A can of bull?
Case Study adapted from Merle Heidemann- Michigan State University
Background:
We’ve all heard that Red Bull “gives you wings” and 5-Hour Energy gives you, well, five hours of energy? But,
what exactly is energy? We know it’s one of the characteristics of life, but how do organism obtain and use it?
That’s the big question that we will focus on this unit.
Purpose:
Investigate the claim that energy drinks give you a substantially higher amount of energy compared to other
beverages.
Question:
How do organisms obtain and use energy?
How much is five hours of energy?
Table 1- Beverages examined in study
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
Procedure:
1) As a class, select drinks in to study that give humans a lot of energy.
2) Obtain nutritional labels of your beverages. (They’re on the internet)
3) Analyze the components found in the ingredients list included in Table 2 including three more you wish
to analyze.
4) Determine what each of these ingredients does in the human body through research and record their
functions in the data table.
5) Answer Post-Investigation Questions
Table 2- Chemical content of common energy beverages
Ingredient
Function in the body
Water
Corn Syrup
Caffeine
Glucose/Sucrose
*
*
*
Post-Investigation Questions:
1) What is biological energy?
2) Based upon your analysis, which beverage contains the most biological energy? How do you know?
3) What is a stimulant and how does that differ from biological energy content?
4) You have a friend who is running a half-marathon tomorrow. They suggest to you that they are going to
drink an energy drink before they begin the race so they can run faster, further, and have more energy
during the race. Do you agree with their thinking? Why or why not? If you don’t agree, what would you
suggest they ingest in order to run faster, further, and have more energy?