Who doesn’t love a good energy drink for a long, demanding drive or difficult workday? The sweet flavor, cool packaging, and that burst of energy sure make energy drinks a crowd favorite, but the negative health effects are less than pleasant.
Many of today’s energy drinks are loaded with additives, sugar, excessive caffeine, and artificial sweeteners that make it best to drink these sweet, energy bursting beverages in moderation. Truth be told, though. The majority of us cannot have just one. With that being said, here are reasons for avoiding energy drinks, or at least majorly decreasing energy drink consumption.
Revving up your heart
With high caffeine and potent stimulant ingredients, energy drinks may cause elevated blood pressure, faster heart rate, and irregular heart rhythm. Studies have been done with energy drinks finding that they can negatively affect cardiovascular health.
Energy roller coaster
While energy drinks offer a temporary boost in stamina, this can come with a cost. They can cause a crash later that leads to even more exhaustion. You may also experience a disruption in sleep patterns, low cognitive function, and find it difficult to fall asleep. Especially if you choose to drink energy drinks later in the day.
Sour mood and anxiety
Sugar. Artificial sweeteners. Excessive caffeine. All can lead to mood swings, anxiety, and restlessness. Energy drinks contain these substances that can affect your mental health and cognition.
Fluid imbalance
Energy drinks can cause dehydration. They should not be a replacement for H2O. Plus, energy drinks act as a diuretic leading to an increase of urine production that leads to dehydration. It is crucial to make sure you drink enough water throughout the day, even if drinking energy beverages. At least eight glasses of filtered water is recommended daily.
Bad for your teeth
With the high sugar content, plus as a highly acidic beverage, energy beverages can wreak havoc on tooth enamel and lead to tooth decay. Just how much sugar is in a single can? Make sure to read the label. Some energy drinks have up to 54 grams of sugar in a single can. That’s more than a can of soda! High sugar content can lead to a variety of health issues, including type II diabetes, weight gain, and cardiovascular issues.
Love the buzz too much
Many people start to feel dependent on energy drinks and have a difficult time breaking away from needing these beverages each day. If you consume energy drinks on the daily, you will spend a significant amount of money each month. Energy drinks are not cheap on your wallet if you plan to keep the habit going.
So, what can be done?
While energy drinks continue to be a booming industry and are a quick fix for fatigue, the associated risks to health considerable outweigh the benefits. Ditch the energy drinks and opt for better options, including green tea, B vitamins, and other energy-sustaining nutrients, a simple cup of coffee, water, and whole food snacks. Your body will thank you in breaking up with the harmful effects of energy drinks.
References
Alsunni AA. Energy drinks: Psychological effects and impact on well-being and quality of life--A literature review. Innov Clin Neurosci. 2015;12(5-6):25-34.
Fletcher EA, et al. A systematic review of cardiovascular effects of caffeine and energy drinks. Front Physiol. 2017;8:733.
Huang CJ, et al. Association of energy drink consumption with physiological and behavioral health outcomes among university students in Taiwan. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16(12):2287.
Sanchis-Gomar F, et al. Energy drinks: A scientometric analysis of global publications between 1900 and 2019. Nutrients. 2020;12(6):1778.
