High on Caffeine: Regulating Energy Drinks - Essay Example

? A Position Paper against Tan-Li Hsu’s “High on Caffeine: Regulating Energy Drinks” Energy drinks are known to contain caffeine, a substance that inevitably harms the body of anyone who consumes such beverages. Such concern is echoed by Tan-Li Hsu in his essay, “High on Caffeine: Regulating Energy Drinks.” Nevertheless, Hsu’s suggestion that energy drinks should post clear warning labels and should indicate caffeine content in order to prevent its side effects cannot possibly help reduce the occurrence of side effects because of the gravity of the problem and the natural irresponsibility of teenagers. It is a fact that the caffeine in energy drinks, if taken in large unmanaged doses, might result in “irregular heartbeat and nausea” or even “death by cardiac arrest” (Hsu 381). This is so because the fact remains that even middle schoolers take in around 800 mg of caffeine each day through energy drinks, which is actually more than the recommended 300 mg daily maximum average for adults (382). What Hsu claims regarding the harmful effects of energy drink caffeine on the young bodies of adolescents is true and actually deserves urgent attention from the local authorities that handle the sale of such beverages. The claims from authoritative sources that Hsu presents in his essay are true and substantiated by evidence from latest studies like that of Seifert et al.: Caffeine from energy drinks causes “adverse side effects especially in children, adolescents and young adults with seizures, diabetes, cardiac abnormalities, or mood and behavioral disorders” (511). What is more interesting is that this is a review of a large number of PubMed and Google surveys, which have been carefully analyzed by experts. Thus, Hsu’s claims that the caffeine affects the adolescent body in a very negative way are actually true. However, the method he has recommended in his essay – the placement of “caffeine content” information and “overdose warnings” on energy drink cans – is actually entirely useless and impractical. He is not legislating anything but his suggestion does not do anything good. Hsu’s suggestion is impractical because of several reasons. The problem is that the situation cannot be possibly alleviated by human means, and stopping the sale of energy drinks among the youths is much like controlling a virus that has already started infecting the whole adolescent population, much like in zombie movies where a bite would be almost 99% incurable. In fact, the gravity of the situation actually depends on several factors. First, energy drinks are so popular and popularity is difficult to kill. It is a fact that popularity leaves an imprint on the human brain and stimulates its reward and pleasure centers each time one drinks an energy drink. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners says that “caffeine is…recognized for its addictive properties, and discontinuation results in a withdrawal syndrome” (Pohler 49). Now, this means that although manufacturers of energy drinks decide to put caffeine content information and warning labels on their cans, the pleasures of caffeine will remain embedded in the reward centers of the adolescent brain. Contrary to Hsu’s suggestion, there is therefore no clear way why replacing labels of energy drinks would be able to cause substantial change in the amount of caffeine consumption by adolescents. Second, there is contrasting information in scientific literature regarding the effects of caffeine on one’s health, with some of them advocating its use. According to Smith (1243), an expert in occupational and health psychology of Cardiff University in the UK, in a peer-reviewed study published by PubMed, “Regular caffeine usage appears to be beneficial, with higher users having better mental functioning.” Can you see the train of thought here? The statement of Smith says one thing: The more caffeine you take in, the better your mind will function. It therefore tells the teenage consumers of energy drinks one thing – drink as much as you can! What an unbelievable statement! But it comes from PubMed! Moreover, caffeine “increases alertness and reduces fatigue” and “improves performance on vigilance tasks” (Smith 1243). Yet, the most interesting information that this peer-reviewed study provides is that “most people are very good at controlling their caffeine consumption to maximize the above positive effects” (Smith 1243). This implies one thing: There is no need for one to exert effort to control his consumption of caffeine because, as what the statement is trying to say, the body will just naturally know its own limits. It therefore seems like one’s body telling him that he has drunk enough caffeine and thus ought to stop. This further translates as: Unless your body tells you to stop, keep using energy drinks as much as you want them! Now, how can Hsu’s suggestion in his article possibly change the minds of those who have read Smith’s article? Certainly, a peer-reviewed article published by PubMed and written for health experts is many times more reliable than a mere article written for college students. Third, the law does not ban energy drinks. Americans have the freedom to buy and sell whatever product they want as long as it is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This means that as long as something is being sold or is permitted by the FDA to be sold, then it must be absolutely safe and therefore it can be bought without any limit. As Americans are naturally freedom-loving people, then perhaps Hsu has not anticipated in his article that anything that limits the freedom of someone who has got used to it will be taken as an act of violating his rights and will therefore be met with opposition. This means that no matter how much change the labels will undergo in order to indicate caffeine content and warning statements, freedom-loving people will simply continue to buy products by virtue of their freedom to buy whatever they want, regardless of the nutritional value of that product. Freedom somehow comes with it the freedom to make unreasonable choices, the freedom to make harmful choices, and the freedom to make choices on the basis of habit and popularity of product. Hsu’s opinion is therefore not feasible and not practical. Aside from the gravity of the situation, what even further encourages it is the fact that teenagers are naturally irresponsible and rebellious. In fact, according to a peer-reviewed journal entitled Addiction, when it comes to alcohol use, teenagers are naturally irresponsible and have a tendency to misuse the alcoholic drink and thus drink too much (Ellickson et al. 1489). Although this statement pertains only to alcohol, it may say much also about anything that teenagers take in including energy drinks. Teenagers could be naturally careless and reckless and therefore engage in all sorts of risky behavior. It is therefore inevitable that no matter how complete the labels are of energy drinks, teenage consumers will still have a tendency not to read what is written on them. Hsu’s suggestion therefore may hardly ever work. In conclusion, Hsu’s idea that labels of energy drinks should include caffeine content and warning signs is impractical because of several factors. These factors include the popularity of energy drinks among teenagers, the contrasting findings of scientific literature regarding the effects of caffeine on humans, the protection of the law, and the natural disobedience and irresponsibility of teenagers. If one were to consider all of these factors, people like Hsu would think that merely changing the labels will never be able to break old habits. Hsu is not legislating anything but his idea of putting labels on energy drinks would be impractical. Top of Form Bottom of Form Works Cited Ellickson, Phyllis L., Kimberly A. McGuigan, Virgil Adams, Robert M. Bell, and Ron D. Hays. “Teenagers and alcohol misuse in the United States: by any definition, it’s a big problem.” Addiction 91.10 (1996): 1489-1503. Hsu, Tan-Li. “High on Caffeine: Regulating Energy Drinks.” Print. Pohler, Holly. “Caffeine Intoxication and Addiction.” The Journal for Nurse Practitioners 6.1 (2010): 49-52. Print. Smith, A. “Effects of caffeine on human behavior.” Food and Chemical Toxicology 40.9 (2000): 1243-1255. Print. Read More