Energy Drinks
The ideology of taking an energy drink is to feel energized once an individual feels exhausted. Companies that produce energy drinks promote their product based on the drink’s influence on increasing physical energy and mental alertness. Next to multivitamins, energy drinks are the most consumed supplement globally (Ehlers et al., 2019). Caffeine is the most common ingredient in energy drinks, ranging from 70 to 240 milligrams (Ehlers et al., 2019).
Other components in an energy drink include sugars, guarana, taurine, glucuronolactone, ginseng, B vitamins, bitter orange, carnitine, and Yohimbe (Ehlers et al., 2019). The consumption of energy drinks poses many safety concerns to its users. The number of energy drink-related cases in the emergency section doubled between 2019 and 2021 (Ehlers et al., 2019). Scientific evidence shows that energy drinks have serious health effects on people. Ehlers et al. studies show that energy drinks improve physical endurance, but there is no evidence showing its improvement in terms of power or muscle strength.
Some energy drink companies market their products as beverages, while others posit that their product is a dietary supplement. The World Health Organization documents that energy drinks pose health dangers to the public. Infographics show that the usage of the drink is on the rise. Caffeine is absorbed into the bloodstream within 10 minutes, triggering heart rate and blood pressure (Ehlers et al., 2019). During the first 45 minutes, caffeine levels are at their peak within the bloodstream. The peak level makes the consumer more alert and has improved concentration levels. Caffeine causes temporary adenosine blockages, boosting the consumer by increasing dopamine molecules (Ehlers et al., 2019). The dopamine in the brain tissues makes an individual feel boosted. The liver responds to the increase in dopamine by absorbing more sugar into the bloodstream.
Children and Pregnant Women on Energy Drink
After an hour, caffeine concentration in energy drinks starts to subside, leading to a sugar crash. In children, consumption of energy drinks takes up to 8 hours before the body achieves a 50% reduction in caffeine concentration in the bloodstream, also known as the half-life. It takes more than half the amount for women on birth control pills to reach half-life after consuming any energy drink. Averagely, the body takes 12 hours to remove caffeine from the bloodstream, and it depends on factors such as an individual’s health when they consume the drink (La Vieille et al., 2021). Such factors include pregnancy, liver damage, or consumption of other drugs. Caffeine remains in children for longer hours than in adults because their digestive system is not highly efficient in handling the drinks. Therefore, caffeinated drinks can cause anxiety issues and behavioral problems in children.
Pregnant mothers who consume energy drinks risk having anemia that is situational during pregnancy. Equally, they are prone to constant exhaustion as they continually affect the fetus. Energy drinks cause weight gain in pregnant women, and it is advisable to seize from its consumption (La Vieille et al., 2021).
Caffeine can cause complications during pregnancy and death when the individual has a chronic drink intake. The expectant mothers should refrain from taking the drinks because caffeine is linked to the fetus’s growth restriction. The sugar components in energy drinks can contain up to 12-ounce, which increases the chances of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and congenital disabilities in infants (La Vieille et al., 2021). Some energy drinks have additives and are not recommended during pregnancy. Caffeine enters the unborn child’s system through the placenta and can develop sleeping disorders. It can affect the fetus’s movement patterns in the first trimester. Expectant mothers and children should reduce or seize from consuming energy drinks.
Energy Drink Regulation
People like the boost energy drinks give them, but they do not know the repercussions it causes in their bodies. Despite the health concerns, the energy drinks industries keep growing. There are reports of its effects on children and teens. The drinks have caused deaths, but they have not been regulated. In 2019, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended a ban on energy drinks for kids (Buchanan et al., 2018).
The same organization also collaborated with the American Medical Association to advocate for banning of advertisement of energy drinks to any person below the age of 18. The drink should be banned from being sold to minors because they do not completely understand its effects. Lithuania is the first country to ban energy drinks from being sold to minors (Buchanan et al., 2018). According to American Beverage Association, there are set guidelines that revoke the marketing of energy drinks to children below 12 years, prohibiting K-12 schools from buying the drink.
It is time to tighten the regulation scheme for energy drinks because of the health consequences it exposes people. Energy drinks pose the risk of addiction and acute side effects. It is better to regulate it so that lives can be saved. The federal government can start by controlling the amount of caffeine in energy drinks (Buchanan et al., 2018). It can advance the regulatory scheme to ensure the companies producing energy drinks write the levels of components within their product. People can understand the type of drinks they are consuming. To ensure the drink reaches the target group, advertisements about energy drinks should be done when most teens and children are asleep.
References
Buchanan, L., Yeatman, H., Kelly, B., & Kariippanon, K. (2018). Digital Promotion of energy drinks to young adults is more strongly linked to consumption than other media. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 50(9), 888–895. Web.
Ehlers, A., Marakis, G., Lampen, A., & Hirsch-Ernst, K. I. (2019). Risk assessment of energy drinks with focus on cardiovascular parameters and energy drink consumption in Europe. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 130, 109–121. Web.
La Vieille, S., Gillespie, Z., Bonvalot, Y., Benkhedda, K., Grinberg, N., Rotstein, J., Barber, J., & Krahn, A. D. (2021). Caffeinated energy drinks in the Canadian context: Health risk assessment with a focus on cardiovascular effects. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 46(9), 1019–1028. Web.
