The Dangers of “Energy“ Drinks
So, you think those popular drinks that promise to pump you up with lasting “energy” are safe? You may want to think again.
Doctors say caffeine overdoses from blending two or more sources of caffeine, including energy drinks, are on the rise, particularly among teens and young adults. A caffeine overdose can result in anything from severe dehydration to seizures, according to Dr. Ann Slattery, a clinical toxicologist with Children’s Hospital in Birmingham.
“We have always seemed to have a lot of calls about caffeine exposure throughout the years, especially high school and college students who are taking caffeine tablets just to stay up,” said Slattery. “Now, with the energy drink, we are seeing more interactions where people might be drinking coffee, then an energy drink (and suffer from adverse reactions).”
One of the problems, Slattery says, is that the Food and Drug Administration does not regulate the amount of caffeine in “herbal supplements,” the category under which these energy drinks fall. To complicate matters, the manufacturers of these products don’t always list caffeine by name on the nutritional label. Instead, they will use “herbal” names, like guarana or taurine, among a host of others.
“People may not realize they’re getting caffeine and not realize the milligrams of caffeine in a drink because it’s not listed no the label,” Slattery said.
For example, the nutritional label on a popular 24-oz energy drink says it contains 1,000-mg of taurine and 2,500-mg of a caffeine and guarana-containing “energy blend” per serving. That’s essentially 3,500-mg of caffeine in a single serving. However, just one can of the drink contains three servings–so by drinking one can, you’re actually consuming 10,500-mg of caffeine!
The figures are even more astounding when compared to the daily recommended dose of caffeine.
“Teenagers should really limit their caffeine intake to 100 or 200 milligrams,” Slattery said. “An adult should limit them to about 200 to 300 milligrams per day.”
The adverse effects of caffeine on the body can become more pronounced–and more dangerous–when energy drinks are consumed before or during physical activity, especially in the heat.
“If you’re out there in (sports) practice, you have a stimulant (caffeine) on board, you have an increase in your heart rate, an increase in physical activity, which increases your heart rate (even more), then you become dehydrated, which lowers blood pressure, which increases your heart rate…there could be some problems there,” Slattery added.
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