The Link Between Energy Drinks and Addiction
Nov 23rd, 2007 by admin
Energy drinks are the rage right now. Anyone looking for an added boost to get through a long workday, athletic game or all-nighter. But, these drinks come with hidden dangers. They are loaded with caffeine and sugar, often laced with herbs, vitamins or amino acids and can cause harm when consumed in large quantities.
Hundreds of new energy drinks have hit store shelves in the past couple of years. Led by such brands as Red Bull, Rockstar and Monster, energy drinks are a $3.7 billion industry whose revenues have increased by 51 percent in 2006 alone. Red Bull is the third-largest source of beverage profits in convenience stores, according to one recent market survey.
Despite exotic formulations, the energy boost in these drinks is delivered via a whopping dose of common caffeine.
In a study published in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology, a team of researchers analyzed the caffeine content of 10 popular energy drinks and found concentrations as high as 141 milligrams per 16-ounce can. While the Food and Drug Association does not regulate the amount of caffeine in soft drinks, agency guidelines for colas suggest no more than 68 milligrams per 12-ounce serving.
What is scary about all that caffeine, is that there is little scientific research on how high intakes of caffeine affect adolescents over the long term. Those who typically drink the most of it are usually teenagers or young adults.
The American College of Sports Medicine has warned high school athletes away from energy drinks because the caffeine in them may cause dehydration. High schools in Fairfax County, Va., this year removed energy drinks from its vending machines after student athletes complained of headaches and nausea after drinking them at practice.
Energy drinks may be a worry at bars and clubs, too, where certain brands are used as mixers. A recent Brazilian study found that the combination of energy drinks and alcohol reduces men’s ability to perceive their own inebriation, leading the subjects to believe they were more in control than they were. By masking the depressant effects of alcohol, the scientists concluded, energy drinks may have made it more likely that the users drank to excess.
So, energy drinks are a threat for addicts due to their caffeine as well as their encouragement of alcohol abuse.
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