Energy Drinks: A Boost in the Wrong Direction?
73 Comments
Energy drinks–You see them at X Games events, basketball arenas, and rock concerts. You can even “fan” some of them on Facebook. What these brands don’t tell you, and what science is now showing us, is that their drinks can really be unhealthy.
Energy drinks often pack in extra vitamins, along with caffeine, which delivers the eye-opening jolt of energy, and is supposed to boost your brain power. People, even teens, seek that extra kick from energy drinks to stay alert longer or perform better sometimes. But do these drinks really boost your brain?
The makers of these drinks claim their drinks deliver energy, but in fact, what they deliver are monster-doses of caffeine and other supplements that rev up your system. Although they may deliver a temporary jolt of energy, they also boost your heart rate, making you feel jittery and on-edge-and too much caffeine can cause stomach aches. Plus, having an energy drink every day might fool you into thinking you can’t function without it.
Teens are busy. School, sports, a part-time job, and never-ending homework…finally sleep, then having to get up while it’s still dark out to do it all over again. No wonder energy drinks are appealing!
But do they deliver what they promise? And is drinking such high doses worth the possible health risks? Probably not. Better to get more sleep and exercise so you don’t have to depend on chemicals for your energy.
Too much of something is always bad. Life and health always entail balance.
We all know that vitamins are very important to our health. We find a lot of media
attention in this direction because the vitamin supplement industry is a multi-million
dollar industry.
However, are vitamin supplements really effective? IMO, it is possible to maintain proper
just by ensuring proper food and healthy habits. Let our body do what it is designed to
do and it should stay fit.
PeterW
[...] not all psychoactive drugs are illegal. Caffeine is a stimulant found in coffee and energy drinks, and opioids like Vicodin, OxyContin, or morphine are often prescribed by doctors to relieve [...]
do all energy drinks have caffeine? could the companies use another chemical that helps stimulant your brain?
do some companies sustitute caffeine for other chemicals in their energy drinks?
[...] not all psychoactive drugs are illegal. Caffeine is a stimulant found in coffee and energy drinks, and opioids like Vicodin, OxyContin, or morphine are often prescribed by doctors to relieve [...]
i need too know everything that caffeine cand o too your brain. any help?
i think its wrong for kids to have caffeine
it is very wrong
@geeeeeeek Eating or drinking a large amount of caffeine can make you feel jittery, nervous, or energetic. That’s because caffeine—like any stimulant—changes the way your brain works. A little bit of caffeine can cause a person to feel more awake, but can also make it hard to fall and stay asleep. Caffeine can also cause headaches and dizziness. Oh, btw, caffeine is addictive – once you start drinking coffee regularly, you may feel headachy, anxious or jittery if you cut back on how much you consume or try to cut it out altogether.
for the sake off health and function get off all these. I had to go through treatment for insomnia and seek help online like these dudes
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Not at all drinking Bull after cleaning out
Thanks for the info. Keep it up
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No where in your article do you explain how energy drinks are bad for health. You merely stated how people are dependent on it but people are dependent on many other foods and drinks that are far unhealthier than an energy drink. What is wrong with having one a day? What is “unhealthy” about obtaining Vitamin Bs and a shot of caffeine? Even if the actual drink does not scientifically boost my brain nor my daily functions my mindset that it works will. Just like drinking coffee or tea, energy drinks enhance MY mind and body and thats all that really matters when it comes down to paying money for them.
I’m doing a project on caffeine in school, and i need to know if it has any nicknames?
Is it mind altering?
Could it be prescribed for a medical use?
physically addictive?
psychology addictive?
Can you build up a tolerance?
Thanks for the help if you answer(:
Yes it may enhance YOUR mind and body depending on your age, but for young kids ages 9-22 its not good for them, It gives them a high and then a low, and they feel they need it to do well in school, and then when they can’t fall asleep because of there high on energy drinks and caffeine they turn to a depressant which makes them tired or sleepy, then in the morning there still low from there depressant so they feel they need to make good grades and need energy so they drink a caffeine filled drinks like monster or coffee, not saying they aren’t delicious and you shouldn’t drink them AT ALL, but you should drink them in moderation. In the end of this rocky roller coaster of the child highs and lows they create a tolerance for caffeine where it takes a higher dose of caffeine to make them feel that boost of energy they’re looking for, 1 monster turns to 2, 2 turns to 4 and so on and so fourth.
@ProjectCaffeine: For starters, you might find some of the answers you are looking for here in NIDA’s Brain Power curriculum materials – http://www.drugabuse.gov/JSP/MOD4/page3.html. There is a lot more information and resources available when you search “caffeine” on NIDA’s main Web site: http://www.drugabuse.gov. Good luck with your project!
This article doesn’t explain how caffeine is bad. All you’ve told me is that i might get a stomach ache. Other than that no “health risks” have been explained or even outlined.
even though i read this i still drink them, my fav. being Amp. but i have noticed that i have been drinking less because of this article.
I would think the main health concerns were about the excessive amounts of sugar and acid you consume in one hit. They’re generally packaged in massive volumes stating more than one serving. Caffiene and sugar are the main components contributing to energy. However if you lead a sedentary lifestyle, energy that is not used will be stored as fat. Plus if you are having one a day, think about how much damage you are doing your teeth! Even if a drink states that it is sugar-free, the acid is still contributing to tooth decay. [deprecatory language deleted]
people drink enery drinks for the caffeine! everybody know too much is a bad thing but the truth is that energy drinks are a great and fast way to get some much needed energy.
i drink 8 cans yesterday and today i crashed in maths my body was used to all the caffeine and i had no energy then i got a mouth and then i was fine i got relly worried i like a drug what will i do if i cant get offf it
honey please don’t drink these drinks. they’re bad for you!
PPPPP