Health risks of energy drinks to know before you buy the next bottle

Using energy drinks as a quick fix approach to re-energizing has become the order of the day but this comes with a price to pay health-wise.

The young and old, males and females are becoming addicted to this deadly weapon disguised as an energy drink.

Sportsmen, career men, and women, youth, and adolescents have developed a strong taste for what promises to be an energy booster. The expensive and well-crafted marketing messages continue to sink so well that many are drinking their lives away, a bottle at a time.

The new modern coffee drink is dangerous to health yet no one seems bothered. Even governments and ministries of health all over the world seem to sit aloof as the health of the general population is destroyed.

5 health risks of energy drinks

If you have an unsatisfied craving for energy drinks, take a deep breath and read the five reasons why you need to reconsider this energy drink you cannot do without.

1. Excess caffeine in your body can cause serious cardiovascular health problems.

The increased chance of cardiovascular health problems is the first of the 5 health risks of energy drinks.

What is a cardiovascular health problem? These are diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels.

Caffeine remains a primary ingredient in all energy drinks globally. Research has shown that for every 250ml of energy drinks lies between 80 and 300 milligrams of caffeine. 80 milligrams alone is found in a cup of coffee. Many lovers of these sweetened and well-marketed drinks take up to three bottles a day. Once you exceed the maximum amount of caffeine approved for a day, you stand a high risk of palpitations, irregular heart rhythms, a rise in your blood pressure.
These medical problems build the primary layers for cardiovascular disease. You may begin to experience the unpleasant sensations of excessive sweating and nausea.

What is the recommended daily coffee intake?

A maximum of 400 mg per day or 4 cups is safe. Sadly, many drink several more cups a day increases the risk of caffeine.

2. Dehydration leading to kidney stones.

Kidney stones continue to ravage many rather strong and healthy-looking men and women. This problem (kidney stones caused by uric acid) can be associated partly with dehydration.
High levels of protein in the diet can trigger it just as those who are genetically pre-disposed suffer it.

Caffeine naturally acts as a diuretic (it makes you urinate) and is why everyone tells you to reduce your caffeine intake at night if you don’t want your bladder to wake you up. Energy drinks are dripping in caffeine, so if you were to drink enough you could dehydrate yourself and increase the risk of kidney stone development. Interestingly, athletes will be at even higher risk as they will also be having a higher protein diet alongside this.

3. High sugar content leading to diabetes and obesity.

You know the old saying …Too much of everything is bad, right…? Energy drinks have a very high amount of sugar. Research shows its most of them contain about half of all the sugar your body needs in a day. When you drink these drinks, your body is disturbed with excess energy it does not need so these calories then easily get converted to, and stored, as fat.

This fat then leads to obesity. Fat is sugar; this sugar in your bloodstream floods your system and when the body is unable to deal with it any longer, insulin resistance develops. These are the hormone that helps to regulate sugar. The body’s inability to fight the sugar leads to a high risk of diabetes.

There others who mix these energy drinks with alcohol. This can easily increase the calorie intake creating more dangerous health problems for you.

4. High-energy drinks lead to bowel cancer

An energy drink is not a healthy diet and cannot be classified as such. Hence it can be described as glorified junk food. With its potential to cause diabetes, it can also trigger bowel cancer. Colon cancer is a type of cancer that begins in the large intestine (colon). The colon is the final part of the digestive tract. High-calorie and sugar content increases the risk.

5.  Energy drink is connected to mental health complications

Varied studies have shown that your mental wellbeing and health can be affected by energy drinks. It is believed that the cause may be multifactorial with excessive use of energy drinks contributing to it.

Read: Kidney stones are painful than childbirth – Take steps to avoid it or deal with it

Do not turn energy drink into a routine daily beverage or energy booster. Your health is your wealth and it must last you your full lifetime. Its daily usage is a recipe for disaster. If you have to use it, it should not become routine and addictive. Or else don’t use it unless a doctor prescribes it for medical purposes. If you have become addicted, it is time to reduce the intake. Now that you have a fair idea of the 5 health risks of energy drinks, the choice is yours.

Image by Adriano Gadini from Pixabay