Many people don’t understand what they are actually consuming within these mouthwatering drinks. A lot of people in the world struggle with an addiction to energy drinks without understanding the consequences later in life.
These everyday drinks come with minimal pros, and greater cons than anyone would believe. The general thought of energy drinks is to boost one’s energy, but that’s not all that comes with it. The severe sugar and caffeine intake can lead to much more outcomes.
Addiction
Commonly seen in many, energy drinks become a necessity in everyday life. Due to the amount of sugars and the common feeling of hyperness, it becomes easier and easier for one to become addicted. All it takes is one can to get hooked right away from the feeling. Everything about consuming excessive amounts of energy drinks or caffeine is all in an instant. No person will think about the consequences months or years from now when they are facing severe consequences from the caffeine intake.
Energy Booster
The most common idea that people are looking for in an energy drink is the flavor. They only see the positive side of things, that it wakes them up and gets them going. The caffeine provided in the drink is an obvious energy booster, making one’s body feel more invigorating for a short period of time while the sugars fuel the human body to make it work actively for longer periods of time.
What Is Being Consumed?
One of the things few understand is what they are putting into their body. What are the chances a person really looks at the ingredient labels to see what is in the drink and how bad it is for them? Ms. Gibson and Mrs. Digirolamo, School Nurses at MTHS, say one of the biggest dangers of energy drinks is not knowing the exact ingredients. As these drinks are not not regulated by the FDA, there are numerous unknown and hidden ingredients. It has two times as much coffee and three times as much soda, they said. In some energy drink companies such as Bang and Red Bull, they have some form of warning label stating the excessive amounts of caffeine provided and the age groups who should not be consuming any amounts of energy drinks or caffeine.
When Is Additional Caffeine Acceptable?
Caffeine can be beneficial for some circumstances as it could become necessary for one’s health. Mr. Rivera, School Assistance Counselor, says no person should be consuming excessive amounts of caffeine with some exceptions. “Sometimes the argument will be made that caffeine can be beneficial for some conditions, like ADHD. While it is true that some doctors will even recommend caffeine as a stimulant for help with focus for those who struggle with something like ADHD, I doubt any doctor would recommend an energy drink because the excessive amounts of sugar and other chemicals are very unhealthy and can encourage worse outcomes for diagnoses like ADHD.”
What Should One Do Instead Of Consuming Energy Drinks?
- Try an electrolyte drink such as Propel, Gatorade, Vitamin Water, or even Orange Juice.
- Improve energy in a different way: exercise, eat balanced meals, as well as eat a lot of fruits and vegetables.
- Do research to find out what is actually in energy drinks to see if you want to keep drinking them.
- Put a stop to wasting money on these drinks and keep them out of your sight.
