Should You Be Drinking Energy Drinks?

Energy drinks seems to be the latest “BUZZ” these days. They are extremely popular with teenagers and young adults, with names like Venom, Whoopass, Red Bull and Adrenaline Rush, they are being sold by the millions to people looking for a quick boost of energy. These drinks can give you just the right amount of kick to get you up and going, to wake you up when you’re feeling drowsy or to enhance the taste of your favorite alcohol. Whatever the case may be, energy drinks are more popular than ever and it seems to be getting bigger every year. Just look at your local convenient store, more than likely they have as much energy drinks as they have soft drinks and perhaps even more.

Most energy drinks contain large doses of caffeine and other legal stimulants including ephedrine, guarana, taurine and ginseng. Such drinks are being marketed to people 30 and younger.

We have become addicted to these energy drinks that it may seem normal to consume them on a daily basis. We often overlook the fact that something that tastes so good can be so bad for us. What negative health effects do these drinks posses and what the heck are the ingredients found in them? Let’s have a look at the some of most common ingredients.

5 Common Energy Drink Ingredients

Taurine - Taurine is actually an amino acid that is found in the human body—it is a natural substance that our bodily systems encounter every day. In energy drinks, however, the taurine is a synthetic element. The main concern related to taurine is the question of how taurine reacts with other ingredients, like caffeine. When given to test rats in an experimental laboratory, it was found that the taurine caused anxiety, irritability, high sensitivity to noise, and self-mutilations. However, this data does not mean that the same effects will occur in humans—the differences between rats and people are obviously substantial.

Guarana - Guarana is a berry that grows in Venezuela and the northern parts of Brazil. Guarana’s main ingredient is guaranine, which is chemically identical to caffeine. This is why people get an energy boost after taking guarana. Since it contains guaranine, guarana is a stimulant similar to coffee. This means that it causes insomnia, impairs the appetite, cause high blood pressure and increase your heart rate.

Glucose - Glucose is a simple form of sugar that is created when the body’s digestive processes break down the food we eat. Glucose is the body’s main source of energy. The glucose found in energy drinks is synthetic, although it does provide a source of energy, it is not sustainable for long periods of time.

Caffeine - Caffeine has been a part of our lives for a very long time and caffeine has long been known to cause exhaustion, fatigue, and addiction. Whether it’s a soft drink, caffeinated tea or coffee – it will put your body on the caffeine roller coaster. When you consume caffeine, the drug begins its effects by initiating uncontrolled neuron firing in your brain. Now when you mix caffeine with other ingredients found in energy drinks, you have a recipe that is detrimental to your health.

Sodium Benzoate- Sodium benzoate is a type of salt that may occur naturally in some foods but is chemically produced and added as a preservative to energy drinks. There are health concerns about the combination of sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid, another common ingredient in energy drinks. When the two are mixed, they can form the chemical benzene, which is carcinogenic. Sodium benzoate on its own is not considered a carcinogen, and you would have to consume a huge amount of it in order to have toxic levels in your body.

Side Effects of Energy Drinks

A popular trend on a rise is mixing energy drinks with alcohol, this is popular because it makes one feel alert and energetic, even when they are drunk. There have been many instances, where energy drinks mixed with alcohol has caused severe dehydration. Mixing powerful stimulants contained in some energy drinks with depressants in alcohol could cause cardiopulmonary or cardiovascular failures, said David Pearson, a researcher in the Human Performance Laboratory.

While energy drinks may have harmful effects on the body, that does not stop people from drinking them. Drinking an energy drink every now and doesn’t pose a long term health danger but when it is used as a substitute for other drinks such as water, it becomes a cause for concern.

Related articles:

• Health Dangers of Energy Drinks
• Labeling of Potentially Dangerous Energy Drinks
• Study Shows Energy Drinks Are Harmful