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The dangers of energy drinks essay
Energy Drinks And Human Health
Energy Drinks And Human Health
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Health risks associated of energy drinks for teenagers
The implications associated with energy drinks consumption by the youth are varied. The health risks associated with energy drinks are serious. In France, an eighteen year old athlete passed on while on the court playing basketball. He had reportedly consumed 4 Red Bull cans just before match. As a result, the government imposed a ban on the drink. High content of caffeine is the major concern about energy drinks. When caffeine is consumed in high contents like it is present in energy drinks, adverse effects are likely to follow. Some of these effects include insomnia, nervousness, diarrhea, headache, rapid heart attack, hypertension, anxiety and psychological dependence on caffeine. "Food
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and Drug Administration (FDA) limits caffeine content in soft drinks, which are categorized as food, there is no such regulation of energy drinks, which are classified as dietary supplements" ( Sevo 89). Many teenagers have exhibited either or a combination of these effects.
Some show these effects during their study durations after consuming their drinks on their way to school. They have been reported to show poor concentrations while in class in addition to their disruptive behaviors. Some other teenagers have also ended up in emergency wards of hospitals with palpitations of the heart. There have also been emerging new trends of energy drinks combination with alcohol. An alcoholism and clinical experimental research study carried out in April 2006 found out that caffeine is detrimental when added to alcohol. It causes alcohol users to feel less drunk and yet their visual reaction time and coordination remained similarly impaired as the effects of alcohol. Therefore combining alcohol drinks with energy drinks could lead to increased night violence associated with drunkenness (Marks 30). Energy drinks contain high contents of kilojoules just like soft drinks. Consequently, they can lead to excessive weight gain problems. Teens who usually partake in inactive activities like playing computer games up to very late in the night sometimes resort to energy drinks so as to keep them awake for so long. In the end, they end up gaining a lot of weight. Additionally, energy drinks are also associated high …show more content…
contents of sugar and this leads to erosion of the teeth. When compared with other fizzy drinks, energy drinks contain higher acid levels. Acid is more dangerous than bacteria that only cause decay. Acids have the potential to damage the surface of the enamel of the teeth and subsequently cause dental erosion (Corbin, McConnell and Masurier 78). Although caffeine is not so much used as an ingredient, some of the top selling energy drinks have higher levels ranging from 154 to 280mg in every can. The law requires the average levels of caffeine in tea and coffee to be a maximum of 65mg per cup. It is however recommended that only a maximum of 300 mg of caffeine should be consumed in a day by children and reproductive aged women. In adolescents and teenagers higher levels of caffeine include anxiety, digestive problems, irritability, nausea, insomnia and sleepiness, elevated blood pressure, palpitations, headaches, cardiac arrhythmias and urinary frequency. Children who consume 120-145mg of caffeine daily have also been observed to demonstrate some withdrawal symptoms over a period of two weeks ( Meltzer and Ministerra?d 49). In athletes, heavy caffeine consumption has cardiovascular effects that can be fatal. The high levels of caffeine have also diuretic effects that could cause dehydration in athletes especially those who fail to consume plenty of water and fluids as compensation. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) lifted caffeine from the list of substances to be banned in the year 2004 but it is now reconsidering that decision. When quantities of caffeine that equals 5 to 8 coffee cups that is consumed in an hour are found in an energy drink, then it passes out as an abuse. There have been some studies done on depressed youths. It was discovered that they use more caffeine as compared to non-depressed youths. Besides, caffeine found in energy drinks will more likely aggravate daily anxiety. Other studies have also shown that daily use of caffeine is linked with clinical dependence. This includes even those who only take between two to three cups of coffee daily. The same study found out that teenagers who qualified for marijuana or had other drug related dependencies recorded more significant caffeine consumption as compared to those who are not dependent on marijuana or other drugs. "Due to the link between energy drinks and cardiac events among teens, studies recommends that teens consume no more than one 250 ml energy drink per day and not before or during sports or exercise" ( Dillon 39). There are some specific contents that are responsible for harm in energy drinks.
Teenagers who are used to consuming in excess of six cups of coffee during the past month are more likely to use alcohol or tobacco. This is according to a study that was done on more than five thousand seventh graders. Energy drinks combined with alcohol comes with dire potential for abuse and harm. These uses lead to diminished intensity responses that in turn lead to tolerance. As a result, alcohol of higher does will be required for attaining the initial effect ( Miller 74). The consumption of caffeine by children and teenagers should not go beyond 100mg and 2.5mg/kg in a day. For instance, 8 oz of Red Bull has 77 mg of caffeine, 2.2 mg/kg for a 35-kg preteen and 1.1mg/kg for 70-kg male. Adults and teenagers experience different effects of caffeine. While it is true that there is no clear line of separation for the effects, boys exhibit more speech rates, motor activity and reduced times of reaction as compared to men. On the other hand, blood pressure effects are similar for both adults and teenagers. Although caffeine can improve attention, it also contributes to disturbance of sleep and increase in pressure among the teenagers. When teenagers who are used to energy drinks consumption abandons their behavior, their reaction time rises as the attention decreases. On the other hand, reaction time decreases with every increase in the dosage of caffeine among teenagers. Habitual caffeine
consumption users have withdrawal symptoms such as dulled cognition and headache. Additionally, caffeine has impacts on the future preferences of beverages and food by acting on the development on the addiction and brain reward center of teenagers. However, this might be a gender specific effect. Caffeine soda is apparently more reinforcing on boys than girls. It is sad that despite all these observations, energy drinks are still marketed to directly appeal to the youths and teenagers. The advertisements are designed as style statements to be associated with especially by male teenagers. A message is passed across that the drink comes with some strength that is associated with excitement and status. Furthermore, the stronger the drink, the more appealing it is to teenagers. It influences teenagers to feel the urge of portraying an image to the world. Energy drinks with high caffeine levels have been banned in some European countries. Elsewhere, social activists are advocating for appropriate warnings and clearer labeling. Benefits of associated of energy drinks for teenagers On the other hand, energy drinks can be instrumental in the life of an individual. Energy drinks have been associated with successful performances in sports and athletics. A teenager who regularly consumes energy drinks get through the day very well. He or she is happy and stress free and this can generate positivity and more productivity. Some of the ingredients found in energy drinks like caffeine and guarana have positive stimulating effects on users. Gurana is apparently an herbal ingredient that is extracted from plants and contains caffeine. Soon after consuming these energy drinks, teenagers demonstrate mental alertness and enhanced concentration in whatever they undertake to do. This is a positive for productivity. Guarana is known to increase energy, promote the loss of weight loss and enhance physical performance. As a result, users of energy drinks can keep fit and escape lifestyle diseases. Energy drinks are known to boost energy. It provides the necessary energy for doing things quickly so one can easily meet deadlines. One can lend a hand to finish things more quickly. At times of need, a person can find help in energy drinks for energy boosting and sharpening alertness. This is especially useful during the afternoons when concentration levels are low. Additionally, energy drinks also maximizes a workout. The drinks are used by athletes for maximizing their training and workouts. The drinks also help in pushing physical parameters to extremes and so a person can work out for longer hours even in the absence of an energy drink. They also ensure convenience since they are highly accessible for energy level increase. It is more convenient to take an energy drink rather than waiting for coffee to brew. Besides, it is faster than rejuvenating through taking a nap. All these efforts can however be successful if there are sufficient personal responsibility and education. It is foolhardy to wait for an action from the government. Adults can be on the forefront of educating their teenagers on the implications and consequences of energy drinks. It is important for adults to advise their teens that caffeine leads to the dehydration of the body and therefore teens should always take caffeinated beverages with a lot of water. Consumption of energy drinks together with alcohols at the same time places people in dangerous circumstances. Besides, regular and consistent intake of caffeine can lead to psychological dependence and this is associated with severe side effects. Moreover, teenagers with sedentary lifestyles are more likely to suffer obesity related problems if they rely on energy drinks. The trouble however exists with adults who equally partake high levels of energy drinks. It's a challenge to convince teenagers on the dangers of such drinks if they also consume them.
Caffeine, a central nervous system stimulant, is the main psychoactive ingredient in energy drinks, which enhances alertness and mood, and counteracts symptoms of sleep. There is no doubt ...
The presence of caffeine has become popular for increasing your alertness even though it has uncertain effects on cognition, coordination, and motor abilities. Caffeine is used as a stimulate to maximize performance on a daily basis for most people even those who do not have a morning drink to kick start to their day. People usually associate caffeine with their morning coffee or tea; however, “It can be found in a large portion of what we eat and drink and is consumed daily by an estimated 80% of children and adults in the United States (Barone & Roberts, 1996)”. The study by Childs and de Wit from the University of Chicago suggests that there might be a correlation in the variety of caffeine pills that have been given to some participants in past experiments (Childs & de Wit, 2008). In those studies the participants were given a caffeine pill that also has other herbal supplements which resulted in adding confounding properties to the study. The experiments where participants were given a true caffeine pill with 100% caffeine and no addit...
Caffeinate drinks and energy drinks are very common on amongst adolescents, and the consumption of alcohol is also a regular occurrence among adolescents (Rohsenow et. Al, 2014). At that age, they may consume caffeine or energy drinks to wake themselves up or stay up late when working on homework assignments. Which at times can be helpful when working on multiple assignments. When a person consumes a certain amount of alcohol, he or she begins to feel drowsy/tired. There is nothing wrong with having a drink on occasions, especially if you drink responsibly. Recently people have begun to mix caffeine with alcohol, resulting in Alcoholic Energy Drinks. People buy and consume these drinks to combat the drowsiness that comes with drinking, so if he or she is out partying, it won’t interrupt his or her drinking and the can consume more alcohol because they will not feel as tired as quickly as the normally would. Alcoholic Energy Drinks have been a trend in recent years, and this is especially true among college and high school students (Kponee, Siegel, & Jernigan, 2014). Do Alcoholic Energy Drinks represent responsible drinking? Should companies mix caffeine and alcohol and sell it in stores? To go even further, should the drinks be legal in the United States? Alcoholic Energy Drinks are harmful because they affect the person’s ability to judge his or her level of intoxication, it also influences people to drink more than he or she should because he or she feels less intoxicated, and because of those reasons, people who consume Alcoholic Energy Drinks are more likely to drive while intoxicated, among other dangerous risk-taking behaviors (Kponee, Siegel, & Jernigan, 2014). Because of the adverse effects, Alcoholic Energy Drinks should...
Have you ever had those mornings when you couldn’t get out of bed? It has happened to all of us. However, the one way to counter that sleep attack from your body is to drink energy drinks. Energy drinks contain caffeine, and a lot of it. Most Energy drinks contain somewhere from 80 to 90 mg. of caffeine (per 250 mL). Energy drinks aren’t just filled with caffeine, they contain many other things as well. Whether it’s Ginseng, a herb believed to increase energy. Or maybe it’s Guarana, a plant that contains 4-5% caffeine, compared to arabica coffee beans, which contain 2-3%. With all of these unique ingredients inside energy drinks, will people be able to tell if they are drinking energy drinks, or something else?
Does one drink caffeine? Caffeine is everywhere, it's in everything, it's apart of our daily lives. That’s what people doesn’t realizes; every soda drink, every cup of coffee, and every energy drink he or she gulps down before a thrilling game, all of that is caffeine. Caffeine is only completed when he or she get addicted. Caffeine can be an exceptional threat to the human body; energy drinks for example, it has enough caffeine to kill someone if he or she drinks enough. Energy drinks has been the number one drink high school students drink to stay awake in school; they even bring the drink in classrooms, and more than one energy drink. Soda has enough caffeine to destroy ones inner body. Soda is a everyday drink for some individuals, they
Scrutiny of caffeine and its effects has increased dramatically in the last 20 years, due in part to an increase in consumption of caffeine. In fact, coffee consumption among young adults rose to 3.2 cups per day in 2008 from 2.4 cups per day in 2005 (Rokerya 1). For instance, in a one hour period, on Richland College’s on-campus Starbucks, the author took note of how many customers arrived and purchased a cup of coffee. Between 8:00 and 9:00 AM, there were 51 customers, implying that – especially at college - many people are dependent on coffee in the mornings. However, the results from these studies are inconclusive and often somewhat contradictory – many studies (such as that by Tetsuya Ohara et al.) show that caffeine is a great boon to
By this definition, and after knowing the effects of caffeine upon the human body, I have come to the conclusion that drinking caffeine is a sign of a lack of respect for oneself, and of an unappreciative attitude toward the life that each of us has been blessed with. Furthermore, it shows of either our inability, or unwillingness to learn to think clearly.
Based on the website cspinet.org which is the Center for Science in the Public Interest publish on June 25, 2014 said that in documents obtained from the Food and Drug Administration show that since 2004, a total of 33 deaths have now been linked to energy drinks. Of those, 22 deaths have been linked to 5-Hour Energy, 11 deaths have been linked to Monster, and one death, a first, has been linked to Rockstar
Red Bull. 5 Hour Energy. Monster. These energy drinks are becoming increasingly popular not just for teenagers and college kids, but in the world of athletics as well. Athletes around the world are drinking these beverages for a boost in athletic performance and stamina to get an edge over their opponents. These drinks are even being promoted by professional athletes! This increasing popularity and consumption begs the question: are these drinks safe? I decided to dig into this question, and I have found some pretty startling answers. The drinks may bring enhanced performance and energy, but they also come with potential health risks. These health risks heavily outweigh the benefits the drinks could possibly bring.
Our society face various problems related to energy drinks. Daily Mail (2017) states that the affordability of energy drinks has made school children dependent on them and Australian students performance were worse than before, due to excessive intake of energy drinks. 35 year old Mick Clarke was dead after excessive intake of energy drinks (Harradine 2014). Three Canadian males died after drinking Red Bull (Energy drinks suspected to have caused deaths of 3 Canadian 2012). Similarly, many people face these kind of problems many of the cases are published and thus, hidden
Sara M. Seifert, BS, Judith L. Schaechter, MD, Eugene R. Hershorin, MD, Steven E. Lipshultz, MD, . “Health Effects of Energy Drinks on Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults." 127.3 (2011): 511-528. google scholar. Web. 11 Mar 2014.
As the vast majority of Americans are addicted to caffeine, studies show that the effects during post-consumption, can be positive or negative depending on the amount and frequency of caffeine intake. As the demand for caffeine has increased, the caffeine industry has increased its amount of marketing and establishments to help aid this demand. Caffeine addiction can lead to serious health and physiological detriments. It is evident that the primary reason for consumption of caffeinated beverages is due to positive effects, such as alertness. The media has an abundance of marketing to continue to illustrate this main effect.
The following study will examine and provide research methods, results and conclusions about college students who consume caffeine, energy drinks, alcohol or both to get an energy boost for one reason or another. Coffee, which used to be the highlight of boosting energy and staying up late nights to complete homework assignments or study, has taken a fall in the 20th century. The study will also point out the effects of the energy drinks and alcohol and the harm and health concerns that contribute to the students behaviors when consumed. The first study examines energy drinks and alcohol among college students and the fact that more students are consuming the product. The study is a web-based questionnaire.
Energy drinks are thought to help enhance performance, boost mental alertness, improve endurance and energy, decrease fatigue, enhance metabolism, and improve overall performance. Energy drinks are also used because of short term health benefits, taste, energy boost, improved performance, and to justify or improve poor dietary habits (Rath). But, drinking energy drinks come with so much more along with a list of health problems and possibly
Millions of Americans begin each day by consuming the most widely used drug in the United States: Caffeine. Over 90% of United States adults consume caffeinated food or beverages on a daily basis and over 50% take more than the recommended amount. Our innocent daily ritual can turn into an addiction for some because many do not realize that caffeine is even a drug let alone the effects it can have on their bodies. Its use it becoming more and more prominent in our society. It’s not uncommon to walk outside and see a Starbucks or coffee shop on each corner. Innovative foods are coming out infused with coffee, and energy drinks are being pushed at every angle. Caffeine to many is a necessity to wake up in the morning and for others to stay up all night. This is dangerous because people are not only becoming more and more dependent on coffee drinks and energy drinks but they are beginning to ingest more of it each day and are now mixing it with other drugs that can be life threatening. Proper knowledge is important when taking any drug including one that the FDA considers to be a safe multi-purpose food substance and education is the key.