Posted on December 20, 2013 by Jenny Cromack

I’m the first to admit I get a little opinionated and upset when I see children stood at the bus stop in a morning with a packet of crisps or chocolate and a bottle of pop to wash it down. It shocks and upsets me because I know the consequences not only on their health but also on their attention and performance at school.  It is even more upsetting that you see them in their uniform smoking. We all know junk food and smoking is bad for your health no matter what your age but I worry how many people understand the health risks of energy drinks.

Drinking energy drinks is popular with  children, teenagers and adults with research showing that about 30-50% of people drink an energy drink at least twice a week. Do you think as many energy drinks would be consumed if people were aware of the health risks of energy drinks?

Research has found that high level use of high- caffeine drinks has been linked to seizures, strokes and sudden death. Knowing this, would you still drink them?

Now more than ever energy drinks are a staple in shops, vending machines, pubs and even in some gyms. People are reporting drinking them to prevent tiredness but should we know the consequences before we drink them?

We have all had that feeling of dropping to sleep, feeling sluggish or desperate for a few more hours in the day to reach a deadline and the solution for many , even those aged as young as 7, is to opt for a caffeine packed energy drink.

In 2005 Britons bought 365 million litres of sport and energy drinks. In 2011 this rose to 660 million. In 2013 the energy drink category alone registered a 12.5 percent growth, now with a value of 1.4 Billion. The alarming thing is it’s not just the market that has grown but also the size of the cans has increased dramatically from its original 240ml. The cans are just getting bigger resulting in higher levels of caffeine, sugar and other ingredients.

So How Much Caffeine Is Too Much?

A 250 ml Red Bull contains 80mg Caffeine 110calories 2.7g sugar, a Monster energy drink 240ml contains 80mg Caffeine 100 calories and 27g sugar. Research suggests that for some individuals they may be at higher risk of heart disease if they consume more than 200mg of caffeine per day.

There has been numerous cases of people being hospitalized due to the consumption of too many energy drinks.

Consuming high caffeine energy drinks can be dangerous when exercising as the caffeine can lead to severe dehydration. They also raise the heart rate drastically which could be dangerous linking with exercise.  Traditional sports drinks such as Lucozade, Gatorade and Powerade include water, salt, and sugars in proportions that help the body absorb fluids and salts lost in sweat and in the breath while exercising. The sugars not only help the body take in the water, but also provide fuel for muscles that need sugars to keep performing well during long walks, runs, or bikes. A small amount of salt helps protect the body from hyponatremia, (also known as water intoxication), which can happen if you drink a large amount of water without any salt.

Energy drinks are formulated to deliver caffeine and other stimulants , to give the drinker a rush of energy. They are not designed to replace lost fluids during exercise. Some come in small cans that deliver a large amount of caffeine in a small amount of fluid. Many are carbonated, which can lead exercisers to experience burping, nausea and a bloated feeling.

7 Dangers of Drinking Too Many Energy Drinks at One Time.

1. Headaches and Migraines – Too many energy drinks can lead to severe headaches from the caffeine withdrawal symptoms. Changing the amount of caffeine you ingest daily can cause more frequent headaches.
2. Insomnia – Energy drinks keep people awake, but too much caffeine can cause some people to miss sleep all together. This lack of sleep causes impaired functioning and can be dangerous when driving or performing other heavy tasks which need lots of concentration.
3. Cardiac Arrest – Those with underlying heart conditions have gone into cardiac arrest after just a few energy drinks.
4. Type 2 Diabetes – Because many energy drinks are also very high in sugar, they can eventually wear out the insulin producing cells of the pancreas, which leads to type 2 diabetes.
5. Addiction – People can become addicted to caffeine and energy drinks. This can lead to lack of functioning when unable to have the energy drink or a financial stress from having to buy several energy drinks daily.
6. Drug Interaction – Some of the ingredients in energy drinks can interact with prescription medications.
7. Vomiting – Too many energy drinks can lead to vomiting. This causes dehydration and acid erosion of teeth and esophagus if frequent.

High caffeine energy drinks should be avoided and definitely not part of a day to day surviving mechanism. If you are constantly fatigued you need to look at your diet, exercise and sleeping habits as energy levels can be easily maintained this way rather than risk putting your health in jeopardy by consuming energy drinks.