Asian Journal of Agriculture and Food Sciences (ISSN: 2321 – 1571) Volume 02 – Issue 06, December 2014 Asian Online Journals (www.ajouronline.com ) 554 A Survey on the Intake of Energy Drinks among College Students and Young Professionals in Metro Manila Eufemio Barcelon a,b,d,f , Alfee B. Capule a,e , Juan Fidel Cruz a , Fatima Macam a,f , Raquel Robles a a The Graduate School, University of Santo Tomas, España Blvd., Manila, Philippines b College of Science, University of Santo Tomas, España Blvd., Manila, Philippines c College of Science, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Sta. Mesa, Manila, Philippines d College of Education, University of Santo Tomas, España Blvd., Manila, Philippines e Food and Nutrition Research Institute, Department of Science and Technology, Bicutan, Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines f Corresponding authors email: fbarcelon {at} yahoo.com _______________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT---- Energy drinks are said to contain many benefits one of which is to boost energy for a short span of time. This type of drinks was first marketed for blue collar workers, however, the marketing campaigns for energy drinks has shifted to include adolescents, college students and young professionals. This study was conducted to assess the intake of energy drinks among college students and young professionals in Metro Manila, Philippines, to determine prevalence and frequency of energy drink intake, the reasons for the intake and to determine which among the two groups consume more energy drinks. Keywords---- energy drinks, college students, young professionals, intake, Metro Manila _________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1. INTRODUCTION Total value sales of energy and sports drinks in the Philippines have reached Php20.3 billion as of 2013, according to a report by Euromonitor International. Its sales continue to expand although a bit slow, but nevertheless manufacturers continue to expand their market base through advertising using popular celebrities and athletes and sponsoring of various sports events as well as the continuous development of new energy and sports drinks with different functional benefits designed to sustain energy and enhance performance. At present, the Philippines have several energy and sports drinks in the market with Asia Brewery Inc. as the leader in the manufacture and sales of these beverages (Euromonitor International, 2014). Popular energy drinks in the market today include Cobra®, Sting®, Samurai®, Lipovitan® and Powerade®, however, Red Bull® continues to dominate the market with 47% market share worldwide (Morata, 2013). Today’s fast paced lifestyle and escalating prices of basic commodities have prompted people to have more than just one source of income to make both ends meet. In the Philippines, it is already common to combine employment with a small business on the side to augment the family’s income. Whatever the reason, the need to sustain one’s energy, productivity, alertness and focus on the job has prompted the need for the development of energy drinks. In fact, these types of beverages have been tailored for the blue collared workers (Morata, 2013). In order to expand the target market of energy drinks, manufacturers have made these beverages very appealing to adolescents and young adults. According to an article on Freeman by Morata (Jan. 2013), the Philippine Food and Drug Administration stated that approximately 65% of energy drink consumers are between the ages of 13 and 35 years old. To prove its marketability, a total of 67 energy drinks are listed under the Philippine Food and Drug Authority. However, the Philippine FDA also stressed that not all of the energy drinks in the market have been tested, authenticated and registered. Hence, consumers must be cautious on buying and consuming these energy drinks. The acceptability of energy drinks are based on its ingredients. Energy drinks contain caffeine and lots of sugar. It is well known that caffeine acts as a stimulant to keep an individual alert. Other ingredients commonly found in energy drinks include taurine, ginseng, gingko biloba, L-carnitine, B vitamins, Ephedrine, Yerba Mate and Acai (Watson, 2010 & Morata, 2013). However, control on the consumption of energy drinks should be considered. Extreme consumption is found to cause the following side effects: anxiety, headache, palpitation, irritability, insomnia and indigestion (Morata, 2013). Moreover, energy drinks are not intended to replace sports drink during exercise or when engaged in a sports activity because the caffeine content in energy drinks acts as a diuretic and can be a cause of dehydration. Furthermore,