Are energy drinks dangerous?

In the ultra company rapid-involved of today, the consumers seek all that will help them to have a few overtime out of their day. The result was an explosion of new drinks of energy striking the market.

Last year, more than 500 new varieties of energy drinks were introduced worldwide. The energy drink industry grew by 80 percent between 2004 and 2005. It is now a $3.4 billion-a-year industry.

This trend has caught the attention of alcohol producers who are marketing new alcoholic energy drinks. Meanwhile, the non-alcoholic varieties are becoming more potent, with alarming levels of caffeine and other stimulants.

One example is the Spike Shooter, which has 300 milligrams per 8.4-ounce container. A typical 12-ounce can of soda has about 30 mg of caffeine while a five-ounce cup of coffee contains an average of 80 to 115 mg.

The Spike Shooter was recently banned at a high school in Colorado after students who consumed the drink complained of feeling sick. Soon after, the drink was pulled from the shelves of more than 200 7-Eleven stores in Colorado.

So just how dangerous are these energy drinks? In most cases, they are relatively safe according to Dr. Jim Smith, who is an emergency room physician and the medical director for Great Plains Regional Medical Center.

“For adults, I do not think whom they dangerous if are suitably used,” said Smith.

He noted organizations like the American Dietetic Association have recommended that adults should limit the amount of caffeine they consume to between 200 and 300 mg per day.

Smith said a Harvard study has shown that just 100 mg of caffeine per day can be addictive, as evidenced by those who experience headaches when they try to quit.

For children, the safe limits of caffeine consumption are much lower. Smith said Canadian officials have suggested a limit of 45 mg per day for 4 to 6 year olds, 62.5 mg for 7 to 9 year olds and 85 mg for 10 to 12 year olds.

“The problem is there’s no labeling,” Smith said.

Currently, the FDA has no regulations to indicate the level of caffeine on the labels for energy drinks or any other product. Smith said it is important for a person to know what they are consuming.

Caffeine is a stimulant that inhibits a naturally occurring substance in our body called adenosine. Found in the heart and brain, Smith said adenosine is important for sleep.

“It is a substance that turns us down, if you will,” Smith said.

Since caffeine inhibits adenosine, it makes a person feel more alert. Yet this pick-me-up only lasts four to six hours in a normal adult. For pregnant women, the effects of caffeine can last up to 18 hours for both mother and baby.

“Studies show that there are increased incidents of miscarriages in pregnant women who ingest large amounts of caffeine on a regular basis,” Smith said.

So how much is too much? Someone who consumes 500 to 600 mg of caffeine in a day could suffer an overdose, according to Smith. Symptoms of a caffeine overdose include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tremors or palpitations.

At even more extreme levels, a person will begin to have seizures or even an irregular heartbeat. Excessive caffeine consumption can also cause dehydration since caffeine is a diuretic.

For this reason, Smith said athletes should avoid energy drinks. In addition, those who do consume energy drinks on a regular basis should increase their regular daily intake of water.

If the concern about excessive caffeine consumption is not enough to cause some consumers to exercise caution, consider the other additives in most standard energy drinks such as guarana, taurine and bitter orange.

Smith said guarana is made from the seeds of a South American plant. It is a naturally occurring stimulant that can add to the pick-me-up provided by the high levels of caffeine. Bitter orange is a relatively new additive that contains synephrine, an alternative to the miracle diet aid known as ephedrine that was banned from the market by the FDA.

The third additive in many energy drinks is taurine. Smith said taurine is a naturally occurring amino acid in the body. There are high levels of taurine in the heart, so it is important for the cardiovascular system.

The taurine, also found out of red wine, can have some service-disease. This is why some suggested drinking red wine glass per day. However, the taurine by Smith was not studied, thus the long-term effects are not known. Nevertheless, Smith said that the level of the taurine in some drinks of energy is extremely high. He added some drinks of energy have enough taurine to equalize 500 red wine glasses.

Source: www.nptelegraph.com