Energy drinks: Friend or Foe?
These days, whenever we feel we need more energy or brain power to stay alert longer or to perform better, we reach for an energy drink. Energy drinks are packed with a whole list of extra vitamins, along with caffeine, which delivers the eye-opening jolt of energy.
The manufacturers claim their drinks supply the consumer with energy, but what they actually supply are monster-doses of caffeine and other supplements that rev up your system. They may cause a temporary jolt of energy, but they also increase your heart rate, making you feel jittery and on-edge – and too much caffeine can cause stomach aches. Having an energy drink every day might fool you into thinking you can’t function without it. Here is a few disturbing facts about energy drinks:
– Between 2007 and 2011, the overall number of energy drink-related visits to emergency rooms doubled, with the most significant increase (279%) in people aged 40 and older.
– A growing trend among young adults and teenagers are mixing energy drinks with alcohol. About 25% of college students consume alcohol with energy drinks, and they binge-drink significantly more often than students who don’t mix alcohol and energy drinks. In 2011, 42% of all energy drink-related emergency room visits involved combining these beverages with alcohol or drugs (including illicit drugs, like marijuana, as well as central nervous system stimulants, like Ritalin or Adderall).
During a recent study, more than a thousand college students were asked about their use of energy drinks and other caffeinated drinks, cocaine and alcohol. Researchers found that students who regularly consumed energy drinks had higher rates of cocaine
use, prescription stimulant misuse and alcohol problems compared to students who didn’t consume energy drinks.
This doesn’t mean that regular use of energy drinks causes drug problems, but there appears to be a link.