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Did Jim Furyk Sell Out With 5 Hour Energy?

by Coach Stephen on

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

Rudy Villalaz August 23, 2012 at

Good job alerting people of the poisonous crap that these energy drinks deliver in the name of “help”!

I have followed Dr. Mercola for the last 5-6 years and find his information both timely and genuinely concerned for our best interests.

Thanks for sharing your concern.

Yours,

Rudy Villalaz

Coach Stephen August 23, 2012 at

Hey Rudy – You would likely also find the guy over at http://www.naturalnews.com of interest. Additonally, Paul Chek has a great book titled “How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy. Thanks for reading the blog, and as always, let me know how I can be of help in any way.

adavidco August 23, 2012 at

Very interesting information about 5 hour energy. The marketing is genius (LIES) as it really makes the viewer believe the is a simple, all natural product.
Thank you for shining some light on what they mean by “natural.” I will file it in the “if it sounds too good to be true category, it probably is.”
The way you connected it to Furyck’s closing of late — great “natural” food for thought.

Coach Stephen August 23, 2012 at

You are certainly welcome. It takes a lot of detective work to uncover what these advertising claims really mean. I suspect the laws are so loose due to the influence of strong lobbying efforts from companies that create and market supplements and so-called foods. Holistic health and how it realates to golf performance is my passion, so I’m always glad to share what my research and personal experience show me.

Alan Stewart August 23, 2012 at

Jim Furyk does not need the money so I am thinking the only reason he advertises such crap is because either a family member or a friend owns the company or because he has been badly misinformed. Hopefully, he will be educated and remove his good name from this rubbish. Well done Stephen for pointing out the poison in this product. If only government were as brave as you are. Best wishes, Alan.

Coach Stephen August 23, 2012 at

Hey Alan – Thanks for the comment. Maybe if enough of our Renegade Golfers “Like” and re-post it, Jim will eventually see it and give me a call. 😉 Thanks for reading the blog. You can count on me to call it like I see it.

Larry August 23, 2012 at

Have you looked into the AdvoCare Spark® Energy Drink? I have used it and had good results. I would like to know if it has bad ingredients in it like 5 Hr Energy.

Coach Stephen August 28, 2012 at

Hello Larry – thanks for the question. It wasn’t as easy as it should be to find the COMPLETE list of ingredients (as opposed to KEY ingredients). But it does list sucralose and other atificial ingredients. I would advise caution, and consider searching out what I would consider real natural ingredients.

Terry August 23, 2012 at

Congrats for having the balls to bring this topic into the open. It would appear to have as much benefit as the bracelets, pendants etc that are advertised to help your golf.
Maybe someone will one day sit down and expose the plethora of teaching videos/training aids etc for what they really are: a license to print money for those who pretend they can slash 10 strokes off your game in 4 weeks etc!

Coach Stephen August 28, 2012 at

Thanks for reading the blog and your comments, Terry.

Brendan Muldoon November 27, 2012 at

You have just backed up what a guy in Austria told me about Tour Pros, he said they are all “marketing whores” who will lie and use stuff only because they are paid to do it – he had experience after having sponsored one for a season – nursed him through Q School etc. After the Pro won an event he moved to a bigger company for more money without so much as a “thank you” for all the help – he has never won since and has lost his sponsor! I have heard several stories like this – it’s just about the money, sometimes it’s the manger/management company who gets a commission on these deals – the guys might be good golfers but they are not always blessed with high IQ’s as well!!

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