Energy Drinks: A Yes or a No?

Although some controlled studies have demonstrated a transient improvement in alertness and reversal of fatigue after consuming energy drinks, as well as better physical performance in young athletes, the majority of studies show an association with adverse health effects. These include elevated stress levels, aggressive behaviours like fighting, heavy drinking and smoking, high blood pressure, an increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes, poor sleep, and stomach discomfort.

Concerns with Energy Drinks:

While energy drinks can provide a temporary boost, there are also potential risks and negative effects associated with their use.

• Harmful impact on adolescent health – Due in part to their smaller bodies, children and teenagers may be more sensitive to the effects of high caffeine concentrations, additional sugars such as low-calorie sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, and herbal stimulants.
• Marketing strategies targeting youth – Children’s websites, computer games, television, supermarkets, and sporting events all expose kids to ads for energy drinks. Teenagers are especially vulnerable to the dangerous actions that are often portrayed in energy drink marketing since research has revealed that they lack maturity in important brain regions and are more likely to take risks. Energy drinks appeal to young people because of their persuasive marketing, peer pressure, and lack of information about potential negative consequences.
• Adverse health effects – Recent studies have found a link between the consumption of energy drinks and young risk-taking behaviours, poor mental health, harmful cardiovascular impacts, and metabolic, renal, or dental issues.
• Excessive caffeine – Caffeine overdose can cause anxiety, insomnia, and heart problems like irregular heartbeat and high blood pressure, and in rare cases, seizures or cardiac arrest. This is especially true when multiple caffeinated beverages are consumed by people in one day.
• High sugar content – Some energy drinks carry the same health concerns as other sugar-sweetened beverages because of the excessive sugar content in them.
• Alcohol risks – When energy drinks and alcohol are combined, a practice commonly observed among teenage drinkers and linked to binge drinking, a larger risk is presented. Studies show that drinking this kind of cocktail causes one to consume more alcohol than would be the case if drinking alcohol alone. This might be because energy drinks make people more awake, which hides the indicators of intoxication and makes them think they can drink even more. In case reports, high-energy drink use has been linked to harmful cardiovascular, psychiatric, and neurologic outcomes, including fatal ones, especially when combined with alcohol.
• Poor regulation – Energy drinks are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), although the FDA does impose a limit of 71 mg of caffeine per 12 ounces of soda, but energy drinks normally contain roughly 120 mg per 12 ounces. To get around the caffeine cap, energy drink producers can decide to categorise their product as a supplement. The American Beverage Association established optional guidelines for businesses that categorise their energy drinks as beverages. These rules suggest precise caffeine content labelling, limiting marketing to children, and reporting adverse events to the FDA. But there has been little evidence that these rules are being followed.