It is widely recognized that the primary impact of energy drinks on the body is the most prominent. They provide a quick energy boost.
However, if their effect was minimal, very few of us would be drinking these beverages as much as we drink water. Of course, there’s much more to discuss. Let’s talk about the other effects of energy drinks.
Do Energy Drinks Work?
The evidence is undeniable that caffeine, the primary element found in energy drinks, has an effect. The International Society of Sports Nutrition confirms that caffeine taken an hour prior to exercise can sharpen mental clarity, provide a surge of energy, improve burst exercises and extend endurance activities.
B vitamins play a big role in helping the body to effectively break down energy sources like glucose and fat. However, one particular B vitamin is added in energy drinks mostly as an aesthetic choice.
You can experience a flushing and tingling sensation as a result of taking Niacin (vitamin B3). Women should have an intake of 14 mg of daily necessities while males require 16 mg. Cans of energy drink typically contain between 24 and 47 mg. This can assist with widening of blood vessels and increasing circulation, but there are more advantageous manners of obtaining niacin and better alternatives to enhance blood flow without feeling flashes of heat. Go to this link to read about how nitric oxide increases performance and expands blood vessels.
My urine turns a vibrant electric yellow when I take vitamin B12, which always gives me a rush of accomplishment. It may even lead to increased energy. Research has suggested that taking large amounts of something has been linked to greater fine motor skills as well as increased production of red blood cells and serotonin.
Other ingredients offer legitimate bioactive effects. Ginger, ginkgo, and ginseng have all been purported to have properties which can increase energy levels, and research exists to support these claims. Specifically, ginger can reduce fatigue, ginkgo can improve cognitive functioning, and ginseng can combat inflammation.
You should also take note of the nutrients found in your energy drinks which can aid your body when exerting a lot of energy, particularly if you’re a professional athlete. Consuming caffeine is one strategy to give you a boost; however, providing your body with the proper amino acids it requires to excel and recuperate optimally is a completely different matter.
Should You Worry About Energy Consuming Drinks?
Energy drinks are sold in just about every store. The containers appear identical to soda or juice containers apart from their size and design.
It might be riskier for your well-being than consuming soda or fruit juice.
The primary purchasers of energy drinks are individuals in their youth. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have documented a sharp rise in the amount of adolescents requiring hospital treatment after drinking energy drinks. The following must be dealt with: lack of hydration, nervousness, difficulty sleeping, abnormal heartbeats, and cardiac arrest.
The aggregate amount of individuals afflicted is not massive, yet it is expanding annually.
That might seem hard to believe. Even if you don’t use energy drinks to help you get through a tough day, you surely know people who do, and it doesn’t seem to cause them any harm.
So why do some people suffer serious side effects?
The results of drinking energy drinks vary, depending on its contents and the amount of it that is drunk.
What’s In Energy Drinks?
Specific ingredients vary by manufacturer and brand.
Although most widely consumed energy drinks, such as Monster, Red Bull, and Rockstar, are built upon three main components. Eating too much of either of them can lead to serious health problems.
Caffeine
A majority of us regularly consume caffeine, which can be found in a range of items including energy drinks, tea, coffee, pop, and even chocolate! Energy drinks are heavily dependent on caffeine because it is a stimulant that acts on the central nervous system and stops the body from feeling tired.
The extent to which the stimulant influences your physical body is mainly driven by the amount of caffeine ingested. It depends on the amount of ingredients in the food or beverage and the amount consumed.
The average mug of coffee holds approximately 90 milligrams of caffeine. Carbonated drinks like soda have roughly half of the sugar concentration as compared to other beverages, including tea and chocolate, who have far less sugar content. The amount of caffeine in energy drinks varies, ranging from 110mg in Red Bull to 160mg found in Monster and Rockstar. Some drinks such as Bang have an incredibly high caffeine content, with an amount of up to 300mg.
Consuming large amounts of caffeine can result in issues due to the accumulation of it in your system. The U.S. The Food and Drug Administration has indicated that it is generally safe for adults of good health to take in up to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day. Some people, naturally, have less tolerance than others.
You can consume a maximum of 400mg of caffeine every day, which would equate to approximately 4-5 cups of coffee or 9-10 cans of soda. Having more than one of either Monsters or Rockstars, or a single supercharged energy drink such as Bang, puts you in the FDA’s risky area.
And that’s when negative health effects can hit. We’ll discuss those effects in a bit.
Sugar
If you don’t drink an energy drink when feeling exhausted, you are likely to turn to a candy bar instead.
The same explanation applies to why the majority of companies add lots of sugar to their energy drinks. The sugary substance appears to give a quick surge of energy in a brief time period.
Sadly, consuming sugar does not give your body additional energy to use. It just feels that way.
As the body metabolizes sugar, it produces additional amounts of the hormone dopamine that triggers a feeling of pleasure as well as serotonin, which can bring a feeling of happiness. This can result in an improved feeling and the perception that more energy is available.
The feeling doesn’t last long, though. After imbibing sugary foods/drinks for between half an hour and an hour, you will experience a dramatic decrease in energy levels and feel relatively lethargic. It appears that the situation is deteriorating; the metabolic process necessary to process sugar diminishes the body’s capacity to create energy.
The sugar in an energy drink doesn’t provide any actual energy, it just creates a temporary sense of elation. It is advantageous to consume a brand such as Super Energy that has natural sweeteners like stevia and monk fruit extract, instead of sugar.
Drinking too much sugar can lead to or worsen a range of health problems. We’ll elaborate shortly.
Other Common Energy Drink Ingredients
Many varieties of energy drinks and a lot of sports drinks probably have several additional components.
- B Vitamins: These vitamins don’t provide an energy boost on their own; they just help the body convert food to energy. However, they can help people who don’t get enough B vitamins in their normal diet.
- Taurine: This amino acid has been shown to boost endurance, physical performance, and cognitive performance, particularly when combined with caffeine.
- Guarana: Guarana is another source of caffeine, and contains other natural stimulants.
- Ginseng: This is a medicinal herb that’s said to help boost the body’s energy levels.
- L-Carnitine: This amino acid has been shown to increase energy, but the amount in energy drinks probably won’t help much.
- Glucuronolactone: This natural compound is believed to help prevent the body from breaking down stored glucose, but there’s no proof that the amount in energy drinks does any good.
What are the Side Effects of Energy Drinks?
So, are energy drinks effective? They can be, but most aren’t.
Well, are energy drinks safe? They can be, but most aren’t.
Norway, Denmark, and France have outlawed Red Bull® for a particular cause. Drinking energy drinks can cause unpleasant repercussions over the short and long term.
The largest number of negative responses are triggered by having too much caffeine (over 400mg of caffeine, or four coffees daily), yet inaccurately regulated supplemental components may bring about unusual undesirable outcomes.
Short-Term Side Effects of Energy Drinks
- Dehydration can lead to dizziness, vertigo, and fainting
- Increase blood pressure and heart rate, tachycardia, heart palpitations
- Increase the risk of panic attacks, irritability, anxiety, and psychological distress
- Increase risk for seizures
- Upset stomach, gut pain, diarrhea
- Headache
- Muscle twitching
- Killing your recovery with difficulty sleeping or not being able to rest
- Spike your blood sugar, followed by the inevitable sugar crash.
- After you take into account all the negative effects that follow on the heels of that caffeine high, how long do energy drinks last? Anything that puts your long-term health at risk doesn’t justify the meager 5-hour rush.
Long-term Side Effects of Energy Drinks:
- Unintentional weight gain and increased risk for heart disease and diabetes, due to the excessive sugar content
- Heart disease and stroke, due to the excessive caffeine
- Chronic dehydration, which can lead to kidney stones
- Cavities and tooth decay
- Caffeine dependence, and the consequent caffeine withdrawal
- Adrenal fatigue is when your body can’t keep up with the high demand for elevated stress hormones
- Excessive B vitamins can cause blood problems and inflammation of the liver
- Gastrointestinal problems from excessive amounts of added ingredients
- So if you’re thinking “why are energy drinks bad for you?”, a long list like this should be enough to never crack open a can of sugary caffeine again! Energy drinks are bad for your kidneys, your heart, your weight, and your gut, but even that doesn’t account for all the side-stream effects that often go unreported.
Effects of Sugar on Energy Drinks
A lot of energy drinks contain considerable amounts of sugar, approximately thirty grams per eight ounces. The majority of these beverages come in bigger containers than the one in question, implying that they contain even more sugar. It can be reworded as: A 16-ounce can of Monster contains about 14 teaspoons of sugar, whereas some Rockstar products contain more than 20 teaspoons.
It is likely that this is more sugar than is encouraged by specialists to be consumed in a single day. The American Heart Association has advised that females should consume a maximum of six teaspoons of extra sugars on a daily basis, and males should not exceed nine teaspoons.
What would be the result of consuming large amounts of sugar on a regular basis, such as what is found in a few daily servings of energy drinks? There is a heightened chance of developing severe health complications.
Who Should Not Have Energy Drinks?
All relevant entities such as scientists, governments, and athletic institutions have stressed the importance of safety when it comes to consuming energy drinks. Specific populations that should be more careful about high-caffeine drinks include:
- Children and adolescents under 18 years old
- People who have never had caffeine or who are sensitive to caffeine
- Pregnant and breastfeeding women
- Taking other stimulants or other caffeine-heavy drinks
- Heart conditions, high blood pressure, and other chronic diseases
If you want to know what kind of energy drink is ideal for a diabetic or which one is beneficial for your heart, you need to investigate the ingredients, nevertheless it is still up to you to look at the nutritional facts and make your own choice.
Individuals who are worried about the risks of consuming energy drinks should search for a different option that does not contain sugar, has no caffeine, not packing in additives, and has a quality endorsement. It is essential to confer with your medical specialist, but Resync RTD is the first beverage that combines sparkling flavor with heart-healthy ingredients derived from plants, available in the U.S.
Other Negatives of Energy Drinks
Inadequate regulation and a lack of quality certifications are major problems in the energy drink sector. You may experience unintended consequences due to unwanted pollutants and unknown additives.
The National Poison Data System revealed record of 4854 phone calls in 2013 which were concerning energy drinks.
Sixty-five per cent of the calls made to the poison hotline were the result of ingesting something that had been contaminated.
It is essential to consider third-party certification when selecting any supplement or energy drink.
Choose an energy drink carefully, one that meets criteria and will not reduce your success. Look for a supplement product that has a certification from NSF and BSCG.
Are There Natural Alternatives To Energy Drinks?
There has been an increase in demand for alternatives to energy drinks because of the potential for addiction and the unpleasant repercussions.
One way to minimize the adverse effects of energy drinks is to only consume caffeine in manageable amounts from natural sources.
Substitute beverages such as black coffee, plain tea, yerba mate, and other natural drinks are a smarter choice than energy drinks they possess minerals, vitamins, and polyphenol antioxidants.
You may be wanting to rid yourself of the adverse outcomes of being addicted to caffeine for good. That cycle just isn’t sustainable for life! Which energy drink has the lowest caffeine content? Which energy drink is the healthiest?