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impactlab_2010 01684.txt

#Relaxation Drinks Big Business in the Beverage Industry Relaxation drinks For years, college students and C-suite executives alike have managed to stay perky through parties and deadlines by guzzling so-called energy drinks like Jolt, Red Bull and Rockstar. But, as it turns out, the drinks may have worked a little too well. The nation is wired so that it looks as if consumers are now thirsting for anti-energy drinks. oerelaxation shots like Snoozeberry and ichill and soporific beverages with names like Unwind, Dream Water, Koma Unwind Chillaxation and Drank are aiming to take away the very buzz their caffeinated predecessors were designed to deliver. There are already more than 350 kinds of relaxation drinks on the market according to Agata Kaczanowska, an analyst with the research company IBISWORLD. Instead of slogans like Jolts oeall the sugar and twice the caffeine, these new drinks proffer serenity with maxims like Unwinds oetired of being wired? and Dranks oeslow your roll. Though thats not all they are promising. Drank claims it can help prevent jet lag. A drink called Blue Cow says it can improve concentration, relieve anxiety and irritability from fatigue, and even diminish PMS symptoms. Another brand, Mini Chill, says that because it lessens tension, some users have reported better sex lives. These would-be wonder drinks are coming soon to more grocery, big-box and convenience stores across the land. In the beverage industry they are known as oerelaxation drinks and they are a big business. The industry is expected to generate $500 million in sales revenue this year according to IBISWORLD, a year-over-year increase of about 327 percent. The drinks often contain melatonin, valerian root and rose hips. But relaxation drinks are regulated not by the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Wahida Karmally, director of nutrition for the Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at Columbia University Medical center, said that while melatonin is prescribed sometimes for jet lag, it affects other hormones. For instance, it can interfere with normal sexual development in children and alter sperm count. And she said oeit shouldnt be used by women who are trying to get pregnant or who are pregnant or breast-feeding. Melatonin can also interact with prescription medications. Not all relaxation drinks contain melatonin or valerian though. Blue Cow, for instance, does not. Some brands have a lot of sugar; others have none. Yet even an ingredient as seemingly benign as rose hips, which contain Vitamin c, can be problematic because too much Vitamin c can harm your stomach. The beverage makers say on their Web sites that the levels they recommend are safe. Doctors say there is no way to know, and that consumers should confer with their physicians before drinking a bottle which typically costs several dollars. Dr. Karmally offered some alternatives: take a warm bath before bedtime, listen to relaxing music, practice yoga, sip warm milk. oea cup of skim milk, she said, oeis about 25 cents. Via New york times Share Thissubscribedel. icio. usfacebookredditstumbleupontechnorati d

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