Energy drinks are canned or bottled soft drink beverages that boosts energy. They are generally available in convenience stores, grocery stores, bars and nightclubs. They are aerated drinks that contain energy boosters like caffeine, vitamins, amino acids and herbal stimulants like guarana along with a considerable amount of sugar. Other common ingredients are methylxanthines, acai, taurine, various forms of ginseng, maltodextrin, inositol, carnitine, creatine, glucuronolactone and ginkgo biloba. Certain drinks termed diet drinks contain artificial sweeteners instead of sugar.
Most of the energy drinks market is aimed at younger individuals within the age range of 18-30 and these energy drink brands generally sport names that depict a lot of energy, power, vigor and strength. Amongst the various brands available some really prominent ones are, Red Bull, Monster, Full Throttle, Liquid Lightning, Reload, Rip It, Sparks, Rockstar, Roaring Lion, XS and so on. The amount of caffeine is normally not indicated on the label of the drink so it is uncertain as to how much caffeine enters the body during consumption of the drink. Its hot drink equivalents like tea or coffee contain about the same amount of caffeine although tea or coffee are consumed at a slower rate as compared to energy drinks which is not only consumed quickly but also in large amounts. While some people are allergic to caffeine and may show unwanted symptoms like anxiety, palpitations, irritability, insomnia, indigestion there are others like heart patients who are strictly prohibited from consuming caffeinated drinks.
Although there are some beneficial short term effects of ingestion of these drinks like instant energy boost, effective stimulator, increased alertness and improvements in mental and cognitive performances. People find this drink very thirst quenching and effective as per their requirements. It is obvious though, nothing that is not original can be truly advantageous to your health. Man-made formulations of such beverages always seems to have a lot of drawbacks. This holds true in the case of energy drinks as well. However, most of the negative side effects only occur after consumption of these drinks in larger quantities and more frequent intake.
Side Effects & Dangers of Energy Drinks
Let us review the many negative outcomes of the consumption of this drink.
- The more you get used to having energy drinks the more is the temptation to have it again and again thus leading to an addiction which cannot be good for your health.
- Caffeine, the major ingredient of these drinks, have been observed to bring about dizziness, irritability, nausea, nervousness, jitters, allergic reactions like rash, hives, itching, breathing difficulties, tightness in the chest, bloating of the face including the eyes, nose, lips or tongue, diarrhea, shakiness, insomnia, vomiting, headache and severe fatigue as also breast shrinkage in women at times. The effect of caffeine varies in every individual according to their tolerance towards it. Similar to alcohol, caffeine may also be the cause of dehydration because it works as a diuretic and stimulates fluid loss.
- A lot of carbohydrate constituents in the drink may cause difficulty to the body in assimilating food and necessary nutrients into the blood stream from the intestines. Thus, this may have effects on the body leading to gastro-intestinal disorders.
- Certain ingredients increase heartbeat rates and blood pressure.
- The presence of Vitamin B like thiamine in huge quantities can cause flushing of the skin and may gradually lead to liver toxicity.
- Ginseng and Ginkgo Biloba like ingredients are also known to cause side effects similar to that caused by caffeine as mentioned above. The latter one interacts adversely with other medications like blood thinners and anti-depressants.
- L-Carnitine causes stuffy nose, headache, nausea, diarrhea, restlessness and insomnia.
- The combination of alcohol with caffeine is quite deadly and can lead to severe complications related to the heart.
Such are the side effects of energy drinks which have been proved and there are yet some that have not been proved. It is always advisable to consume such drinks only when there is a dire need to liven up your system temporarily, otherwise avoiding these to the maximum is highly recommended.
