Energy Drink Dangers

Energy drink dangers come from:

1) Bad formulations--unhealthy ingredients; ingredients that are used because they are cheap and make us want more, rather than for the purpose of healthy energy.

2) The tendency of youth to overuse things, out of ignorance, rebellion, and the bad influences of advertisers selling the drinks.

There is the potential to abuse anything: food(we overeat), alcohol--small amounts of alcohol can be healthful, but large amounts can be fatal. Should either of these substances be totally avoided or made illegal? No, of course not. We can't live without food and we have seen what happens when substances such as alcohol and drugs are banned: prohibition doesn't work, except for the benefit of organize crime.

So, what should parents and other concerned adults do about energy drink dangers?

Basically, children need to learn how to intelligently use--or decide not to use--these things from their parents. This is a deep subject and it could take us far from the topic at hand, but just let me say that many parents I have observed here in the USA have lost all credibility long ago with their children.

Parents and school-based programs like D.A.R.E. urge abstinence on kids, talking about the dangers of this or that substance, while the parents may be using that same substance. Or have used some of the forbidden substances in the past. We even have respected political leaders, such as Al Gore, who admit using one or more of these forbidden substances and survived with their brain and potential intact. Kids see all this--they can easily try the forbidden fruit--and they decide that most of what their parents and society have to tell them is not worth listening to.

So, if parents and teachers say something is bad and terrible things will happen if kids try it, even once, they have lost any credibility with youth.

A better approach to potential energy drink dangers--or anything else--is for parents to level with children, to do some research so they know what they are talking about, and teach their children how to use anything intelligently. Or, they should give them good factual reasons why they shouldn't use them.

Just as French and other European parents drink wine at meals--and their children are allowed to experience this beverage under parental guidance from a young age, American and other youth could benefit from more openness and intelligence being applied to the subject of energy drinks and potential energy drink dangers.

What ARE Energy Drinks?

Energy drinks are just the latest development in the evolution of coffee and tea. So, most adults consume some type of energy drink every day. Even the Mormons, who are told to abstain from coffee and tea, are allowed hot chocolate, which contains a form of caffeine.

I will be the first to admit that it might be better to never acquire the taste for caffeine, but--for me and many others--it is too late for that. I was introduced to coffee(with a lot of milk and sugar) by my father about the time I started going to elementary school. Coffee was very helpful in letting me be wide awake and focused on my studies.

Let me say that not everyone needs or desires energy drinks of whatever kind. Nevertheless, it should be a personal decision made with full understanding of the facts.

That being said, I have found in my sixty-one years of living that coffee and, to a lesser extent tea, have certain disadvantages. A lot of the problem comes with the dosage: You never know how strong a blend of coffee or tea will be until you drink it. I am very sensitive to caffeine, per se, and I have been unpleasantly surprised many times hours after drinking a cup and a half of coffee when traveling.

What I am saying is that there are energy drink dangers related to drinking too much coffee. This can, to some extent, be overcome with experience and education. As with our familiar and accepted energy drink coffee, modern energy drinks also have the potential for abuse, either accidental or on purpose.

Is There Anything Intrinsically Dangerous About Energy Drinks?

Then, too, there are energy drinks that just don't give you the good energy you are looking for.

Let me confess at this point that I love energy drinks. I wouldn't touch a Red Bull or even one of the brands they sell in natural food stores because I know, from reading the label, that there is far too much sugar in all of them to be healthy. Especially for me, someone who is probably very prone to diabetes. Nevertheless, I have found--after years of reading and experimentation--which ingredients have a positive effect when they are combined in an energy drink.

Sugars, whether they are refined or natural, are a fairly short-lived source of energy. It varies with the individual metabolism, but the body's basic response is to quickly send sugars into the bloodstream where our insulin must try to find someplace to put it. Once the most recent blast of sugar has been dealt with, we feel a let-down and begin to crave a new dose.

This is the reason why food manufacturers put sugar in most prepared foods: It makes us want to eat more. What I have found is that the less sugar I eat or drink, the better I feel. I have learned through hard experience that a twenty-minute sugar buzz is not worth the hours of feeling "down" and energy-less afterward.

So, too much sugar is definitely one of the energy drink dangers. It would make sense that--to a young mind--that this quick letdown caused by a big load of sugar in an energy drink could be remedied by drinking another tall can of sugary energy drink. And, first thing you know, the young person has far too much caffeine in their system and may experience the discomforts of nervousness, insomnia, panic attacks, etc.

Drinking alcohol mixed with energy drinks leads to even more energy drink dangers. But neither of these problems are inherent in the nature of energy drinks, per se.

Caffeine is a cheap, fast-acting stimulant used by most energy drink formulators. The problem is the same as with coffee, but magnified by the larger doses contained in many energy drinks. As with sugar, the pleasant rush or buzz doesn't last very long, but the side-effects of nervous jitters and inability to sleep continue for hours. So there is a tendency to drink more coffee or energy drink made with caffeine, to regain that buzz again.

Once again, with caffeine anhydrous(similar to what's in No-Doz), it's easy to overdo it. This puts a strain on the heart, especially if it is consumed while doing something athletic, such as dancing.

What I am saying is that several of the energy drink dangers derive from manufacturers designing these drinks to make us want more. In the case of many things, more is not better.

Where energy drinks get interesting is when formulators come up with a better herbal source of stimulation than caffeine. Guarana is one such stimulant because, as I understand it, it is not water soluble and therefore is released into our bloodstream more slowly. As a result, the period of alertness and energy lasts much longer than does that produced by caffeine. In addition, guarana is actually several alkaloids which work synergistically to produce not only alertness, but some of that happy feeling that chocolate does.

So, the energy drink dangers we find with the common commercial brands--too much sugar and too much raw caffeine--need not be a problem if they are not used as a cheap way to get a big effect(and a sale of that beverage).

The problems we find with most energy drinks are caused by two factors: Bad formulations and Lack of education about wise energy drink use.

I've noticed a lot of young people have opted out of the coffee habit and choose to drink a caffeinated soft drink instead. The appeal of energy drinks to this segment of the population is just an extension of this trend. The downside of drinking a Coke or Pepsi or Mountain Dew is the high levels of sugar in them and the use of caffeine as a stimulant.

A Starbuck's frappucino is not much better, with between 130 and 470(!) calories. At least, the better-formulated energy drinks have several useful vitamins and amino acids and herbal modulators(such as ginseng, maca, and green tea polyphenols) to recommend them.

Let's not throw the few good energy drinks out with the majority of bad ones. A little more education and study, mixed with more parental guidance, can solve the problem of energy drink dangers, if we stop being suckers for the latest cool advertising/branding campaign.

The solution, as with anything we consume, is to know what you're putting in your million dollar body and what it will do. Don't trust advertisers--Do your own research if you plan to try energy drinks. Overdosing on anything is no fun. Moderation in using a well-chosen energy drink that contains healthy ingredients can be a lot of fun and contribute to your energy and good health, too.

As one who is old enough to be a grandparent, I find a lot of benefit in a well-designed energy drink when used in moderation. They are far better and more predictable than coffee. And, when you find the rare one that doesn't contain much sugar or artificial sweeteners--and uses guarana instead of caffeine--they can really make you feel young again. That is worth a lot.

This growing health problem is one of the common energy drink dangers

My Choice For Avoiding Energy Drink Dangers