Energy Drinks: The Caffeine Facts

Energy drinks are becoming more and more popular every day. With sales increasing, are the health effects of these drinks such as Redbull, V, and Mother being made clear to consumers?

Energy drinks are known for having large amounts of caffeine in them. Caffeine is a stimulant that will speed up the central nervous system in one’s body to increase alertness and reaction. However, people seem to be overestimating just how much caffeine is actually included.

In a standard can of Redbull energy drink there is 80mg of caffeine. In V there is 78mg and in Impulse there is 88mg. A cup of instant coffee can contain between 80-100mg of caffeine. A tall Starbucks coffee contains 260mg of caffeine. These drastic differences show how easily people can be misinformed. While those that think getting an energy drink will help them stay up the night before an exam to study, they are better off drinking a cup of tea or coffee, because not only does it contain more caffeine, but it is also healthier for your body.

What energy drinks lack in caffeine, they make up for in sugar content. Redbull has 27 grams of sugar, V has 39 grams, and Mother contains a staggering 52 grams of sugar per can. The average daily intake of sugar for adolescents and young adults is 40 grams. By drinking one can, you’ve already had over half (or even more) of your daily intake.

Energy drinks also contain other ingredients such as Taurine and glucuronolactone which both occur naturally in the body. Some new drinks that have recently been made available even contain opium poppy seed extract or ephedrine.

Some claim that mixing alcohol and energy drinks can be a dangerous act. However, nothing has been proven yet. The only proven results of mixing energy drinks and alcohol is that it can make you a more wide awake drunk, so that you may consume more alcohol which can lead to alcohol poisoning.

Ingesting any caffeine will raise your heart rate and blood pressure, and it also dehydrates the body. Many experience side effects of it if they have over 200mg and this includes sleeplessness, heart palpitations, headaches and nausea. A caffeine overdose is entirely possible. Depending on the person, if you exceed more than 300 mg of caffeine you could start experiencing unpleasant symptoms such as restlessness, nervousness, insomnia, a flushed face, muscle twitching and a rapid heart rate. Whilst it will not necessarily kill you, it could be a very unpleasant experience and may have effects on a growing brain or may lower one’s immune system.

When drinking energy drinks, don’t feel like you have to finish the entire can in one go, and try not to exceed the caffeine and sugar limits. Before you drink them, make sure that you know what you are putting into your body.

Sources

The Caffeine Database
Sugar in Drinks
Energy Drink Ingredients
Caffeine Overdosing
Energy Drinks