Energy drink-related health visits have skyrocketed 890%. Of these visits, roughly one in ten patients is hospitalized.
This generation is entering the peak of a product pandemic, comparable to that of cigarettes in the 1960s. Except that this time around, instead of a burning sensation in people’s lungs telling them something is wrong, there is nothing to warn them about the underlying long-lasting consequences of energy drinks. And of course, the devastating short-term reactions that can ambush them at any moment are easily overlooked. Energy drinks impact everyone differently; therefore, consumers might unknowingly be putting themselves at risk for serious health problems.
One of the most misleading aspects of energy drinks is their packaging. Fortunately, Granite Bay health class teaches students about label reading and deciphering ingredient lists. But even for the most astute package reader, it can be tricky to find out the true measure of ingredients in these beverages. The companies have entire teams designed to trick the reader into buying the product.
“The marketing is extremely smart in terms of getting consumers, but extremely dangerous in terms of making healthy decisions,” said Dr. Stephanie Green, a pediatric endocrinologist from Johns Hopkins. Specifically, one of these drinks, Celsius, “obviously doesn’t talk about some of the harms that could come from it.”
It is extremely concerning that these products, clearly aimed at children because of their bright colors, use misleading marketing. These companies do not care about the consumer’s health and only seek to make more money. The National Library of Medicine confirms, “these (energy drink )ads demonstrate they are designed to foster misleading notions about the effects of these drinks on health,” and “advertising for these beverages is targeted to young people”
Even small quantities of energy drinks can induce brutal short-term reactions. The substantial amount of caffeine present in energy drinks is reported from the NLM to be up to two times that of a cup of coffee, although ingested much faster, as hot coffee must be sipped. That allows energy drinkers to ingest four to six times more caffeine than a typical coffee drinker within the same time frame. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends only 100 mg of caffeine a day for teens 12-18. Some psychiatrists recommend none. A single can of Celsius contains 200-300 mg of caffeine. That is not healthy, or even close to the recommended amount.
Caffeine has been proven to be safe and helpful in certain regards, as evidenced by the large amount of coffee consumption. The issue with energy drinks is, “It’s not only caffeine, which by all means is the most prevalent ingredient, but there are other things in the energy drinks that are also stimulants,” said Dr. Anna Svatikova, a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic.
That amount of caffeine, combined with lots of sugar, dyes, and other chemicals, can impact the body severely.
These ingredients are easy to overconsume because their effects take 15–60 minutes to appear. This delay can lead to overdoses, cardiac events, or severe panic attacks. A study done by the NCCIH gives insight into some permanent problems that students may not be aware of: “Caffeine also may harm children’s still-developing cardiovascular and nervous systems.” Disrupting the body’s growth is not something that can be undone. Abuse of these drinks could lead to lasting cardiac or sensory complications.
These consequences are alarming. However, they are usually reserved for those who consume massive amounts of energy drinks in a short amount of time. That being said, energy drinks impact every individual differently and can have catastrophic effects for some.
Unfortunately, the more silent consequences are even scarier for those who think they are acting responsibly with these substances. Long-term results of consistent caffeine intake at the level of even one or two energy drinks daily can cause anxiety, depression, and a lack of focus with everyday tasks. One wouldn’t even necessarily realize the beverages are causing these underlying health problems. The thing that is supposedly helping a person pay attention in class may, in fact, be sabotaging their focus.
When being asked about the hidden danger of these drinks, Dr. Green said, “it’s sort of the long, chronic issues that develop with time that ultimately could be dangerous,” and “it (large amounts of caffeine and sugar) can, you know, disrupt social engagement, it can disrupt mental well-being.”
Finally, there is the issue of withdrawals. Like most other stimulants, caffeine is addictive and can have nasty side effects when being weaned off. Fortunately for most people, the level of caffeine they intake daily is not enough to cause severe withdrawal. Unfortunately, for consistent energy drink drinkers, detoxing from the incredible amounts of caffeine may cause debilitating effects such as splitting headaches.
Dr. Green said, “In the short term, (energy drinks cause) types of things like a panic attack or cardiac event, and then long-term addiction tolerance may cause you to lose sleep, lose focus, things like that.”
Dr. Green’s words, combined with the data on kids having permanent debilitation from stimulants, form a clear consensus. The safest choice is to simply skip the energy drinks. For students, the short-term jolts of caffeine can easily be addictive and could turn into long-term setbacks in focus, sleep, and mental well-being. Avoiding these beverages now could save young people years of health problems later.
