There are many energy drinks that contain an insane amount of caffeine, there is a total of 30% or more kids and teens between the ages of 12 and 17 that consume energy drinks according to CBS news.
The amount of caffeine that could be harmful to the human body in a day is 400 milligrams of caffeine according to Mayo Clinic.
There are many issues when it comes to this because many teens and adults rely too much on energy drinks when it comes to homework, studying, working, or just on a day to day basis. If teens or adults consume too much it can be harmful to them, specifically if it’s everyday. Which could lead to dehydration to the body.
“Up to 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine a day appears to be safe for most healthy adults,” says Mayo Clinic.
“That’s roughly the amount of caffeine in four cups of brewed coffee,” according to Mayo Clinic “ 10 cans of cola or two ‘energy shot’ drinks. Keep in mind that the actual caffeine content in beverages varies widely, especially among energy drinks.”
Not only consuming too much energy drinks could be harmful to the human body by causing dehydration, but it can also cause an addiction as well. This can happen if people consume energy drinks on a day to day basis. It can also cause more stomach acid, sleeping issues, fragile bones/thinning bones, anxiety and also an increase of blood pressure.
“Regular use of more than 600 mg of caffeine a day might cause long-term effects,” According to the Poison and Drug Information Service From Alberta, “such as sleep problems, thinning of bones and fractures, more anxiety, and stomach acidity.”
“It can also increase blood pressure,” said Poison and Drug Information Service From Alberta “and if you already have high blood pressure, it can get worse.”
There’s also many harmful ingredients inside of an energy drink as well, there are also brands such as “5 hour energy” that have not been approved by the FDA (Food and Drugs administration). But there are also synthetic victims and also contain an unhealthy amount of caffeine and sugar as well.
“I actually used to be like a huge coffee drinker, I was obsessed with that,” said Addison Hodges, a senior at MCHS. “I get like Dunkin ‘every day, but it made me feel like, really, like lethargic and bloated. Made me feel like doo, doo. So I switched over to Red Bull. And it gives you like a really good caffeine rush in the beginning, but then it kind of dies and it crashes.”
“I really like Zoa energy drinks in the Tropical Punch flavor. It gives you a good, long lasting, energy drink throughout the day. It’s from, like, green coffee and green tea and stuff. It’s really, really good. It’s all natural, too.”
Although as long as people consume as much energy drink on a daily basis these issues won’t accrue as much. Or won’t accrue at all, there are also other healthy alternatives such as decaf. Which decaf is made of regular coffee beans that have been through a process that remove the majority of most coffee. But it isn’t completely free of coffee, it just contains less coffee.
“The most I’ll drink in a day is two if I have a wrestling meet,” says Hodges, “but I usually drink like one every other day or so.”
Energy drinks are harmful to the human body, if consumed everyday it can lead to an addiction and also unhealthy side effects. As long as people control or not consume energy drinks often the effects won’t be so harmful to the body.