Energy Drinks: A Health Hazard
Energy drinks can be incredibly harmful to your health. They can lead to heart problems, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, anxiety, insomnia, and many other health issues. In rare cases, energy drinks have even been fatal.
A Growing Public Health Concern
In 2011, 16-year-old Sara Milosevic attended a party where she drank several pre-mixed alcoholic energy drinks. Hours later, she was violently ill. Partygoers thought she couldn’t handle her alcohol. By 11 pm, she called her parents to pick her up. By 3 am, Sara was dead. Her blood alcohol content was only .04, not enough to be legally drunk. Her father, a chemist, believes the energy drinks caused her death.
In the same year, just before Christmas, 14-year-old Anais Fournier died from a heart attack after consuming four energy drinks in 48 hours. She ingested 480 mg of caffeine, far below the lethal dose but nearly five times the recommended limit for adolescents. Doctors think the energy drinks exacerbated a pre-existing genetic heart condition.
Adults aren’t immune either. In 2015, 28-year-old Martin Bowling had a heart attack after drinking eight energy drinks at a pub. He survived but had been spending $150 a week on energy drinks. “I’d been drinking them for about seven years, and it was like I’d become addicted,” Bowling said. “Now I see those drinks as death in a can.”
Even athletes can be affected. In 2003, professional wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was hospitalized with severe heart palpitations, which he attributed to his habit of consuming 3-5 energy drinks daily. “I think I’m dying, dying for sure,” Austin recalls. “My heart’s beating so hard it feels like it’s going to crack a rib jumping out of my chest.”
Between 2004 and 2014, energy drinks were officially linked to at least 34 deaths. Unofficially, the number could be much higher. Caffeine-related deaths are often attributed to other factors and may be underreported. Thousands have been hospitalized with symptoms of energy drink overdose, including insomnia, anxiety, convulsions, high blood pressure, heart attacks, and other cardiovascular issues. The “wings” that energy drinks give you might come with a harp and halo.
How Your Body Reacts to Energy Drinks
We all need an energy boost sometimes, but there are healthier options. Energy drinks are a mix of caffeine, refined sugar, and other ingredients, some of which may sound healthy, like herbs and vitamins. But what makes energy drinks so dangerous?
One study found that consuming just one 16-ounce can of a leading energy drink brand caused blood pressure to jump by an average of 6.6 points within thirty minutes and increased norepinephrine, a stress hormone, by 75%. Norepinephrine also boosts cortisol production, a fat-storing hormone, significantly increasing the risk of weight gain.
Manufacturers claim their products are safe when consumed in recommended amounts. But do you know what the maximum recommended intake is? For most brands, it’s two or three cans per day; for some, it’s only one. These warnings are often hidden in small print on the back of the can, if they’re there at all. Beverage companies want you to drink as much of their product as possible.
The main health dangers of energy drinks are neurological and cardiological, caused by the high levels of caffeine and sugar that make you feel energized.
Energy Drinks Are High in Sugar
Energy drinks can contain up to 78 grams of sugar per serving, equivalent to 20 teaspoons. On average, they have about 30 grams of sugar and 280 calories per can. That’s not health food. If you’re trying to stay fit, drinking just one energy drink adds 280 empty calories to your diet, which is about 35 minutes of burpees.
Even if you work out enough to avoid diabetes and weight gain, sugar can still harm your health. Excess sugar is a leading contributor to heart disease. One study found that people who consumed 25% or more of their daily calories as sugar doubled their chances of dying from heart disease.
Many companies offer sugar-free versions, but they use artificial sweeteners like aspartame, which may be worse for your health. These can interfere with your gut biome, damage your metabolism, encourage obesity, and contribute to diabetes.
Energy Drinks Are a Source of Caffeine
The average energy drink contains about 70-100 mg of caffeine, roughly the same as a cup of coffee. While caffeine is generally safe in small amounts for healthy adults, the combination of caffeine and other stimulants in energy drinks, along with lesser-known ingredients like taurine, can trigger existing health issues, including genetic disorders you may not be aware of.
This likely happened to Anais Fournier, who had a heart condition called mitral valve prolapse. She consumed only two energy drinks in the 24 hours before her death, but combined with her condition, it was enough to have tragic consequences.
Energy Drinks and Children
Fournier’s case is unlikely to be the last. The use of energy drinks by young people is rising. Culture and media influence our diets, and youth may see energy drinks as a cooler kind of soda. A 2014 study estimated that 68% of adolescents and 18% of children under 10 consume energy drinks.
While caffeine is safe in small amounts for healthy adults, it’s a proven health risk for children. Nearly 50% of caffeine overdoses occur in people under 19. Adolescents should limit themselves to no more than 100 mg of caffeine a day. Children aged 4-6 should consume no more than 45 mg daily, and younger children should avoid caffeine entirely.
Unlike cigarettes and alcohol, there are usually no age restrictions on purchasing energy drinks in the U.S. Other countries have stricter regulations. In Sweden, most energy drinks can only be sold in pharmacies, and selling to children is banned. The World Health Organization confirms that energy drinks have a “proven negative effect on children.” The bottom line is simple: children should never consume energy drinks.
Energy Drinks and Alcohol
In the early 2000s, energy drink companies started marketing to the bar crowd, urging bartenders to promote mixed alcohol and energy drinks. Combining energy drinks with alcohol significantly increases the dangers of both. Caffeine is a stimulant, while alcohol is a depressant, and mixing the two can imbalance your system.
This can result in a “delayed drunk” feeling, where the stimulant masks some of the sensory cues you rely on to gauge your level of intoxication. You’re drunk, with the same loss of cognition and motor skills, but you don’t realize it. This means you’ll likely drink more and faster than usual.
Some might think this sounds great for partying longer, but caffeine doesn’t change your actual blood alcohol level, just your perception of it. As you drink more to feel the same buzz, all the usual dangers of drinking are magnified. One study found that people who mixed alcohol and energy drinks were more than twice as likely to drive drunk and more likely to be a passenger in a car with a drunk driver. Your risk of alcohol poisoning also increases, and your hangover will be worse.
A few years ago, energy drink companies started selling pre-mixed alcoholic energy drinks. The FDA warned consumers to avoid these dangerous drinks and sent warning letters to energy drink companies, calling the concoctions a public health threat. Pre-mixed alcoholic energy drinks quickly disappeared from U.S. store shelves. However, you can still order a mixed energy drink at a bar or make your own, but it’s strongly advised against.
The Effect of Energy Drinks on Athletic Performance
Energy drinks are popular among athletes for their supposed performance-enhancing effects. Some people don’t care about side effects as long as they see results. However, energy drinks can ruin long-term athletic performance.
Studies on the performance-enhancing effects of energy drinks have shown mixed results. Some studies find a minor, short-term boost, while others find no performance-enhancing effects at all. There’s no magic potion for winning inside those cans. Any perceived performance-enhancing effects come from caffeine and carbs, and there are healthier ways to get those.
Our bodies quickly build up a tolerance to substances like caffeine and sugar, and prolonged overuse tends to have undesirable side effects. Caffeine reactions often include bowel instability, mood swings, and anxiety. With sugar, it’s weight gain and diabetes. Both can cause insomnia and other sleep disorders. A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that energy drinks significantly increased insomnia and anxiety in athletes.
Aluminum: A Hidden Toxin
There’s another potential source of toxicity in energy drinks that you might not have considered: the can itself. Aluminum cans have been the standard beverage container for decades, but aluminum is toxic to the human body. Energy drinks are acidic, and trace amounts of aluminum can break apart and contaminate the beverage. The average American ingests about 7-9 milligrams of aluminum per day in food and drink.
If you ingest a tiny amount of aluminum, your body’s natural detoxification processes can usually filter the toxins out. Consuming an excessive amount of canned beverages over a prolonged period is different. When you ingest toxic material faster than your body can process it, it accumulates, overwhelming your system. Those with existing kidney concerns are especially at risk due to a reduced capacity to filter toxins.
High levels of aluminum can cause disorders in the brain, bones, and nervous system, including confusion, muscle weakness, brittle bones, and seizures. In children, aluminum toxicity can impair mental and physical development.
Mixing your own fresh beverages at home is the best way to quench your thirst, but if you must buy pre-packaged drinks, choose those in glass containers.
