You Can Thank Us Later — 5 Reasons To Stop Thinking About Risks Of Energy Drinks

Advertisements for energy beverages are plastered on the walls at sporting events and on the jerseys of leading athletes. The beverage manufacturers sponsor models, music events and videos games. Red Bull, the market’s leading beverage, even has its own television set and printed magazine. Makers of these beverages claim their elixirs will boost your immune system, improve your performance and help you feel energized.

Regardless of 30 to 50 percent of teens and young adults say they buy energy drinks. According to a study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 8 percent of young people drink energy drinks per week, 20 percent believe energy drinks are secure drinks for teenagers and 13 percent believe energy drinks are a type of sports drink and Strongest Energy Drinks in 2021

But are they safe to drink — especially for teenagers and young adults?

Stephanie Nguyen Lai, M.D., a pediatrician with the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, claims that the easy response is”no.” She says energy drinks are full of sugar, sodium and loaded with caffeine — often two times as much as coffee and eight times as much as a soda. They’re an unhealthy drink for anyone, particularly a growing youth’s body.

“As a parent, it’s important to talk with your adolescent and explain the dangers of the products,” Dr. Lai states. “Caffeine is a drug and is not suggested for kids, particularly at these high levels. Furthermore, these beverages are particularly dangerous when combined with alcohol, which most young people do.”

Hidden Caffeine at Energy Drinks

Paradoxically, some drinks do not even bother to list the caffeine content on their label. Instead, they say that it is part of the secret”proprietary blend.”

Energy drink makers claim their drinks are”natural dietary supplements,” thus not subject to the regulations that apply to food products. This means consumers often do not understand how much caffeine they’re downing with a power drink, and it is likely a lot more than you think. A normal 16-ounce energy beverage comprises between 150 to 280 mg of caffeine; larger cans have up to 500 mg of caffeine. This is in stark contrast to sodas, which can be governed by the FDA. In contrast, a 12-ounce can of soda can comprises about 35 milligrams of caffeine.

Many energy drinks also contain guarana, which is a South American plant with a more powerful form of caffeine. 1 g of guaranine, a derivative of guarana, is equal to 40 to 80 milligrams of caffeine. Because of those additives, these energy drinks can include a great deal more caffeine than the packaging.

Negative Effects of Too Much Caffeine

If you’ve attempted to break your caffeine habit, then you are aware that there are lots of negative side effects to eating too much caffeine. Side effects of too much caffeine contain:

Increased heart rate

High blood pressure

Heart palpitations

Insomnia

Dehydration

Restlessness

Caffeine withdrawal is related to headache, marked fatigue, nervousness, tremors and irritability.

Energy drinks also include other substances touted to improve energy, including taurine, ginseng, vitamin B, carnitine and bitter orange. But Dr. Lai states these ingredients haven’t been vetted properly.

“Regrettably, the safety and effects of daily consumption of these additives aren’t well known,” she states.

Dr. Lai says she is most concerned with goods that mix energy drinks with alcohol. Many of these have packaging that’s similar to non-alcoholic energy drinks. Even though you have to be over 21 to purchase the drinks, teens can often get them through friends or with fake IDs. It’s also becoming more common for teenagers to create their own cocktails by mixing energy drinks with hard liquor.

“Combining high-caffeine energy drinks with alcohol can give teens the perception they aren’t as drunk as they’re. And when teenagers believe fewer effects from alcohol, they are inclined to drink more,” Dr. Lai says. “This problem became evident in 2010, when many young adults were hospitalized at Washington State because of overconsumption of alcoholic energy drinks.”

Mixing the two liquids together raises the likelihood of engaging in risky behaviour, particularly drunk driving and binge drinking. A research paper published in 2015 in the Advances in Nutrition journal found that individuals who combined energy beverages and alcohol were four times more likely to believe they might drive home safely than their counterparts who drank alcohol alone.

A similar study in 2015 from the University of Toronto found that alcoholic beverages are linked to adolescent brain injury. Researchers discovered that teenagers who reported sustaining a brain trauma over the past year were at least twice as likely to have consumed energy drinks mixed with alcohol than teens who reported sustaining a traumatic brain injury more than a year before.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians have taken the stance that caffeine and other stimulant compounds contained in energy drinks don’t have any place in the diet of children and adolescents.

The identical health cautions are applicable for adults. If you’re an adult still looking for a caffeine boost, be careful if imbibing energy drinks. If you’re trying to wean off caffeine completely, try gradually reducing your caffeine consumption on a weekly basis. Try drinking half-decaf java, then decaf coffee prior to switching to a different non-caffeinated beverage such as herbal tea.