The Need Of Imposing Age Limit On Energy Drinks - Research Proposal Example

The Need Of Imposing Age Limit On Energy Drinks Subject: Transmittal for the requirement of age limit on the consumption of Energy Drinks The purpose of this proposal is to propose that the U.S. should impose age restriction on energy drinks in all stores, so that people under age of 18 could not purchase and consume it due to its serious health hazards for youngsters. In response to the increasing numbers of emergency visits and death incidents caused by energy drinks among adolescents, we have conducted a research to justify the need of imposing an age limit on energy drink consumption. We are pleased to conduct a successful research and an online survey, which made it easy for considering the proposed solution to control the deaths and emergency visits of teenagers as a result of energy drinks. Energy drinks are extremely caffeinated drinks that are used to boost the energy levels of its consumers, howevere, the body mass of the teenagers and adolescents are not appropriate to bear such a high amount of caffeine which is causing several health issues and has resulted in deaths. Based on my research, I recommend that the United States Department of Health and Human Services should consider implementing an age restriction on the selling and consuming of energy drinks to people under 18. The reasons are described and explained in the report with some facts and figures to understand the health risks of these so called energy boosters. I am not a scientist or a concern person, but being an interested student and responsible citizen, I have done research on the topic and found that energy drinks are very harmful for youngsters because the contents of these drinks are included according to an adult body mass. I would like to thank all those people who have contributed in my research to make it effective and authentic. I am also thankful to you to considering our efforts in making any decision about the increasing popularity of energy drinks among adolescence. Of course, I would respect which ever decision you made to control and resolve this fatal issue. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report was authorized to examine the health risks and impacts of energy drinks on the human health, particularly in adolescents because of the increasing number of emergency visits and death incidents. The research will help in drawing attention to the fact that energy drinks contain various substances in an extremely high amount causing serious health issues and even deaths. Energy drinks are extreme caffeinated beverages that are designed to boost the energy level of its consumers because caffeine has been proven as a drug to change mood. A small can of Monster energy drink contain 160mg caffeine and people usually drink two or more energy drinks within 24-36 hours. In this regard, energy drinks are very harmful for adults but are more harmful for children and teenagers who are very young to bear such a high amount of caffeine. Recently, the death of a 14 year old girl from Maryland was reported as a result of the consumption of two 24 ounce Monster energy drink within 24 hours. Such a huge amount of caffeine in the body of a very young girl caused toxicity which affected her heart’s ability to pump blood to her body. In the US in 2011 alone, 20,000 emergency visits were reported as a result of energy drink consumption. Further, online survey revealed that most of the consumers of energy drinks are unaware about the contents and its impacts on human health and they are assuming energy drinks as a source of safe refreshment and energy booster. In our survey, 14% participants were very young to consume energy drinks, i-e, between the age group 13-15. The study justified that teenagers are increasingly getting addicted to energy drinks without knowing its side effects therefore, it is important for the government of the United States to impose an age limit on the consumption of energy drinks just the way age restriction has been imposed on alcohol and drugs. It is the only effective way to control the increasing popularity of energy drinks among adolescents as well as will bring awareness among parents to check what their kids are drinking for refreshment. On the basis of this research, it is recommended to the United States Department of Health and Human Services to impose an age limit on energy drinks to save children and teenagers from consuming such a dangerous caffeinated drink. FDA should also oversight the contents of energy drinks because these drinks are posing very serious threats to the health of teenagers and is involved in several death cases. INTRODUCTION Now a day, the society is alarmingly attracting towards the use of energy drinks and the trend has not only gone through western countries but has also rolled out every society across the world. The tremendous prominence of energy drinks brands marks everywhere throughout the world is a serious case. From developed countries to developing countries, everyone is getting affected from the health risks of energy drinks. All the brands of energy drinks are approved by the concerning department in every country and most of them such as Red Bull, Monster, NOS, Rockstar, Redline etc., has its presence in various countries worldwide. The energy drinks market is very fertile and every beverage company is trying to create a unique brand image while building a strong customer base. To increase their brand presence these companies are using different innovative, attractive and influencing marketing strategies and TV advertisements is the most active part of their effort. In most of advertisement they are showing the power of energy drinks that is being transferred to humans who are consuming it. Luckily, their efforts are working effectively and their target market (most energy drinks target youngsters and athletes) is rapidly turning towards the consumption of energy drinks. However, none, not manufacturers and sellers nor consumers have thought about the side effects and health risks of the increasing consumption of energy drinks. People are considering them as yummy and safe beverages just like regular soft drinks because they are unaware about the fact that energy drinks are toxic and contain alarmingly high levels of sugar and caffeine. The consumption of such a high amount of caffeine is dangerous for youngsters, especially for teenagers; therefore, governments should ban its sale under the age of 18. RESEARCH PURPOSE The purpose of conducting this research is to find evidences that are supporting the argument that energy drinks are not safe for human health particularly for the health of teenagers. The reason behind doing a research on this topic is the increasing death rate of teenagers in the US as well as across the world due to the increasing consumption of caffeine rich energy drinks. The research help to justify the need of setting an age limit for the consumers of energy drinks just the way age limit is imposed on alcoholic drinks, drugs and cigarette. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The research methodology that is employed in this research report is the qualitative analysis by analyzing various researches on the topic, news articles, books and other sorts of written materials, personal observation and survey. With the help of analyzing the work of other researchers, I tried my level best to present different facts and figures regarding the issue with some solid evidences. Personal observation, web surfing, and analysis of already written material has been analyzed in order to find evidences and proofs about the harmful impact of energy drinks on human body. To improve the effectiveness of this report, print media and electronic media has widely used. An online survey was also used to find out that who is the potential consumer of these beverages as well as why people drink these beverages. The survey also included questions about the consuming habits of people, the degree of awareness about the ingredients and health risks of these products. The survey was posted for five days on a social media site to gather information. Thanks to the internet and computer technology which made my work and research easy as it enabled me to access literature, news articles, research works, books and journals in order to investigate the issue as well as to find a solution. Once the data was collected it was then critically analyzed to construct effective and accurate results. The collected data was analyzed in order to find connection between increasing death rate and health risks among teenagers and the use of energy drinks as well as other caffeinated drinks. On the basis of these results some effective recommendations are made to the governments specifically to the government of the US to impose an age restriction on energy drinks. SITUATION ANALYSIS The most demanding and active consumers of the energy drinks all over the world are young adolescence who consumes energy drinks just the way they consumed soft drinks. By doing so, they are exposing their health to serious and fatal risks which is a really serious issue. Most of energy drinks are filled with the dangerous amount of caffeine paired with some other unhealthy substances making it more dangerous for human health. To make it more attractive for its consumers, the manufacturers of energy drink brands used certain marketing campaigns that seem like these products are designed for our youth. Apart from its marketing strategies, the names of these drinks are also very interesting and cool such as Red Bull, Rockstar, Full Throttle and Monster, etc., has also helped these companies to create a strong brand image of their products for adolescence. Adolescence are not solely responsible for the high consumption of energy drinks, but our society is also responsible for the issue because our society has less information and awareness about the real impacts of energy drinks. In this regard, parents, teachers, health care organizations and law and order authorities are also responsible for this issue. It has been proved by health care and law authorities that caffeine is widely used as a mood changing drug all over the world. In this regard, the most concerning factor is how much these caffeinated drinks are accessible for the teens. Beverages that comprise of contents acting as catalysts, which fundamentally comprises of caffeine are termed as energy drinks. They are common beverages in our society to increment mental and physical incitement. Most of the products that exist are carbonated, yet some noncarbonated drinks also contain these contents (Huffington Post, 2013). Caffeine, sugar, artificial sweeteners, synthesized vitamins and amino acids, and aspartame are a few common and active ingredients of energy drinks. These drinks are easily available in grocery stores, super markets, shopping malls, convenience stores and gas stations but are extremely harmful for teenagers (Bellenir). How uninformed would we say we are as a society concerning how impeding this growing trend is, that is putting our youngsters in danger? The progression of this trend is thriving at a troubling rate. As per a recent study sorted out by the Journal of Pediatrics, youngsters make up 30-50 percent of the consumers that consume the acquiring and utilization of caffeinated beverages (Huffington Post, 2013). This is because of the way that they are allowed to simple access of getting this kind of item. These drinks are promptly accessible, and completely supplied at each local grocery and convenience retail stores. Warnings have been labeled on containers of one of the most selling energy drinks, "Monster", which happens to be the great merchants in the business. (Huffington Post 2013) Under the label of warning, they convey an advisory message of the report, and shopper obligation. "Limit 3 cans per day. Not recommended for children, pregnant women, or people sensitive to caffeine." (Huffington Post, 2013). There are a number of risks caused by energy drinks. A few examples of the side effects are heart palpitations, automatic twitching of the muscles, a bad case of nerves (jitters), hyper movement, wretchedness, eagerness, shortness of breath, fainting, a sleeping disorder, migraines, expanded circulatory strain, and may be causing an addictive nature amongst its consumers. The quantity of emergency room visits has significantly expanded connected with the victims of caffeine poisoning (Gunja and Brown). The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services organizations recently uncovered obliterating numbers from a sum of 230 U.S health facilities which uncovered that from the years 2010- 2013, emergency room visits, including the consumption of energy drinks increased from 10,000 to 47, 000 in the course of recent years. Almost every day, newspapers are reporting deaths of teenagers as a result of consuming two or more cans of energy drinks therefore, the issue should be addressed on an immediate basis because if it doesn’t give serious attention the teenagers will continue suffering from the bad effects energy drinks (2facts.com). REASONS FOR IMPOSING AGE LIMIT ON ENERGY DRINKS Energy drinks have been studied by many researchers in order to understand its positive and negative effects and almost all the researchers termed these drinks as the most hazardous drink for human health particularly for youngsters. Energy drinks are become the most quick solution for overcoming laziness and lethargic feeling therefore, students are even consuming energy drinks during their exams to stay active for late night studies. It is also used commonly by those youngsters who are active players of their school or college hockey, cricket, volleyball or football team because they have to stay active and energetic during a final match. In an article “Jittery: Too Much Caffeine Can Mess with Your Mind” a real storey of a middle aged school boy Cameron was published who was a very good player of basket ball. To showcase his real talent he ingested an energy drink and on the court the young boy was recognized with a sudden shift in his performance and he suddenly crashed to his knees and faint. This was actually caused by a sudden jolt of caffeine in his body which made him nearly faint. Though, the guy was lucky enough who once again got a chance to live, but there are lots of stories that we are reading in newspapers where deaths are caused due to the consumption of energy drinks. Many studies are conducted in order to find the health risks of caffeinated drinks and all the time the studies showed a great deal of health risks. Recently, a new study was conducted by the University of Bonn. For the study the University recruited 18 healthy people (15 men and 3 women) in order to find the effect of caffeine on heart. Under this study, the team observed that energy drinks if consumed in a short period of time are causing increased heart’s contraction rate in healthy people. The study indicated that when a healthy person consumes an energy drink it increases peak systolic strain in the left ventricle of the heart resulting in an increased heart contraction rate. The study was conducted with a safe amount of caffeine, however; in energy drinks the amount of caffeine is usually high which means it could potentially cause serious heart issues and contraction (Huffingtonpost). Apart from physical health risks, studies have also shown that energy drinks have also great psychological risks causing a sudden swing in mood and decision making. It has been found that youngsters who are consuming a high amount of caffeine and particularly consuming energy drinks are facing short term mood swings, lack of proper sleep, lack of decision making and have poor social life. It is also observed that such issues could become permanent if the consumption of energy drinks has not quit (Lam, Miles and Nyssen). Energy drinks are equally common and popular among young boys and girls and they do not understand the serious health risks of energy drink consumption. There are only a few energy drink brands that have put a warning label on the cans of their products, however; on the other hand they are marketing their products as a very energetic and healthy product which is compelling the consumers to ignore the warning. Children usually try to imitate their parents and it is observed that children usually mix two or more different energy drinks or energy drinks with alcohol which is posing serious threats to their lives. In addition to the government of the US, it is the responsibility of parents to avoid using energy drinks in front of their kids. ACTIVE INGREDIENTS OF ENERGY DRINKS AND THEIR EFFECTS Energy drinks and sports drinks contain almost same ingredients and some of the ingredients are part of every energy drink. Following are the names of those common contents of energy drinks and its impact on human health particularly on the health of teenagers. Caffeine: Studies have shown that caffeine is the most active ingredient of all energy drinks that is seriously harming human health both physical and psychological health. Caffeine is a stimulant that stimulates the central nervous system and making a feel of alertness while increasing heart contraction rate, blood pressure and is causing dehydration. To many people, a safe or normal dose that is about 400mg/day is causing several issues such as vomiting, headache, trouble sleeping, diarrhea and so on, the over dose could cause several serious health issues such as Jitters, insomnia, heart palpitation, cardiac arrest, increased heart beat, excitement etc., are just a few. Taurine: Taurine is another ingredient that is part of energy drinks however, the version that is used in energy drinks is not naturally synthesized from human body. No side effects of Taurine have been found to date. B-Vitamins: B vitamins are also found in energy drinks that are helping human body to convert food to energy. As they are used to boost up energy however, B6 and B12 vitamins do not absorb if taken orally therefore, it is not helping energy drinks to produce desired results. Higher intake of B-Vitamins especially Niacin (B3) is causing skin flushing and about 3000 mg results in liver toxicity. Similarly, B6 if consumed in higher amount (over 100mg) it result in skin lesions. Sugar: It had been proven medically those higher amounts of sugar is extremely harmful for human health. The side effects of energy drinks are very obvious which include obesity and diabetes. Artificial Sweeteners: Most energy drinks contain artificial sweeteners in both sugar free and with sugar versions. The purpose of using artificial sweeteners is to improve the taste, quality of the energy drinks while reducing the medicinal taste of other contents. The most popular type of artificial sweetener is aspartame, which is found responsible for headaches, moodiness, abnormal breathing, nausea, twitching and depression. A Company Specific Ingredient: There is a secret component that is found in energy drinks in order to differentiate its taste from other brands. One of the known components is ginseng or gingko biloba, which is harmless, however, there are some other components they may cause serious health issues. For example, in some brands a component is found named ‘bitter orange’ which closely related to ephedra. Ephedra is a compound banned by FDA in 2004 because of its highest contribution in deaths. These are just a few examples of those contents that are part of almost all energy drinks. According to many researchers, the most dangerous content of energy drink is caffeine because to increase the energy levels and to change the mood of a person energy drinks manufacturers are using higher amounts of caffeine. Unfortunately, FDA is responsible only for medicines and energy drink is a kind of refreshment drink, therefore, FDA is not responsible to oversight the contents of energy drinks. Consumers are responsible to investigate the contents of a product, but unfortunately, potential consumers of the energy drinks are mostly teenagers who do not have any idea about safe and harmful components. To improve the taste of the energy drinks, some companies are even using herbs in it and it is hard to know the effects of those herbs on human health because usually those contents are kept secret from them. The amount of Caffeine in energy drinks and other caffeinated drinks is shown in the table below. Type of beverage Size Amount Drip coffee 8 oz cup 110-150 mg Percolated Coffee Per cup 65-125mg Instant Coffee Per cup 40-80mg Coke 1 can 34mg Rockstar 1 can 160mg Monster 1 can 160mg The problem with energy drinks is that people do not consider it hazardous and they usually consume two or three cans within 24 hours. As a result they increase the amount of caffeine in their body to alarmingly high. Recently, the death of a 14 year old girl from Maryland was reported as a result of the consumption of two 24 ounce Monster energy drink within 24 hours. Such a huge amount of caffeine in the body of a very young girl caused toxicity which affected her heart’s ability to pump blood to her body. The reason behind her death is actually the high amount of caffeine consumption, but energy drinks manufacturing brands are responsible for her death because they do not warn their consumers about the limit of consuming energy drinks per day (Huffingtonpost). Apart from increasing death rates, emergency visits are also increased and in 2011, 20,000 emergency visits were reported due to the consumption of energy drinks. RESEARCH RESULTS From the above data it became clear that energy drinks are responsible for the increasing death rate of youngsters and adolescence because these beverages contain an alarmingly high amount of caffeine, artificial sweeteners and some other compounds that is posing serious health risks. The survey was published for five days on a social media site where people were invited to fill the questionnaire in order to help me in collecting data for this research. 50 people have participated in the survey out of which 23 were men and 16 were women. The survey questionnaire and its results are given in the appendices. According to the results of the survey, males are more likely to consume energy drinks compared to females. 14% (7) consumers were between age group 13-15, 12% (6) were above 18, 18% (9) were above age 30. Participants who are consuming energy drinks daily were 14% (7), those consuming two times or more a week were 38% (19), those consuming once a week, 24% (12), those consuming per month 4% (2). In this regard, 76% of the consumers are those consuming energy drinks frequently. In the second category, where it was asked that when they are consuming energy drinks. The answers were pretty much interesting. 18% (9) people marked that they never use energy drinks when they are socializing, studying or exercising. 14% (7) said they use energy drinks just for taste, 24% said they use energy drinks while playing to boost their energy whereas 6% (3) said that they drink energy drink while socializing or studying. Answers to the emotional and physical feelings were also very interesting. 22 people said that they really feel energetic and alert for sometime, 17 people marked that they feel optimistic after consuming energy drink, 7 people felt focused most of the time while working on something really confusing, and 23 people reported that they feel powerful, confident and creative most of the time . Unfortunately, the results of the final category were very disappointing when asked that do they know about the health risks of energy drinks and about the contents of these beverages. 52% (26) people reported that they have little information and they marked that caffeine is the active ingredient of energy drinks and 48% (24) said they don’t have any information. To understand the data and to obtain effective and readable information from this survey, the data was analyzed critically in relation with other questions and with the need of imposing an age limit on the consumption of energy drinks. DISCUSSION The participants of the survey had almost justified the relationship between energy drinks and health risks because the majority has experienced temporary mood swings and alertness. Moreover, it is also observed that adolescents are the potential consumers of energy drinks and it may possible that they consume energy drinks on a daily basis. Though, the long term effects of consuming energy drinks are not known, but it is justified that energy drinks contain caffeine that is causing a significant mood change when people consume energy drinks. In this regard, people consume more and more amount of energy drinks to produce the same effect on their mood and body. As a result, they consume a dangerous amount of caffeine and exposed themselves to serious health risks. The findings about the awareness of the consumers of energy drinks about the health risks were very surprising because it proved that people who are consuming energy drinks are assuming that these are safe for human health. Even adults are also not aware about the health risks of energy drinks as well as about various the active ingredients and its impacts. This is a very serious issue because we can assume that most parents are also unaware about the hazards of energy drinks therefore, they cannot stop their children from consuming energy beverages. Energy drinks may boost the energy levels of its consumers occasionally, but the contents of these drinks are addictive in nature. Moreover, the contents of energy drinks are too concentrated as these are made for adults and are not suitable for teenagers and children due to their small body mass. The results showed that there is a need of introducing an age limit for the consumption of energy drinks because youngsters and even adults are assuming it a healthy and safe drink. Teenagers, due to their growing age are at higher risk of energy drink’s side effects. Studies have even shown that many adolescents become the victims of these so called energy boosters. It is recommended to the government of the US (United States Department of Health and Human Services) to ban the consumption of energy drinks by people under 18. Moreover, the government should also force energy drink manufacturers to place a warning label on the can of their products indicating a minimum amount and a maximum amount to consume daily because during our survey, it is found that the majority of people are not aware about the health risks of energy drinks. As energy drinks are highly caffeinated drinks therefore, it is addictive in nature and people who are consuming it from a very young age are more likely to become addictive in the future. FDA should also consider to oversight energy and sports drinks because most companies are using content that has been used in medicines without knowing its effects on human body and health. This is the only way which could help in controlling the increasing trend of consuming energy drinks among adolescents. FDA should ban the use of banned medicated compounds such as ‘bitter orange (Ephedra)’ to use in energy or other refreshing drinks because of its side effects. FDA should develop a department which will deal only with controversial food or beverage products for the well being of human health. Although, FDA is not a regulatory authority for food and beverages, but in this case FDA must consider the issue because this is something causing serious health issues to both teenagers and adults. REFERENCES 2facts.com,. 'Facts On File News Services'. N.p., 2014. Web. 21 Sept. 2014. Bellenir, Karen. Diet Information For Teens. 1st ed. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, 2001. Print. Gunja, Naren, and Jared A Brown. 'Energy Drinks: Health Risks And Toxicity'. Medical Journal of Australia 196.1 (2012): 46--49. Print. Huffingtonpost,. '5-Hour Energy Linked To 13 Deaths, 30 Life-Threatening Incidents Since 2008: FDA Reports'. 2012. Web. 22 Sept. 2014. huffingtonpost,. 'Energy Drinks Increase Heart Contraction Rate In Healthy People: Study'. 2014. Web. 21 Sept. 2014. huffingtonpost,. 'Monster Beverage Strikes Back Against Lawsuit Claiming Energy Drink Killed 14-Year-Old'. 2013. Web. 21 Sept. 2014. Lam, Tiffany, Justice Miles, and Larissa von Nyssen. '"Jitters”: Too Much Caffeine Can Mess With Your Mind'. Current Events, weekly Reader Publication 2009. Web. 21 Sept. 2014. Parliment, Thomas H, Chi-Tang Ho, and Peter Schieberle. Caffeinated Beverages. 1st ed. Washington, D.C.: American Chemical Society, 2000. Print. Petersen, Christine. Caffeine And Energy Drinks. 1st ed. Print. Staff, Contemporary Pediatrics. 'Energy Drinks May Pose Health Risks For Young Users'. Advanstar Communications Inc (2011): n. pag. Print. Wolraich, Mark L et al. 'Effects Of Diets High In Sucrose Or Aspartame On The Behavior And Cognitive Performance Of Children'. New England Journal of Medicine 330.5 (1994): 301--307. Print. APPENDIX 1: Energy Drinks Survey Thank you for What is your gender? What is your age? How often do you consume energy drinks? When do you take energy drinks? How you feel after consuming energy drink? Are you aware about the contents of energy drinks and its side effects? (write answer in the box). Read More