Health Benefits and Dangers of Energy Drinks — Pros and Cons
Standard Ingredients
Not all energy drinks are the same, as contents vary with each brand. Energy drinks pros and cons vary with the different ingredients. One may be extremely high in caffeine, and therefore potentially dangerous for some people. Another could have a blend of herbal stimulants, with minimal caffeine and sugar, in which case there may be more potential for the health benefits of energy drinks, rather than the dangers.
It is important to read the ingredients carefully. Most energy drinks contain sugar, caffeine, and a specific blend of herbal extracts, and possibly amino acids or other nutrients. Despite being marketed as nutritional supplements, the sugar and caffeine are generally the most active ingredients.
Health Benefits
The health benefits of energy drinks are due to any natural herbal or nutritional contents. Most of these compounds have an energizing, uplifting effect. They may act on the central nervous system, such as kava kava, producing feelings of calm and reducing stress, or on the adrenal glands, such as ginseng, which increases energy and stamina. Other popular ingredients include gingko biloba, which improves memory and increases circulation, taurine, an amino acid which regulates heart rhythm, and guarana seed, a natural stimulant that contains caffeine.
While when taken properly, herbs can impart many health benefits on the human body, their medicinal properties do not always translate after commercial processing. The beneficial phytochemicals and nutrients which do make it to the packaged product, will probably not be absorbed by the body. This is because both sugar and caffeine inhibit absorption. To ascertain the benefits and health dangers of energy drinks, it is important to take this into consideration.
Health Dangers
The two primary reasons that drinking energy drinks can be detrimental, are the same as the two primary ingredients — caffeine and sugar. While both are relatively safe in moderation, they become very negative in excess. Caffeine can be addicting, leading to the consumption of greater and greater amounts of this compound. It can cause high blood pressure, irritability, anxiety, insomnia, and rapid heart beat. A natural diuretic, consuming too much caffeine, or mixing it with alcohol or physical activity, can lead to dehydration. The refined sugars found in energy drinks make weight loss very difficult. While sugar may cause an initial increase in energy, it also causes an energy crash, as blood sugar levels become unbalanced.
While enjoying an energy drink once in awhile is probably harmless for a healthy individual, the dangers outweigh the health benefits when energy drinks are abused. To manage the energy drinks pros and cons, treat this beverage as an occasional drink, not as a nutritional supplement.
Resources
Doheny, Kathleen. “Energy Drinks: Hazardous to Your Health?” (Web MD Health News) https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20080924/energy-drinks-hazardous-to-your-health
Zeratsky, Katherine, R.D., L.D. “Energy drinks: Do they really boost energy?” (Mayo Clinic) https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/energy-drinks/AN01303
Photo Credit
photo by Badge the Farmer (CC/flickr) https://www.flickr.com/photos/badgethefarmer/4118163855/