Have you heard the bad press surrounding energy drinks? Are you wondering if you have to abandon that tangy drink that gives you a burst of energy? The health effects of energy drinks have become quite the controversial issue, especially among children and teenagers. Check out hydroxycut hd reviews.
In moderation, strong energy drinks will not have short-term adverse effects on most adults. However, long-term consumption may have certain side effects that may be alarming. There are several side effects associated with drinking too much strong energy drinks at once or drinking energy drinks daily over an extended period of time.
Is Red Bull Bad for You?
Red Bull happens to be among the highest selling strong energy drinks globally. Even though it’s marketers claim that it not only improves energy but boosts both physical and mental performance, it has safety and potential side-effect concerns.
How Bad Is Red Bull for You?
Why is red bull bad for you anyway? Red Bull is a strong energy drink, and research suggests that it may be harmful to one’s health, especially if consumed continuously for a long time. Drinking a 12-ounce can of Red Bull increases blood pressure, mostly due to the caffeine content in the drink.
One 12-ounce can of Red Bull contains 108 milligrams of caffeine, and excess intake, mostly in younger people, can result in heart attack, abnormal heart rhythm and sometimes even death. Beyond this, it may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes as well due to the high sugar content.
Adverse Effects of Strong Energy Drinks
Apart from Red Bull, there are many other energy drink brands out there, such as Monster, which is equally bad. So what are the adverse effects of consuming these drinks? Do you need to give them up entirely?
1. You Risk Cardiac Arrest
Too much caffeine can be lethal to your health and energy drinks tend to have a lot of it. If you were to drink several cans at once, it would put you in danger. It gets worse for people who have underlying heart conditions because they can easily go into cardiac arrest after a few cans of strong energy drinks.
According to research, energy drinks cause forceful heart contractions, and they can be harmful to people who already have heart conditions. It’s advisable to know your heart’s health before you consume energy drinks. More research showed that after consuming a 24-ounce can of energy drink, the inner arteries halved in just 90 minutes. The culprits were the high levels of sugar and caffeine.
2. Headaches, Migraines, and Insomnia
When drank continuously, too many strong energy drinks could lead to severe headaches and migraines. This is caused by caffeine withdrawal symptoms, and if you change your daily caffeine intake, for instance, drink a different number of energy drink cans per day, you are likely to experience frequent headaches.
Beyond this, falling asleep could be a problem if you drink strong energy drinks. As a matter of fact, if you abuse these drinks by taking too many or too often, you are likely to lose sleep entirely, which can be dangerous to your overall health.
3. Increased Anxiety, Jitters, and Nervousness
Strong energy drinks tend to cause anxiety and jitters. You may experience nervousness after drinking a few cans due to caffeine. This profoundly interferes with your emotional stability and could cause you major anxiety issues.
Additionally, for those who have two different genetic variations in the adenosine receptors, they likely feel increasingly anxious after taking strong energy drinks. In fact, in large doses, caffeine can cause a full-blown panic attack in these people.
There are many energy drinks out there that are not harmful, so instead of choosing Red Bull, go with an alternative energy drink and save yourself the trouble.
4. Addiction and Risky Behavior
You may not know this, but it’s possible to get addicted to caffeine and strong energy drinks happen to have it in abundance. Have you ever felt like you just need to have that drink and nothing seems right until you did?
That’s an addiction, and it could lead to several other things, including financial strain because you have to keep buying the drinks. Beyond this, people who drink energy drinks are likely to indulge in risky behavior due to the high caffeine content. It gets worse if they mix the energy drinks with alcohol, and it may lead to injury or likely legal problems.
5. Vomiting, Allergic Reactions, and Drug Interaction
When consumed frequently, energy drinks cause vomiting, which could lead to dehydration and acid erosion of the esophagus and teeth. Due to all the ingredients used in strong energy drinks such as Red Bull, you are also likely to experience allergic reactions such as itching or something more serious like airway constriction. Beyond this, these ingredients could also interact with prescription medications, causing other complications.
6. Niacin Overdose
Niacin or Vitamin B3 is found in most strong energy drinks, and it can be quite beneficial to the body. However, people taking both energy drinks and supplements containing Niacin are likely to experience an overdose, which can be dangerous.
Some of the symptoms of Niacin overdose include dizziness, skin flushing, gout, itching, rapid heart rate, or even diarrhea. This case study shows a man who had non-viral hepatitis due to B3 toxicity. He is believed to have consumed too many energy drinks in the span of three weeks.
7. Mental Health Issues, Fatigue and Aggression
People who take at least two strong energy drinks on a daily basis are likely to experience mental health problems, fatigue, and aggression. This intake is also expected to increase the release of the stress hormone.
Is Moderation the Key?
Despite the evident dangers of strong energy drinks and caffeine they come with, it’s not easy for most people to stop the habit. You may not know this, but caffeine is a drug and should be taken in moderation with the recommended daily allowance.
To reduce these potential dangers that energy drinks come with, you need to be wary of what you drink. Check the ingredients, caffeine, and sugar content before consumption. Beyond that, parents should stop their children, especially teenagers, from consuming strong energy drinks.
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