How Energy Drinks can Effect Health

A+refrigerator+filled+with+many+energy+drinks+which+can+be+found+at+7-Eleven.

Maggie Razo

A refrigerator filled with many energy drinks which can be found at 7-Eleven.

Energy drinks can affect the body in numerous ways, and while it may help to drink one in the moment, the long term effects may not be worth it. There are many reasons why energy drinks have the effects they do and also have different impacts on people’s health.

One outcome of drinking an energy drink is the large caffeine intake which without also adding water into your system, may result in dehydration.

One energy drink may contain up to 100mg of caffeine and this can result in headaches due to the dehydration. It is stated that companies don’t need to put the full amount of caffeine that may be in their product. As a result companies that sell energy drinks may not be completely open about how much they are putting.

There are other aspects of this that may present itself within this issue. Companies may add things like Guarana in their products. Most people understand that this is a pure plant and therefore don’t take the harm it may cause into consideration.The reality of this plant is that it is another main source of caffeine and overall may have more within it than a 8 ounce cup of coffee might. This suggests that not only is there caffeine from the coffee source, this plant may prove to be harmful paired with the ingredients already in the energy drink.

While caffeine may be a leading reason why these energy drinks are so powerful, they have other side effects too. One thing that people who regularly consume energy drinks may not consider is the fact that they cause teeth damage.

Things like citric acid and sugar in large amounts, as they are allowed to have in energy drinks, is detrimental to the enamel of someone’s tooth. Another reason why this may be worrisome is that the companies who manufacture these drinks don’t necessarily need to add the exact amount of citric acid that is in the drink.

Another way that energy drinks affect people’s health is through the rise in heart rate when consuming the product.

There was a study done by the journal JAMA and this study consisted of 25 men and women who drank one real energy drink on one day and a placebo another. They found the participants heart rate and norepinephrine levels rose twice as much as the day they drank the placebo.

Overall, drinking too much sugar, caffeine, and artificial flavors have bad effects on the body; and when consumed together, the effects could potentially be worse. Having these ingredients in moderation may not be harmful, but be sure to consider the long term damage that may occur when consuming products that have bad effects on the body.