Energy Drinks: Risks vs. Benefits
Transcript of the Presentation:
- Outline
“In this powerpoint presentation, we will be covering a variety of topics related to energy drinks in order to acquaint you with some of the basic facts. These topics include:
What is an Energy Drink?
What are some examples?
Energy drinks in the news
Benefits of Energy drinks
Their risks and dangers
Energy drinks compared to coffee and tea
And alternatives”
2. What is an Energy Drink?
An energy drink is a soft-drink like beverage that contains from fifty to around five hundred milligrams per serving of caffeine. Like coffee and espresso, energy drinks contain high amounts of caffeine
Moreover, like sodas, energy drinks are high in sugar
Manufacturers advertise a “boost of energy,” as well as vitamins, stimulants, and supplements from their products. In these ways, they market these features as good for your body and for your mental and physical performance.
3. Most Popular Energy Drinks
So what does a typical energy drink look like? The five most prevalent energy drinks are:
Red Bull
Monster
Rockstar
AMP
And Full throttle
Notice the packaging on all these drinks portrays very intense, extreme graphics, meant to cater to younger audiences who seek these kinds of energy boosting effects.
All of the above contain Taurine, which is an organic acid neurotransmitter inhibitor, a diuretic, which increases water filtration out of the blood and into the urine, and is not scientifically proven by several studies to increase energy by a statistically significant amount.
All of these energy drinks contain around eighty milligrams of caffeine per serving.
However, most consumers do not notice that there are more than two servings per can, and usually consume the entire container. This amounts to around 160 mg of caffeine per intake period, which is equivalent to about two cups of coffee in a single sitting.
4. Most Popular Energy Drinks, continued
Furthermore, most of these popular beverages contain Guarana. Guarana is a substance that also comes from beans, like coffee. These Guarana beans contain twice the amount of caffeine than in coffee. The substance is an effective stimulant at 37.5 mg/dose.
Moreover, Red Bull specifically contains aspartame, an artificial sweetener than can cause hunger cravings via the primary insulin response of the taste buds.
5. Energy Drinks in the News – The Five-Hour Energy Shot
How are energy drinks making news today?
One newly popular beverage is the 5-hour Energy shot. This is a 2-ounce canister of highly concentrated caffeine and other stimulants that purportedly offers a stimulatory effect for a full five hours with no energy crash as a side effect.
This shot contains 207 mg of caffeine per serving, which is equivalent to the amount of caffeine found in one of Starbuck’s highly caffeinated coffee beverages.
The problem with this beverage is that many people do not respect consumer reports and instead drink a few of these in one sitting, sending their blood caffeine levels through the roof.
6. Benefits Claimed by Energy Drinks
Why are energy drinks so popular?
Here are some of the reasons why consumers purchase energy drinks, as advertised and promoted by the manufacturing companies.
These drinks offer increased energy, alertness, and diligence
In addition, they also are said to contain supplements, although it is clear that these amounts of vitamins and minerals are negligible compared to what you would receive simply by taking a multivitamin.
7. The Risks and Dangers of Energy Drinks
The risks and dangers are numerous and threatening.
Overconsumption of energy drinks results in elevated blood pressure due to increased beating of the heart caused by the caffeine and other stimulants and neurotransmitter blockers.
Consumption can also result in sleep disturbances. The long half life of caffeine means that the rate of deterioration of caffeine in the bloodstream is slow, and the stimulatory substance remains for a long period of time, even into bedtime, inducing insomnia.
This lack of sleep can result in exhaustion, fatigue, midday energy crashes, and mood disorders, which many people attempt to remedy with more caffeine, which perpetuates the cycle of sleep disturbances. This can be analogized to beating a tired horse.
Some studies have also shown that the elevated levels of caffeine in the bloodstream can lead to pregnancy health risks like miscarriages, stillbirths, and lowered birth-weight of neonates.
8. Risks and Dangers of Energy Drinks Continued
In addition, the dangers of energy drinks can also include cardiac arrhythmia, which is unsteady beating of the heart and abnormally strong heart palpitations due to the effects of the caffeine.
In some cases of high consumption of energy drinks, seizures, strokes,
Mania, depression, disorientation, psychoses,
And even sudden death can occur.
9. Risks and Dangers of Energy drinks With Alcohol
The risks of energy drinks are compounded when consumed with alcohol, whether in a pre-mixed, packaged beverage like Four Loko, or whether served in separate vessels and ingested sequentially, like a “Red Bull Vodka,” etc.
This is due to a few reasons, including the fact that alcohol consumption increases with the presence of caffeine from energy drinks. Caffeine diminishes the awareness of alcohol content in the body by masking the effect sensory cues normally used to judge the level of intoxication. This can result in a prolonged drinking session and subsequent higher levels of alcohol in the body. This taxes the liver’s processing abilities and damages this vital organ.
Additionally, studies have shown that in subjects that consume alcohol and energy drinks together, there is an increased risk of alcohol dependence, compared to those who do not consume the two together.
Moreover, since alcohol and caffeine are both diuretics, there is a risk of dehydration when consuming the two together. This dehydration further decreases the body’s ability to process the alcohol.
Four Loko has been deemed unsafe by the FDA and has been banned.
10. How Energy Drinks Compare to Coffee/Tea
How do these caffeinated beverages measure up? Which drink is best for your health?
Well, coffee and tea are usually consumed hot, and are therefore sipped slowly.
In contrast, since energy drinks are cold and sweet, they are consumed very quickly, and in amounts larger than the recommended serving size.
Because of this rapid ingestion, blood levels of caffeine rise sharply, and there is excess stimulation.
Home-brewed coffees usually carry about 100mg of caffeine and tea contains anywhere from 15mg to 70 mg. The amount of caffeine in these two hot beverages is significantly lower than the amounts in energy drinks.
Energy drinks are marketed to a young age group with slogans and graphics that promote the daring, risk-taking tendencies of this generation. This has resulted in a lot of popularity that puts cultural pressure on young adults to consume it. It is clear that social factors also affect these health risks.
11. Alternatives to Energy Drinks
If these risks and dangers strongly deter you from future use of energy drinks, what are some alternatives available that can still allow you to be alert and well-functioning throughout your busy day?
Above all, proper sleep mitigates the need for caffeine. Sleep has many other beneficial side effects, like reduced stress, increased heart health, better weight control, and lowered risk of diabetes.
A proper diet full of vegetables, fruits, and lean protein can boost your energy and make you feel more alert and ready for your day.
Hot coffee or hot tea in moderation can supplement your desire for caffeine
