Hey, what is that NASCAR driver doing in a PGA event?
Oh, wait… that’s just Jim Furyk decked out in his obnoxious 5 Hour Energy advertising garb.
Just to be clear, I’ve always pulled for Jim… seems like a good guy.
And I have nothing against obnoxious looks on the golf course (with tattoos, piercings, and only 3 collared shirts to my name, I’m not the standard country club role model).
My disappointment with Jim, and the focus of this post, is trying to decide if Jim either:
1) Completely sold out and is cashing in by advertising a crap product that he doesn’t use
or
2) As a multi-million dollar athlete, with access to high-level trainers and nutritionists, he is honestly using this garbage.
I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt and go with #2, meaning he is a victim to mis-information.
So why am I so down on 5 Hour Energy?
Oh, let me count the ways…
First, let’s focus in on a few key ingredients (a couple of which the manufactures would rather you ignore).
Caffeine – Let me go on record as saying that I consume caffeine almost every morning via my 12 oz. coffee. It is organic and Fair Trade (the first for my physical and mental health, the latter for my karmic health). And I do taper down and go coffee/caffeine free for 2 separate three weeks periods a year to allow my adrenals to recover (that whole process could be a separate blog post, so let me know if you guys are interested).
But the most importance difference is what I don’t ingest with my “clean” coffee, that Jim is getting with his 5 Hour Energy Shot, such as:
Sucralose – Personally, I avoid this stuff like poison, because that’s what it is. I could go on and on, but for the sake of brevity, here are a couple of highlights to consider:
1) Although the company’s marketing implies it, this stuff is NOT sugar. It’s a chlorinated artificial sweetener, right up there with aspartame and saccharin, and has many of the same detrimental health issues.
2) Approval from the FDA was given after sighting over 100 studies, but only two of those at the time had been done on humans. And get this, the longest of the two human studies was 4 days long.
3) Even the animal studies showed significant risks, including spontaneous abortions in almost 1/2 the rabbits, compared to zero in the control group, 23% death rate compared to 6% in the control group, increased male infertility, 50% reduction in good bacteria in the gut and intestines, and an increase in the PH levels in the intestines.
The list goes on and on. So how do these types of dangerous substances make it through FDA approval? Again, that is another blog post (or three).
I would also recommend that you become familiar with one of the “natural” preservatives that is in the 5 hour shot: Sodium Benzoate.
Although legal to call it “natural”, by any common-sense standards it is far from it. Benzoic acid is naturally found in many fruits, but sodium benzoate is synthesized in a laboratory. This is a known carcinogenic additive, as it can restrict nutrients at the DNA cellular level, and diminish your ability to fight off infections. Now the FDA will tell you that it is safe at the low levels found in foods, but cancer, like many other diseases, is cumulative in nature. Why the hell would you want to voluntarily ingest it when you have better options?
Question from a reader (paraphrased) “Isn’t 5 Hour Energy better than some of those other energy drinks with the artificial colors and such?”
Answer: Yes, probably so. However, it’s a lot like saying that filtered cigarettes are better for you than the non-filtered variety. They can both kill you!
Oh no, just realized that I’m back on my soap box. It’s not my intention to tell you what to do, but rather do my part to encourage you to make informed choices. This is about more than your golf performance… this is your health and vitality.
In conclusion, maybe Jim is getting some lame advice from his team, or perhaps he is ignoring them for some reason.
We’ll never hear about it from Jim, except for those highly crafted and stiff advertisement statements.
And 5 Hour Energy has certainly gotten some coverage, as Jim has been in the final group twice recently…. only to fall apart and give away both tournaments.
Were those physical/mental/energetic “crashes”?
Nah, couldn’t be, because Jim was using the product that promises “all day energy without the crash”! 🙂
My take on this – stick with some good organic coffee, maybe with some coconut milk (again, another topic for another day).
Tell me your experiences with this stuff, and if you think that Jim is headed down the wrong road, or am I just some hippie whack-job. Go ahead, I can take it.
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Sources: Mercola.com. NaturalNews.com, Paul Chek