Are Energy Drinks Bad For Me? The Science Behind Energy Drinks & Their Popularity. What’s The Best Alternative?



Energy drinks. Some love them, some hate them and some can't stop drinking them. The first ever energy drink was created in 1948 by the name of "Dr. Enuff" and was launched in Europe. But after the release of Red Bull in 1997, it wasn't till then that energy drinks started to pop off and gain notoriety around the globe. 1997. That was only 26 years ago. If you think about it energy drinks have not been around for a super long time at all.

Why are Energy Drinks So Popular?

Why are energy drinks so popular? That is a good question. First of all, I will state my own personal opinion. Being an avid caffeine drinker and loving to drink coffee, energy drinks and all things caffeine I believe that they are so popular purely because of the caffeine content within each can.

Average cans of energy drinks have caffeine content that ranges anywhere between 80mg-180mg of caffeine. On the higher end that is like two and a half cups of coffee at 6oz. In my humble opinion, I believe that life has evolved in such a way that it adapted energy drinks into it. As life becomes more busy, more fast-paced, and more electronically and efficiently driven people need an extra boost of caffeine that is more than their average cup of joe.

Scientifically speaking, energy drinks are popular, especially among young men and teenagers, "In the U.S., energy drinks are the second most common dietary supplement used by young people" (Alsunni, 2015). Due to the fact of the aggressive marketing towards a younger population as well as a demand for beverages that provide more energy, energy drinks have seen a massive surge in popularity since 20 years ago.

Energy drinks are extremely popular, especially with athletes. Many athletes tend to go for an energy drink before competing in competition. This is mainly due to the fact that athletes realize the benefit of consuming caffeine and energy drinks due to their physical and cognitive-enhancing properties.

Caffeine keeps athletes alert and stimulated allowing them to always be more energized, have cat-like reflexes (meow) and faster reaction times. Athletes tend to choose energy drinks rather than average coffee because energy drinks also contain other beneficial supplements like "vitamin B complex, minerals, taurine, amino acids, and different mixtures of phytochemicals" (Hellin, 2021). These vitamins and minerals have great benefits to the body and are understood by many athletes trying to replenish nutrients and stay healthy and functional. Energy drinks have shown a direct correlation to an improvement in athletic performance making it a top choice for pre-event consumption.

But, with the exceptionally high amounts of caffeine, certain supplements and the possibility of overconsumption, especially when doing high-intensity exercise, comes a negative drawback.

What are the Negative Side Effects of Energy Drinks?

Energy drinks allow you to feel energized and refreshed but like most good things in life, there are negative drawbacks.

Energy drinks, due to the high caffeine content can cause cardiovascular issues, with regards to: "hypertension, altered sleep patterns in adolescents, aggravation of mental illnesses, physiological dependence and an increased possibility of subsequent addiction" (Hellin, 2021). These symptoms are due to the caffeine and other substances incorporated into energy drinks and can cause cardiovascular problems.

For the most part, it is unlikely that healthy people may experience any harsh adverse side effects, people who are sensitive to caffeine, pregnant women, athletes, and people with underlying cardiovascular disease may be more at risk. (Athletes because caffeine increases heart rate and when exercising increases heart rate even more).

The main understanding of energy drinks is that they are loaded with sugar. For example, Rockstar energy drink has up to 63 GRAMS OF SUGAR. That is your nutritional daily intake, PLUS an extra 27%. So, if you consume one can of Rockstar Energy you will exceed the recommended daily value of sugar. Daily Value refers to the recommended maximum amount of substance that you should consume for that day. Therefore, by drinking one can you are going over the maximum intake of sugar you should be ingesting for one day BY 27%.

Sugar in itself is not the best for you, I hope that you know that. Sugar is stored in the body and an excess of it causes you to get fat and can cause diseases like diabetes and heart disease. These elevated sugar levels can also cause you to feel more stress by raising oxidative stress in the body.

Energy drinks because of the high caffeine content and the sugar causes a crash. Drinking caffeine because it is in fact a drug results in having a crash. You get the initial energy high from an excess amount of caffeine and the more caffeine you drink the harder you crash. The same goes for sugar. Drinking caffeine also results in side effects like the jitters, nervousness, anxiety and stress. (Did I hear Caffeine crash... hmm that looks like a job for Boost Coffee. With added supplements not found in energy drinks or coffee, Boost Coffee provides you with a longer, more sustained energy Boost without the crash afterwards. See info on L-theanine to understand more!).

Lastly, energy drinks may be harmful because they cause addiction and dependency. In my eyes as well as most scientific literature, it is not an issue to consume energy drinks occasionally when necessary. However, because of the sugar content and high caffeine content, it can result in addiction and dependency.

When addiction begins to take place, that is when the harmful side effects may start to appear, drinking an energy drink every day or two, or three may result in the side effects listed above. So, with everything that you enjoy in life try to enjoy energy drinks in moderation because they definitely do have some beneficial effects.

What are the Benefits of Energy Drinks?

Yes, energy drinks do have some side effects and can be bad for you, but, they are so popular for a reason and that is because they have many strong benefits as well.

First and foremost, energy drinks boost your energy, more so than average coffee or soda does. Caffeine is a stimulant and works in such a way that it blocks sleep receptors in the brain allowing you to kick the morning grogginess and feel even more energized than normal. Sugar is a simple carbohydrate. Carbs are energy for your body and fuel the mitochondria providing you with fast-acting strong energy! So if you are in need of an extra kickstart on a hefty Monday morning and your coffee just doesn't cut it, maybe an energy drink is the way to go.

Energy drinks can also improve cognition and mental performance. Some substances such as L-theanine, taurine, ginkgo biloba, and Alpha GPC are all substances that are in energy drinks and can help improve brain function. These substances can be referred to as nootropics or substances that improve brain function, performance and overall cognition.

Many energy drinks have some form of nootropic infused into the formula. However, a lot of energy drinks do not have enough nootropics or improper dosage for them to be fully effective. If you want to utilize the benefits of nootropics to their fullest potential try a Boost Coffee which has the top 4 most studied and popular nootropics in the market, all properly and effectively dosed to maximize cognitive performance in every coffee.

Energy drinks are convenient. The fact that you can find them in pretty much every gas station, grocery store and vending machine near you. Energy drinks come in an ice-cold can ready to be drank instantly which I think is a very important aspect of sourcing your energy. Because I know for me, I know as soon as I wake up I need that energy boost instantly to get my day started and a lot of times I don't feel like making a cup of coffee and just crack open an icy cold delicious energy drink.

Energy drinks are also relatively cheap, compared to specialty coffee like Starbucks. At around $3.50-$4.75 per an average can they are not the biggest wallet emptier and pairing that with the convenience of the drinkability of energy drinks makes it a top choice for many people. Just like the convenience of energy drinks Boost Coffee is made ready to drink in a delicious ice-cold coffee beverage bottled and brewed to perfection, with all the best nootropics to fuel your brain efficiently, effectively and deliciously.

Conclusion

Energy drinks are a fairly new concept gaining notoriety just over 20 years ago. They are so popular because of their high caffeine content as well as their position in extreme sports. They are a popular beverage choice for athletes looking for an energy boost before competitions as well as young adults looking for a way to get their daily dose of caffeine in a fast and efficient way.

Although they are so popular, energy drinks have some negative drawbacks especially when consumed frequently. Energy drinks can cause heart issues by raising blood pressure and causing stress. A lot of energy drinks have a super high sugar content making it a very unhealthy choice to drink even one of them. Energy drinks can also cause dependency and addiction because of the addictive qualities of caffeine and sugar mixed into an easy-to-drink delicious beverage is cause for concern especially for youth. Overuse of caffeine and sugar can lead to health problems like mental health (stress/anxiety), cardiovascular issues and other diseases.

But, energy drinks also have their benefits too, like giving you a more substantial energy Boost than your average cup of joe. Energy drinks also have some brain-enhancing properties infused into them but not as much as they need to be deemed highly effective. Energy drinks can boost your attention, focus, reaction time and other mental aspects. They are also very convenient and easily accessible and very enjoyable to drink as well.

So the answer to the question: “are energy drinks are bad for you?”. The answer is that they can be bad for you but should not be a cause for concern unless your are drinking them every single day 1-3 cans and if you are drinking more than 3 cans get help. Other than that they do provide some amazing benefits to your energy levels as well as your cognitive functionality. But regardless energy drinks are either high in sugar or have artificial sweetener which is its whole own animal in the sense that artificial sweetener can cause other sorts of diseases and still needs to be studied.

P.S

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