Energy drinks are considered as magic potion that improves vitality. But, these drinks are also dangerous elixirs.
The main ingredient of most energy drinks is caffeine and other non-nutritional ingredients that have nothing to do for your health. In spite of the buzz about the dangers of energy drinks, sheer volume of these products are still available and accessible in the marketplace.
The common customers of energy drinks are younger people. It’s because these drinks are easy to drink and heavily sweetened. Thus, the dangerous side effects are seen to younger demographics as they consume too much.
Energy Drink Ingredients
To rule out how energy drinks negatively impacts your health, the first thing to do is to know the ingredients.
- Taurine
Your body can produce the amino acid Taurine that is essential in many biological roles. Healthy individuals can produce the necessary level of taurine needed. A regular 8-ounce energy drink contains 1,000 mg of taurine that is deemed to be safe.
- Ginseng
This medicinal herb is also present in many energy drinks. A meta-analysis presented that Ginseng offers positive effect in regulating the blood glucose. However, make sure that the Ginseng content is lower and you should not consume the energy drink frequently.
- Guarana
Guarana can be found in Brazil and it grows in the Amazon. The indigenous people of Amazon have been using the seeds of Guarana plant for centuries to enhance alertness and energy. According to research, this plant contains more caffeine than any other plant.
The good thing is that a recent study showed that Guarana content in energy drinks has no serious effect on your psychological well-being.
- B Vitamins
If you will check the label of most energy drinks, you’ll notice that it contains B Vitamins including vitamin B6, B3, B5 and B12. Vitamin B can provide extra energy, but it’s not recommended ingesting more as it will just get lost in no time in your urine.
Aside from those ingredients listed above, energy drinks also contain sugar, which when consumed in high amount is very unhealthy. You may choose drinks with artificial sweeteners, but you should anticipate that it may affect your body.
The Effects of Consuming Energy Drinks for Long-Term
Energy drinks are categorized as stimulants and ingesting them in large quantities may impact your cardiovascular health and mental health.
Researchers revealed that caffeine is a prominent ingredient that isn’t healthy to all energy drinkers.
| Energy Drinks | Product Size | Caffeine Content |
|---|---|---|
| 5-Hour Energy | 1.93 oz (57 ml) | 200 mg |
| Full Throttle | 16 oz (473 ml) | 160 mg |
| NOS | 16 oz (473 ml) | 160 mg |
| Rockstar | 16 oz (473 ml) | 160 mg |
| Monster | 16 oz (473 ml) | 160 mg |
| AMP | 16 oz (473 ml) | 142 mg |
| Red Bull | 8.4 oz (250 ml) | 80 mg |
Habitual consumption of caffeine will make you dependent to it. However, caffeine withdrawal shows various symptoms such as restlessness, nervousness, gastrointestinal disturbance and tachycardia.
FDA have concluded multiple cases about the adverse effects of consuming too much energy drinks. In fact, deaths may be associated to them.
Bottom Line
Consumption of energy drink must be in moderation. To avoid adverse effects, you should choose energy drink that contain healthy ingredients and must carry the FDA approval.
Make sure that the amount of caffeine and sugar is minimal. Likewise, you should check the serving size and each can must contain 8 fluid ounces.
There are other ways to keep you awake, rather than consuming energy drink. Having a nap or a good night sleep can be healthy options.
Energy drinks may just be fine for short-term consumption, but not for long-term use.
Reference:
- Health effects of energy drinks on children, adolescents, and young adults
- Drinking patterns and risk behaviors associated with combined alcohol and energy drink consumption in college drinkers
- Do energy drinks contain active components other than caffeine?
Dietitian with around 5 years of experience in assessing the nutritional needs of patients, counselling individuals, communicating the appropriate nutritional information to other members of the health care team and implementing nutritional care plans by following all the standards.
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