The acceptance of Energy Drinks

It seems that lots of young people are fueling their lives with energy drinks.  Red Bull, Monster, Nos, 5 Hour Energy... all seem to be a reliable source of energy for young people who are burning the candle at both ends.  When you are young and having fun and don't have a care in the world, you also don't care about yourself and could be putting yourself at risk just by giving yourself a quick energy boost from your favorite drink.

Way back in 2013 I wrote a piece on the dangers of energy drinks and I believe that it is still valid today and yet energy drink consumption seems to be the norm.  So here is exactly what an energy drink does to you:

1.  Your Brain - yes that mission control center... the be all and end all of human life... When you consume an energy drink it quickly blocks adenosine production.  Adenosine is a chemical produced by the brain to help you sleep.  The caffeine in the energy drink will cause your brain to fire neurons to stimulate and instant energy boost which is exactly the same energy boost you get when your body senses a physical threat - call it the Fight or Flight mode.

2.  When the Fight or Flight mode is activated, the pituitary gland raises the adrenaline levels to give you more energy to run away or fight your enemy... this action injects glucose into the blood stream.

3.  However, all that free flowing adrenaline makes your heart beat much faster in order to move more blood and therefore more oxygen into your muscles... so you can run away or fight your enemy... except you aren't...

4.  The rise in glucose in the blood tells your brain that the rest of the body is full of energy and ready to take on anything in it's path - enemy wise.  Dopamine levels rise which means your brain receives the sensation of feeling incredibly energetic.

5.  However, because your heart is beating faster and all the chemical reactions going on in your body, you will start to sweat profusely, making you lose electrolytes and bodily fluids.

6.  The vast amount of caffeine consumed and the lack or burning off the energy means that anxiety appears and you start to shake.  This is also augmented by the dehydration from the excess sweating.

Some 500ml cans of energy drinks can contain the equivalent of 13 teaspoons of sugar and 160mg of caffeine which is roughly the same as drinking 4 cans of Coke.  The body will take about 12 hours to process that amount of caffeine from the bloodstream... so if you are drinking more than one can a day/night...well.... need I say more?

It appears so...

Potential risks of energy drink consumption:

• Palpitations
• Tremors
• Agitation
• Headache
• Chest Pain
• Dizziness
• Gastrointestinal Problems
• Insomnia
• Respiratory Distress
• Tingling or numbing of the skin

In April, a study carried out by Spanish investigators found that consuming just one energy drink per day could set off erratic heartbeats and heart attacks in healthy teenagers and the risk factor is even worse if there are underlying heart problems.

But still, energy drinks are flaunted to all and sundry... they sponsor motorsports and extreme sports and "cool" fashion.  So the big question is; what should health advisory boards be doing about this?

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com