Energy drinks became a delight to the food and beverage market as a unique alternative proposition to the high sugar sodas, an alternative drink fortified with vitamins of better nutritional value to the human body. That proposition has changed over the years as more producers and more people accept energy drinks. The product has evolved and consists of stimulants like caffeine, guarana, taurine, B vitamins, glucuronolactone and ginseng.
Energy drinks are promoted as beverage and other dietary supplements that enhance human energy, mental alertness and physical performance, it is mostly consumed by men between the ages of 18 and 34 years. In the U.S. teenagers and young adults consume it as a popular dietary supplement second to multivitamins.
Energy drinks like Soda are also high in sugar, a 250ml can of Red Bull contains 27.5g of sugar. There are many studies suggesting negative health implications for those who take energy drinks.
How Energy drinks affect the human body
Alertness, When you take an Energy drink, the caffeine inside it enters into the bloodstream within a short time of 10 minutes and triggers an increased rise in heart rate and blood pressure. This boost the activity level of the brain fueling better alertness and concentration in the user.
The wear-out effect, Within an hour of taking the drink, the impact of the caffeine begins to wear off leading to a sugar crash, and the user would experience a lower energy level marked by tiredness. It takes an average of 12 hours for the whole effect to wear out and the body completely removes the caffeine from the bloodstream.
The wear out may take longer depending on individual factors like pregnancy, damaged liver and impact of other drugs.
Heart issues, large consumption of caffeine may cause serious heart and blood vessel distortions such as heart palpitations, increased heart rate and blood pressure.
Nervous system breakdown, The caffeine inside it may also harm and impinge on the health of children still-developing cardiovascular and nervous systems.
Disorders, The caffeine content of energy drinks may also trigger anxieties, sleep problems, digestive problems, and dehydration.
Caffeine concentration, other components added or mixed into energy drink like Guarana increases the overall caffeine content.
Intoxification, people who mixed energy drinks with alcohol may not be able to predict the level of intoxication that may be generated in them, this eventually affects their cognition, motor coordination, reaction time and may ultimately lead to an accident.
Insomnia, excess consumption of energy drinks could lead to spates of insomnia or disruption of sleep pattern and further agitate risk behaviours.
Sugars, a typical energy drink contain higher volume of sugar recommended for healthy daily consumption.
Risk Trends of mixing Energy drinks and other substances
The National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) observed that up to 25% of college students that consume alcohol mixed with energy drinks binge-drink more often than other students who don’t mix them.
1) A CDC report stated that consumer of ages 15 to 23 who mix alcohol with energy drinks easily becomes chronic drinkers that are four times more likely to binge drink at a higher intensity (i.e., consume six or more drinks per binge episode) than other drinkers who do not mix alcohol with energy drinks.
2) Drinkers that mix alcohol with energy drinks are more likely to be involved with unwanted or
unprotected sex, drunk driving, intoxications and sustain injuries that are triggered by alcohol.
3) Observed energy-drink-related emergencies had root causes of a mixture of alcohol or marijuana or over-the-counter or prescription medicines.
A call to caution
There are compelling scientific evidence that shows that excess and unwanting consumption of energy drinks can lead to serious health conditions, particularly in children, teenagers, and young adults.
Though energy drinks have been found to improve physical endurance, enhance alertness and reactions but they can also impinge on the steadiness of the hand. The choice is left to the consumer since the type and percentage of caffeine in energy drinks are not regulated and there is no requirement to declare the amount of caffeine on the label of Energy drinks.
SOURCE: MSBM
IMAGE SOURCE: PIXABAY
