8 Reasons Men Should Avoid Energy Drinks
You
have to admit it: energy drinks are convenient. If you feel hammered after a
gym workout, are fading at the end of a long day at the office, or need a boost
to get you through a long study session or meeting, you can just pop the lid or
tab on an energy drink bottle or can and you’ll feel the energy flow in no
time. The problem is, you’re getting much more than just an energy boost.
The
makers of energy drinks say their products contain natural ingredients that can
improve concentration, energy, attention, and sports performance. The most
prominent ingredients are caffeine and sugar (with some products including
artificial sweeteners); other ingredients may include ginseng, taurine (an
amino acid), B vitamins, and guarana (which contains caffeine), among others.
The ingredient posing the biggest problem is caffeine, although sugar isn’t so
sweet either.
Why should you stay away
from these highly concentrated forms of caffeine? Here are 8 pretty good
reasons:
Energy drinks are not well regulated
Some
energy drinks—but not all of them—are sold as dietary supplements, which means
they are not well regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. The producers
don’t need to provide a nutrition facts label on their products, so consumers
can be left in the dark about what they are drinking.
Even
among energy drinks that are considered to be beverages, the FDA doesn’t
require the manufacturers to reveal how much caffeine and other stimulants are
in the drinks. This can be a problem, says Ruth Litchfield, an associate professor in the Department
of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Iowa State University, because “they are
not disclosing the total stimulant dose in the product for people to make an
educated decision.”
The
major energy drink manufacturers do list caffeine and other stimulant content
on their products. However, it is up to consumers to decipher what the values
mean. In addition, the amount of these substances can vary widely among
different energy drinks.
Energy drinks are inaccurately labeled
Can
consumers trust what energy drink makers say on their labels about caffeine
content? According to a Consumer Reports study, no. Of 27 popular energy drinks
evaluated, only 16 even listed the amount of caffeine on the label. Of those,
five had more than 20 percent more caffeine that stated, and one had about 70
percent less. It’s anyone’s guess how much was in the 11 that did not even
reveal the amount of caffeine. (You can see the actual amount of caffeine in
the 27 products tested in a table in Consumer Reports.) Another concern is that some
energy drinks may not factor in the caffeine in other ingredients, such as
guarana.
Energy drinks contain LOTS of sugar
The
sugar
content of energy drinks can rival that of sugary sodas and fruit juices;
that is, 25-plus grams per eight-ounce serving, which equals 6 teaspoons! The health dangers of sugar consumption are too numerous to
list here, but some of them include the ability to promote aging, feed cancer
cells, increase weight gain, and lead to chronic inflammation.
Energy drinks can affect your heart
Research
shows that consuming more than 200 mg of caffeine can result in tachycardia
(abnormally rapid heart rate) and arrhythmia (abnormal rhythm). That’s the
amount of caffeine in one 5-Hour Energy Shot, and some products contain even
more per serving. Drinking two or more other energy drinks that contain less
than 200 mg per serving could lead to the same result.
A
new (2015) study
conducted in young healthy adults found that 12 ounces of Red Bull resulted in
increases in blood pressure, which was associated with an elevated heart rate.
In another recent study, the authors reviewed 43
reports on the negative health effects of energy drinks. They reported that
most cases involved problems with the heart, such as irregular heartbeat.
Energy drinks don’t mix with alcohol
Combining
energy drinks with alcohol is not uncommon, especially among young people.
However, individuals who consume energy drinks and alcohol may be playing with
fire. For example, a study from the University of
Florida found that young adults who combined energy drinks with alcohol were
three times more likely to binge drink and four times more likely to engage in
reckless behavior (e.g., driving while drunk) than their peers who did not mix
alcohol with energy drinks.
Energy drinks can affect your brain
Adolescents
who regularly consume energy drinks, even in moderate amounts, can experience
problems with their memory, reasoning, and problem solving skills, according to
a recent study in Frontiers
in Psychology. Other research has shown that energy drinks may
be associated with seizures. In a study
from St. Joseph’s Medical Center and Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, experts
reported on four individuals who had seizures on several occasions after heavy
consumption of energy drinks. Once they stopped drinking the beverages, the
seizures ceased. The authors proposed that “the large consumption of energy
drinks rich in caffeine, taurine, and guarana seed extract could have provoked
these seizures.”
Energy drinks can harm athletic performance
Although
energy drinks may improve an athlete’s performance on the field or in the gym,
there’s a price to pay. A British
Journal of Nutrition study found that athletes who used energy
drinks were more likely to experience nervousness, heightened stimulation, and
insomnia hours after their competition.
Energy drinks can affect your sleep quality
Individuals
who use energy drinks risk suffering from poor sleep quality. A study in the
journal Sleep & Breathing
reported that college students who used energy drinks and other stimulants
experienced poor sleep quality and increased daytime dysfunction due to
sleepiness.
In
the February 2015 issue of the Journal of Human
Hypertension, the authors warned that the concentration of
caffeine in energy drinks is high and that “overconsumption could lead to
insomnia, agitation, tremors and cardiovascular complications including sudden
death.” These seem like big risks to take just to get a boost of energy.
Instead,
make some lifestyle changes to keep your energy levels high. An eating plan
that provides clean (no processed or refined foods) sources of protein and
complex carbohydrates, such as a Mediterranean-style diet, helps keep energy
up. Quality sleep and regular stress management practices are
other plusses. Men who are looking for a natural performance and energy booster
in a high-quality supplement may want to try EveryDay Male®.
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