And so it begins.
It’s the start of a new semester, and already it feels like the first batch of exams is just around the corner. I find myself getting fewer and fewer hours of sleep and spending more and more time in my sweat pants, but there is one thing I just will not turn to: energy drinks.
It started out as stubborn resistance against a trendy blur of Red Bull girls, but as it turns out, the effects that come with downing these caffeine-packed drinks just aren’t worth the extra few hours of wakefulness.
According to “Caffeinated Energy Drinks — a Growing Problem,” an article published by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, energy drinks put consumers at a greater risk for caffeine intoxication, a disorder recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders. In addition to having a higher caffeine content (as much as 505 mg per bottle as compared to 150 mg for a six-ounce cup of coffee), energy drink manufacturers are exempt from many regulatory measures that consumers may not be aware of.
For example, energy drink manufacturers are not required to label their product with its caffeine content or with a warning label. Additionally, energy drinks are not limited to selling their products within older age groups and can freely market their drinks as performance enhancing.
And these marketing efforts, with 906 million gallons of energy drinks being consumed in 2006 alone, have been dramatically effective.
In fact, according to one study published in Nutrition Journal, 51 percent of participants claimed to drink one or more energy drinks per month, mostly because of a lack of sleep, a perceived lack of energy, or while partying.
The study reported that 22 percent of users reported headaches and 19 percent reported heart palpitations after consuming energy drinks.
The growing popularity of mixing alcohol and energy drinks may be especially problematic. According to a study published by the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, about one-quarter of college students who drink alcohol report mixing alcohol and energy drinks. The study found that these students were at a greater risk of suffering from alcohol-related consequences, including being sexually abused or sexually abusing someone else, becoming hurt or injured, needing medical attention or getting into a vehicle with a drunk driver.
Perhaps the biggest issue with energy drink consumption is a severe lack of knowledge about what they are and the impacts they can have on one’s health.
Many students, for example, consume energy drinks in place of breakfast or as a boost before an aerobic workout.
These drinks, however, are often devastatingly high in sugar, making for a very poor breakfast substitute indeed.
Additionally, despite manufacturer claims, a study performed by the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research indicates that “young, physically active, healthy adults do not experience benefits from sugar-free Red Bull supplementation when consumed 60 minutes before performing high-intensity short-term intense exercise.”
So, it seems to me that the so-called positive effects of energy drinks are a dead end, and, when coupled with unregulated and insincere advertising, I will be sure to stay far, far away.
Reach Kristen at kckelle2@asu.edu
