Benefits and Risks of Energy Drinks - Essay Example

Benefits and risks of taking Energy Drinks Grade (May 6, Benefits and risks of taking Energy Drinks Introduction Energy drinks involve of beverages that are consumed primarily to boost energy especially in athletes and individuals who engage in strong physical activities. In this case, energy drinks promise to increase the energy components in individuals and also they are able to work for long or do sporting for longer time. Energy drinks have many ingredients that define its working. The most important one of them is the caffeine and simple sugars. Caffeine is highest in percentage and it is important as it motivates the body to generate energy. On the other hand, Simple sugars are good source of energy. Other components of energy drinks include water, minerals, and ions among other. Many researchers have found them quite harmful and helpful in equal measures. This article analyzes several benefits and risks of energy drinks has on a person. In addition, the essay stimulates other researchers to conduct more studies on this subject and illustrate how to deal with energy drinks. Discussion Energy Drinks are associated with a variety of benefits especially for athletes, which are related with the stimulation of the muscles to enable the athletes perform at their optimum. However, there have been recent concerns over the possibility of caffeine intoxication of the energy drinks, owing to the fact that some of the energy drinks range their caffeine content from “50 mg to an alarming 505 mg” (Reissiga, Straina & Griffithsb, 2009). The major aim of the energy drink consumption is to provide energy for sustenance, endurance, concentration and performance, thus the energy drinks are manufactured and advertized targeting athletes, students and individuals in professions requiring high concentration (Gunja & Brown, 2012). Basically, the benefit associated with energy drinks is that they provide sustained and prolonged energy that can enable individuals to continue undertaking certain activities for a long time. Therefore, energy drinks have not only been used by athletes and students, but also by people in dance parties, who are seeking to sustain the party activities into late hours (Gunja & Brown, 2012). Despite the fact that caffeine is a safe substance according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it should be limited to maximum of 71 mg per serving (Johnson, Foster & McDowe, 2014). This simply means that the excessive content of caffeine contained in the energy drinks, up to a maximum of 500 mg per serving, has the potential of causing caffeine intoxication (Johnson, Foster & McDowe, 2014). The major target of the advertisements promoting the consumption of energy drinks are teens and young adults, most especially males. The actual long-term effect of consuming the other energy drink ingredients alongside caffeine is not well known, although there is a need to consider the potential for adverse health effects (Reissiga, Straina & Griffithsb, 2009). The advertisement and promotional campaigns have presented several claims as being the benefits derived from the consumption of energy drink, but some of these claims have not been fully substantiated. The same problem has been noticeable in the literature and studies that have focused on this area. For example, five studies undertaken to establish the impact of energy drink indicated very different outcomes, with three studies indicating a possible positive effect of consuming the energy drink for athletic performance, while two studies found no benefits (Johnson, Foster & McDowe, 2014). The additional benefits that were demonstrated by the three studies undertaken to establish the effect of energy drink on individuals included improved cycling endurance, upper body muscle strength and endurance, and lower body muscle strength and endurance (Johnson, Foster & McDowe, 2014). Nevertheless, there are certain well-established benefits that have been attributed to consuming caffeine, when consumed in the right dosage. The first benefit that has been established as emanating from the consumption of caffeine, though small, is the improvement in attention and alertness, thus allowing an individual to endure and sustain concentration for extended periods of time (Johnson, Foster & McDowe, 2014). The other identifiable benefit associated with the consumption of energy drinks that contain caffeine is physical athletic performance enhancement of up to “60 minutes, following a dose of 3 to 6 mgA^g of body mass” (Johnson, Foster & McDowe, 2014). Notwithstanding the well-established positive benefits associated with energy drinks, caffeine-related toxicity have been reported from both the UK and the USA (Gunja & Brown, 2012). The potential for caffeine toxicity from the consumption of energy drinks are much higher, than the risks associated with caffeine consumption from other dietary sources (Reissiga, Straina & Griffiths, 2009). This is because; there lacks adequate labeling in most of the energy drinks, which increases the risk of the consumer not knowing the content of caffeine that is contained in the energy drink (Reissiga, Straina & Griffiths, 2009). The other greater risk posed by the energy drinks emanates from the vigorous advertisements about the drinks. The advertisements claim several benefits associated with the consumption of energy drinks, for example endurance, enhanced performance and high concentration, which may cause the consumers to believe that “more is better” (Reissiga, Straina & Griffiths, 2009). The effect would be the consumption of excessive amounts of energy drinks, which might in turn pose the risk of caffeine toxicity on the consumers. Conclusion Energy drinks have become more popular in the past several years, owing to the claims that they have several positive impacts on the consumers of the drinks. The energy drink advertisement campaigns have majorly focused on teens and young adults who are male as their target customers. The benefits of consuming caffeine which have been well-established are small, which include for example improved alertness, endurance and sustenance of energy for prolonged periods. However, these benefits are only available when the caffeine is consumed in the right amounts. On the other hand, there are several risks that are associated with the consumption of energy drinks, such as caffeine-related toxicity, which has been reported both in the USA and the UK. Additionally, the energy drinks are even more risky as long as caffeine toxicity is concerned, due to lack o proper labeling, which may cause consumers to overdose the caffeine consumption. References Gunja, N. & Brown, J. (2012). Energy drinks: health risks and toxicity. MJA 196 (1), 46-49. Johnson, L., Foster, D. & McDowe, J. C. (2014). Energy Drinks: Review of Performance Benefits, Health Concerns, and Use by Military Personnel. MILITARY MEDICINE, 179(4), 375-380. Reissiga, J. C.. Straina, E. C. & Griffiths, R. (2009). Caffeinated Energy Drinks -- A Growing Problem. Drug Alcohol Depend 1(3), 1–10. Read More