Effects of Energy Drinks

Are Energy Drinks Safe?

Whether it is a long night studying or just not ready for the day, college students choose to drink energy drinks to get full energy. These highly caffeinated drinks come with stimulating names such as Red Bull, Monster, Full Throttle, or Rockstar. Although these drinks are marketed as a healthful stimulant, consumers should be aware of the potential side effects, as they can be very harmful to one’s health.

Energy drinks are beverages whose producers advertise that they “boost energy”. These advertisements usually do not emphasize energy derived from the sugar they contain, but rather increased energy is due to a variety of stimulants, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Energy drinks generally contain ingredients such a sugar, guarana, ginseng, taurine, B vitamins, carnitine, and ginkgo biloba. Guarana is a leading producer of caffeine, which is the main ingredient in many of the drinks. The caffeine herbs, vitamins and other ingredients combined in energy drinks are supposed to improve strength, endurance, and mental function. According to an article from WebMD, “Since Red Bull, the first energy drink to hit the U.S. market, launched in 1997, the market has boomed now totaling at least $5.4 billion a year in the U.S.” (“Energy Drinks: Hazardous to Your Health?”). Makers of energy drinks generally market them as dietary supplement, in which dietary supplements are regulated different than soft-drinks. Although the FDA limits the caffeine contents in soft-drinks, energy drinks have no such limits because they are a form of “dietary supplement”. For example, a Coca-Cola Classic contains 34.5 milligrams per 12-oz serving and Monster Energy Drink contains 160 milligrams per 16-ounce serving. A big difference as you can see. The high levels of caffeine can be detrimental to your health.

A benefit of energy drinks are that they help to relieve fatigue and mental alertness by raising energy levels. For that very reason, college...