The energy drink market is one of the fastest growing among beverage and supplement industries. Is the product’s quality keeping up with the high demands of a modern and fast paced lifestyle? I am worried that there are vulnerable portions of the young population drinking these beverages unaware of the negative effects. The energy drinks are not fully disclosing the amounts of stimulant per serving, such as caffeine, nor is the quality of their education over the ingredients sufficient.
Amongst youth half have reported drinking an energy drink out of curiosity about the taste and to experience the energy behind the claim. Although it is reported that even college students are undereducated on the ingredients of the drinks and unaware about the healthy dosage of caffeine in one’s diet. As a student I am like the rest seeking a stimulant to boost performance in the library as well as the gym. I know a safe and moderate daily dose of caffeine is about 200 mg, while mayo clinic’s website reports that 500 mg is a heavy dose where negative effects like irritability, tachycardia, and muscle tremors may be experienced. But as an adult I can accept the consequences as an informed consumer.
The industry is not telling their consumers some simple warnings about healthy caffeine and sugar intake for varying segments of the population. In youth a healthy dose of caffeine is much less and young adults often don’t understand moderation, especially when alcohol is involved. Vulnerable populations like diagnosed ADHD, eating disorder, or diabetes are susceptible to much harsher consequences of consuming energy drinks and I hope to see more talk on the appropriate use of supplements in youth today.
This is so true, a lot of my friend started out just taking energy drinks because they stayed out to late the night before then took a "5 hour energy" drink another drink that is getting popular is the "Mio energy." Then after taking the drink the found out that it kept them awake and "gave them energy" which is a misconception. Energy drinks don't give you any more energy, they just make you feel less tired. When caffeine is in your body it blocks the signals in your body telling you that you are tired by taking up the places where those chemical signals would normally fit into, this is called site competition. Also it is not a substitute for sleep!! One of my friends in particular seems to think this because it kept him awake for studying or at work or helped him work out longer and harder. It worked so well the first time he started getting in the habit of not sleeping enough and relying on caffeine to keep him awake. Not a good thing! Altogether I think energy drinks are a bad idea good intention behind them when used sparingly one those occasional rough nights but when they become necessary to function properly, that is borderline addiction like and that is not good.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree as well, with this blog post and the previous comment. I recently did a research paper on the effects of energy drinks and caffeine on the body and especially for working out, energy drinks are very bad for you. If you mix energy drinks and exercise you are more likely to experience heart attacks because the energy drink is already increasing your heart rate and blood pressure, so then when you add exercise on top of that and increase your heart rate even more, and sometimes, depending on the specific energy drink consumed, you can experience a heart attack. There are also many more undesirable side effects to energy drinks, even if you aren't combining them with exercise.
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