Are Energy Drinks Safe? Whether it is a long night studying or just not ready for the day, college students choose to drink energy drinks to get full energy. These highly caffeinated drinks come with stimulating names such as Red Bull, Monster, Full Throttle, or Rockstar. Although these drinks are marketed as a healthful stimulant, consumers should be aware of the potential side effects, as they can be very harmful to one’s health.
Energy drinks are beverages whose producers advertise that they “boost energy”. These advertisements usually do not emphasize energy derived from the sugar they contain, but rather increased energy is due to a variety of stimulants, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Energy drinks generally contain
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Like a shock to the system, an energy drink can give your body a caffeinated jolt. According to an article in ScienceDaily, “Researchers believe the caffeine and taurine levels in energy drinks could be responsible for increases in blood pressure and heart rate” (“Energy Drinks May Be Harmful To People With Hypertension, Heart Disease”). The increase in blood pressure and heart rate is known not to rise to dangerous levels among healthy individuals under the age of 30, but it could be significant in individuals with a cardiovascular disease of those with high blood pressure. By drinking energy drinks in excess, researchers also say that energy drinks could lead to heart complications. Along with increased heart rate, energy drinks dehydrate the body. The caffeine in energy drinks acts as a diuretic and promotes dehydration. Energy drinks are formulated to boost energy, not to replace lost fluid during exercise like sports drinks do. During exercise, your body is constantly losing water through sweat. Also, the high amounts of caffeine stimulate urine production, which removes more water from the body. It is important for you to keep your body hydrated if you are drinking energy drinks. In addition, college students are going to extremes by mixing energy drinks and alcohol. Red Bull and vodkas and Four Lokos have become popular mixed drinks at bars because they reduce the fatigue of alcohol while enhancing the “feel good” buzz.
Zuraw, Lydia. "Increasing Consumption Boosts Concerns About Energy Drinks | Food Safety News." Food Safety News. 30 June 2014. Web. 1 July 2015.
• Determine under what conditions each of the “energy drinks” might be useful to the consumer.
Energy drinks are comprised of the following primary ingredients: caffeine, sugar, ginseng, taurine, and guarana. Caffeine is the most commonly used legal drug in the world that does not discriminate among the races, ethnicity, or gender groups. Babu et al. (2008) stated that a lethal dose of caffeine in a healthy adult can range from 5 - 10 g with 9 - 28 mg of caffeine per ounce in an energy drink (Rath, 2012). The human body does not block caffeine. The body acts like a sponge and absorbs caffeine and then quickly distributes it throughout the body (Rath, 2012). Individuals have the tendency to excessively consume caffeine. The caffeine when combined with sugar can cause psychological and physiological effects in people such as mild to moderate euphoria. Drinking one energy drink is not considered excessive. Drinking two or more drinks in a day is considered excessive.
In the past few years, according to Diana Koelliker from Telluride Medical , a number of energy drinks have entered the market to provide all of us with a quick boost of energy, easily. These drinks usually contain high levels of caffeine and other additives that act as stimulants. Sometimes we need the extra pick me up to get us through the rest of the day or to help us stay awake while studying for an exam. So, what better way to do that then to grab a Red Bull or a Monster? Well studies have shown that energy drinks just may not be our best option.
Once you consume an energy drink your whole body is affected including you brain, your bloodstream, your heart, and your skin. Energy drinks are really bad for you if you drink it a lot; they say it could affect how you work out because energy drinks lead to sugar crashes. You don’t want to work out and in the middle of your work out, you get tired all of the sudden, if you drink one after you work out you would just get tired and you will start to crash. My opinion you should not drink energy drinks at all while working out. The things they put in it, it’s just not worth drinking it during your work out
Despite all the controversy, most people can agree how useful a jolt of extra energy can be some days. Energy drinks can help a doctor be more alert during surgery during a graveyard-shift, help college students get that “A” they have been working towards all semester, or keep police officers vigilant and energized on the job. There’s no way of knowing exactly how many college students that graduated owe their diploma to caffeine, but it sure didn’t hurt to be able to pull all-nighters while being alert. People that enjoy exercise can lift-weights or do cardio way more effectively by drinking one before the work-out. Energy drinks are not only safe but they are making people more effective workers, students, or athletes.
According to “the American Academy of Paediatrics” it is advice not take energy drinks especially for young children and teens. They pointed out that since the main ingredient of energy drinks is caffeine it causes high blood pressure and sleeping disorders. And children and teens with existing health problems can contribute to abnormal heart rates and increase blood sugar especially with those that have diabetes (Cold et al., 2017).
With the availability of energy drinks today, I wanted to warn everyone about the negative effects of it. As everyone should know, energy drinks do give you energy to stay awake throughout the day. It can also be harmful to you in many ways. Some of those ways are inducing anxiety, sleep deprivation, and if you’re pregnant, there is a higher risk of a miscarriage. If you are drinking energy drinks or any type of caffeine any of these could happen.
Cardiovascular effect: Studies shown an increase in heart rate and arterial blood pressure after energy drink consumption.
Energy drinks are a kind of refreshments that are advertised as soft drinks that boost energy. The truth is these kinds of drinks are full of many harmful ingredients, such as sugar, stimulants, and other herbal supplements. Energy drinks are targeting high school and college students who may use this kind of drink to keep them awake for a midterm, or even give them a hallucination feeling any other alcoholic beverages will do. Many studies showed the disadvantageous of these drinks, yet this industry has wildfire between underage kids who used it to show their rebellious side through a safe and cheap way. A new study shows that 34% of youth between the ages of eighteen years old and twenty- four years old consume energy drinks regularly
People around the world drink energy drinks on a daily basis not knowing of the ingredients and how they affect your body. more than 200 milligrams of caffeine can be dangerous, and energy drinks can include up to 500mg
Sylvia Nena (2011) also stated that “Manufactures of these products claim to increase energy, endurance, burn fat and improve athletic performance. According to experts, many of them state that it is untrue that energy drink helps to increase energy. This is due to drugs that can be found in the drinks such as caffeine. Caffeine with high levels of consuming can cause some problems to the human body like palpitations, hypertension, vomiting, convulsions and even worst heart failure which can lead to death. Roland Griffiths (2012) a caffeine specialist said that high caffeine in use by young people can cause a cycle of rushes and crashes that can add “a degree of variance to their moods and psychological well-being that they don’t really need. Joao Breda(2014) from WHO’s Europe wrote that caffeine has a proven negative effect on
There are three main reasons energy drinks have bad effects the body. One reason why energy drinks are bad is because can increase the risk to get heart problems. Caffeine is the most common ingredient found in a majority of energy drinks; symptoms of caffeine include increasing respiratory rate, heart rate, and blood pressure. These effects are present when consuming caffeine. If someone has heavy stress, anxiety, blood clot disorders, or heart problems severe symptoms can include cardiac arrest, stroke, heart attack, and death. In addition, Fiona Macrae presented a study done from university students about Red Bull’s sugar free energy drink and she revealed that it “ increased the ‘stickiness’ of the blood and raised the risk of life- threatening clots”(Par.2) . The Second reason is because it can cause energy crashes. If people thought energy drinks created a permanent source of energy, Mandy Rath states that “increase in blood sugar levels and gives a temporary boost in energy.
Energy drinks are a growing commodity among individuals who desires a boost of energy for various reasons. In today's fast paced society, most people are looking for a way to increase endurance and stamina. Many suffer from a lack of energy to get them through daily responsibilities. This is why many have turned to energy drinks as a means for extra fuel. These quick pick-me-ups promise to give an energy boost that lasts for hours.
Trenier, Theresa. “Energy Drink Dangers.” Newsletters for Mental Health. Milwaukee School of Engineering. January. 2007. <http://www.msoe.edu/life_at_msoe/current_student_resources/student_resources.com>