Energy Drinks Taking Over the World
By Pragon Chowdhury
"Energy drinks are marketed as beverages that boost mental and physical performance. Caffeine is the most common stimulant in these drinks, but some brands contain other plant-based stimulants, such as guarana and ginseng."
The claims of physical and mental strength in a bottle would interest anyone. But with these claims are energy drinks taking over the world? As energy drinks are evolving within society, the increase and need for them have also risen.
The effects on the kids who are listening to these claims are negative on their body. Kids' health is also being affected. With more and more claims of benefits, more kids are deciding to add energy drinks into their life. Even with the large increase of energy drink production out of all the brands, Red Bull is the most popular.
During my research, multiple people were interviewed and the following responses were told when asked these questions. When asked whether they drink energy drinks the majority responded no. When asked why he doesn’t drink energy drinks, Nicholas Ruffin, a senior in Hillcrest responded that the reason he doesn’t drink energy drinks is because of the effect on the body. Another interviewee named Nicholas P, stated that he drinks energy drinks because of the benefits that energy drinks “have" like staying awake and being able to get things done on time. When asking a final student their thoughts on this, the following senior Ahmed Aman responded that the reason he sides with Nicholas Ruffin in the fact he doesn’t drink energy drinks is because while doing research on energy drinks he discovered the effects on the health of a person's body. When asking Nicholas Ruffins and the fellow interviewee this final question on whether energy drinks are taking over the world. The following responses were written down. Nicholas Ruffins responded that he feels as though energy drinks are taking over the world because of the new production of energy drinks. When another interviewee Nicholas P this following question he responded that he also believes that energy drinks are taking over the world because of the benefits and claims they are labeling that they have. Ahmed Aman responded that he agrees that energy drinks are taking over the world because he sees more and more energy drinks in the hands of students and more and more advertisements around the city.
"The World Health Organization hailed energy drinks a “danger to public health.” According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the amount of caffeine in a can or bottle of energy drink can range from 80 mg to over 500 mg. For comparison, one 5-ounce cup of coffee contains around 100 mg of caffeine. Like soda, energy drinks are also high in sugar. A 250 ml can of Red Bull, for example, contains around 27.5 g of sugar." -
Consumption of energy drinks can also cause caffeine withdrawals.
"The infographic claims that individuals who consume energy drinks regularly may experience caffeine withdrawal in the 12-24 hours after consumption, which includes symptoms such as headache, irritability and constipation. Dr. Farrimond explained that withdrawal symptoms can last up to 9 days and the severity depends on the amount of caffeine consumed. For regular energy drink consumers, it takes around 7-12 days for the body to adapt to a regular intake of caffeine, according to the infographic. An individual is unlikely to experience a boost from the beverages once their body gets used to them."
As energy drinks continue to take over, be cautious and make sure to research all products.
