Health And Dental

Saturday, February 28th, 2009

Are Energy Drinks Bad for You?

Are energy drinks bad for you?
Source: www.nycapollo.org/are-energy-drinks-bad-for-you/

Well, lets just say they are not necessarily good for you. Energy drinks have become all the rage amongst the younger generation over the last few years. Energy drinks have been highly touted as natural alternatives that can improve performance and concentration and this has made them the younger generations pick me up of choice.

Popular drinks such as Red Bull and Venom contain excessive amounts of sugar and caffeine. The FDA limit on caffeine in soft drinks is currently 65 mg per 12 fluid ounces. Most energy drinks exceed this limit. Some even have more than 80 mg of caffeine, the amount fo caffeine found in one cup of coffee. However, the levels are perfectly legal as the FDA at this time does not regulate energy beverages.

There is no direct association of caffeine with serious health risks, but people react differently to it, and energy drinks should be treated with care as they contain more caffeine. Caffeine contained in energy drinks is most likely to boost the heart rate and raise the blood pressure and can also cause dehydration. Excess of caffeine can cause various problems like insomnia, anxiety, stomach related problems, and can also cause cardiac palpitations. You should remember that as energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine, it would be smart of you if you do not use them as a fitness drink while doing exercises. The combination of fluid loss from sweating and the diuretic (a substance that promotes fluid loss) quality of caffeine can leave you severely dehydrated.

So to sum it all up, although energy drinks may not necessarily be bad for you, they are not really good for you either. If you are going to drink them, be sure you are drinking sufficient amounts of water to ensure you stay properly hydrated at all times. Be wary of the claims like “improved performance and concentration”, as these can be misleading. They are basically just highly-caffeinated short-term energy boosters. Be aware of what they contain and how they affect you.

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