Bottoms up: Is energy drinks safe for children and adolescents?
In 2011, 1,499 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years went to the emergency room for an energy drink related emergency.
Some of the dangers of energy drinks include:
Dehydration (not enough water in your body).
Heart complications (such as irregular heartbeat and heart failure).
Anxiety (feeling nervous and jittery).
Insomnia (unable to sleep).
What are energy drinks?
A beverage that typically contains large amounts of caffeine, added sugars, other additives, and legal stimulants such as guarana, taurine, and L-carnitine.
These drinks are often used to provide an extra boost in energy. However, the stimulants in these drinks can have a harmful effect on the nervous system.
These legal stimulants can increase alertness, attention, energy, as well as increase blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing.
How does energy drinks work?
Caffeine is a drug that temporarily blocks adenosine pathways (a chemical involved in how tired we feel), giving you a boost while allowing “feel good” hormones, dopamine, in the brain to be released more rapidly.
All the caffeine is absorbed within a few minutes and the liver will absorb all the sugar into the bloodstream. Slowly within an hour the effects of the caffeine will begin to subside and a sugar crash can occur, leaving you feeling tired and low.
Why are energy drinks dangerous?
Energy drinks are full of sugar, sodium and loaded with caffeine – often twice as much as coffee and eight times as much as soda. They’re an unhealthy beverage for anyone, especially a growing youth’s body.
High caffeine content:
The caffeine content in many energy drinks varies greatly as the energy drink industry is not regulated strictly, some drinks often do not even list the caffeine content on their label.
This means consumers often do not realize how much caffeine they are consuming.
Up to 400 mg of caffeine a day appears to be safe for most healthy adults, equal to 4 cups of brewed coffee.
However many energy drinks stay within the limited caffeine content, the added ingredients such as guarana is what makes energy drinks even more dangerous and unhealthy.
Guarana content:
Many energy drinks also contain guarana, which is a more potent form of caffeine. One gram of guarana is equivalent to 40-80 milligrams of caffeine.
On their own, the ingredients in energy drinks have some benefits such as supporting brain and heart health, improved energy and focus and anti-inflammatory benefits, but when they are combined with the additional caffeine added to energy drinks- it can be a recipe for disaster.
Health risks with regular consumption
The Combination of caffeine and added sugars in energy drinks is associated with decreased insulin sensitivity and increased blood sugar. Thus creating a risk for developing diabetes.
Energy drinks can also trigger strokes when downed or consumed at a fast pace.
Consuming excessive amounts of caffeine combined with the effects of stimulants such as guarana, can intensify the psychological and neurological effects as well as cardiovascular effects, like increased heart rate and blood pressure.
Furthermore, energy drinks can lead to:
Anxiety
Depression
Diarrhea
Hallucinations
Headaches
Mood swings
Rapid heart rate
Tooth decay
Weight gain
In children and adolescents, energy drink consumption can also lead to:
Higher risk of attention disorders and hyperactivity.
Adverse impact on brain development, leading to insomnia, ADD and hyperactivity.
The American Academy of Paediatrics states that caffeine and other stimulant substances contained in energy drinks have no place in the diet of children and adolescents.
Side effects of too much caffeine:
increased heart rate
High blood pressure
Heart palpitations
Insomnia
Dehydration
Restlessness
Caffeine withdrawal is associated with headache, fatigue, anxiety, tremors and irritability.
Here’s the bottom line…
Energy drinks might be a convenient and quick pick me up, but the health risks aren’t worth it. Instead opt for healthier alternatives for an energy boost.
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