Energy drinks: They're readily accessible, legal, and potentially addictive. They claim to improve performance, increase concentration, and stimulate metabolism, yet these highly caffeinated, sugar-laden beverages are causing considerable concern among health professionals.
Excessive caffeine has been linked to elevated heart rates, hypertension, anxiety, headaches, and interrupted sleep patterns. Some energy drinks warn that they're not for use by individuals younger than 18, those pregnant or nursing, or if there's a family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, depression, caffeine-sensitivity, glaucoma, and other ailments. But most carry no warning.
A recent statewide Patient Poll conducted by the Pennsylvania Medical Society’s Institute for Good Medicine found that:
- 20 percent of respondents ages 21-30 had used energy drinks in high school or college to stay awake longer to study or write a paper.
- 70 percent of respondents knew someone who had used an energy drink to stay awake longer to study or work.
A cup of brewed coffee has between 80 and 135 milligrams of caffeine. Some energy drinks contain two to three times that amount plus the equivalent of 5 teaspoons of sugar.