or mental labor a person can handle. According to a study by Robert Motl in the April 7 issue of ScienceDaily, subjects were able to exercise longer and harder when supplementing with caffeine before a workout.
GABA
GABA is another amino acid and an inhibitory neurotransmitter. It has a tendency to act as a "balancer" in the brain, balancing the excitation of neurons with their inhibition. This helps produce a calming effect and also can assist in mental focus. The ingredient then acts as a balance in an energy drink like AdvoCare Spark.
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