Energy drinks are popular, but not so good for you
September 27, 2011
By Kim Bussing
Kim Bussing Issaquah High School
Said to be the leading cause of lung cancer, various cardiovascular diseases, lowered bone density and reproductive risks, and referred to as “the devil’s fart” by author Ben Johnson, it is hard to imagine that anyone would willingly pick up a cigarette.
Yet even as smoking has become the poster child for a legal-drug-gone-wrong, few people have qualms about consuming a substance known to cause liver damage, kidney failure, seizures, hypertension, psychotic conditions, heart failure and death. Because, after all, there’s nothing wrong with grabbing an energy drink if there’s no time for morning coffee, or while studying for finals, right?
There are many claims that energy drinks are infused with vitamins and possess numerous health benefits — well, as healthy as a drink that contains 4,000 percent of the daily-recommended amount of B12 vitamins and surpasses the FDA approved amount of caffeine in a beverage can be, at least.
Energy drinks have migrated their way into daily life, expanding into not just a resource for students, but a fixture in households and in the diets of children 12 and older, despite instructions more extensive than those on some over-the-counter medications. They are a popular go-to caffeine source for athletes, despite that France enacted a ban against Red Bull after a young man died after downing one of the cans during exercise.
Other countries have experienced energy-drink related deaths, owing to the excess amount of caffeine; less than 50 percent of caffeine-related fatalities occur in youths — the market energy drinks target. Death is one of the more extreme consequences of frequent consumption, but that does not negate the seriousness of other permanent physical ailments.
More research is beginning to investigate the physiological effects of these drinks; the combination of some of the main ingredients — 5-hydroxytryptophan, vinpocetine, yohimbine and ginseng — have been said to have potentially harmful effects when combined with each other or with caffeine.
Recently though, studies have shown that frequent exposure to the beverages can lead to a “jolt-and-crash” cycle that accustoms the body to a dangerous habit of the buzz from the drink and the resulting sugar and caffeine crash.
However, for energy junkies or students who can’t survive on minimal hours of sleep without something extra to keep them going, healthy — or at least, not as toxic — options exist.
Apples contain no caffeine, but the presence of fibers allow fructose — a simple sugar in fruits and honey — to dissipate slowly in the body and can allow for a minor pick-me-up in the morning. Black, oolong and green tea provide alternatives to a traditional cup of coffee, while sports drinks can provide a quick boost throughout the day.
Try adding fresh-squeezed lemon juice and sea salt to plain water — it will deliver the same electrolytes and alertness of Gatorade without the sugar.
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