A study published in the Pediatrics journal revealed that excessive intake of energy drinks can lead to strokes, heart palpitations and sudden death.

A group of medical professionals who reviewed data from case reports, scientific literature, and data from interest groups and government-funded studies say that the potential adverse effects of drinking caffeinated energy drinks include strokes, seizures, heart palpitations and even sudden death. They added that energy drinks are overused, under-studied and may be harmful to teens and children.

Their data review included the case of Dakota Sailor, an 18 year-old high school senior student from Carl Junction, Missouri. He experienced seizures and needed to be hospitalized for almost a week after drinking two large energy drinks. Sailor’s doctor said that the caffeine and similar ingredients may have been the primary cause. According to the study, a can of energy drink normally has 400 to 500 percent more caffeine content than soda. Sailor and other kids included in the study said that they consume an average of four to five cans of energy drinks in a day. The researchers want to have pediatricians warn parents and kids about drinking energy drinks.

Chairman of the pediatrics department of the University of Miami Medical School, Dr Steven Lipshultz, said that they are discouraging the habitual use of energy drinks. Their report included information indicating that energy drinks commonly contain ingredients that optimize the effects of caffeine, producing symptoms such as diarrhea and nausea. The researchers added that energy drinks need to be regulated like prescription medicines, alcohol and tobacco. However, the safety level of consumption of drinking energy drinks for young adults, adolescents, and children has not been clearly established.

The industry of energy drinks boom began 20 years ago with the United States as the fastest growing market; the sales of energy drinks is expected to amount to $9 billion by 2011. The study suggest that more than 30 percent of young adults and teens consume energy drinks but there is insufficient research on the long-term effects of energy drink consumption in children, especially those with medical conditions.

Alarming Facts

The study discovered that some energy drinks contain caffeine and alcohol. The US Food and Drug Administration had sent warning letters to manufacturers and banned certain energy drinks in different states due to the rising case of alcohol overdose. The American Association of Poison Control Centers implemented codes in early 2010 in an effort to track cases of energy drink overdose and side effects on national level. They found 677 cases from October to December and 331 year-to-date.

For 2011, most of the cases were in teens and children. With the 200 cases of energy drink poisoning, more than 25 percent of the involved children are aged younger than 6 years. Though this number is only a tiny fraction of the 2 million cases of poisoning due to other substances per year, the symptoms of energy drink poisoning are lengthy and extremely alarming like irritability, high blood pressure, chest pains, rapid heart rate, hallucinations and seizures.  Though there had not been any cases of death caused by energy drink overdose, there had been a few deaths in European teens and adults with epileptic conditions caused by mixing energy drinks with alcohol.

Science policy senior vice president from the American Beverage Association, Maureen Storey, said that the study did nothing but perpetuate misinformation regarding energy drinks. But the American Academy of Pediatrics commended the report for bringing awareness about the resulting risks of excessive energy drink intake.

High Caffeine Intake Can Impair Cognitive Function

Contrary to popular belief, high doses of caffeine which is common in most energy drinks have been found to impair the cognitive function of teens. Researchers from the Northern Kentucky University found that teens with the least consumption of caffeine responded more effectively to a reaction-time test than those who had higher consumption. Study participants who drank more caffeine felt less tired and more stimulated after the test, but they performed less efficiently on the test.

Head researcher, Cecile Marczinski, said that their findings are interesting since energy drinks are often used to counter the effects of drinking alcohol. She added that having a better understanding of the adverse effects of energy drinks is important since there is no regulation on energy drink labeling and health warnings in the United States.

The researchers used data from 80 college students aged 18 to 40. The researchers gave the study participants energy drinks with different levels of caffeine and found that those with the highest caffeine intake performed less in tests that gauged their response time. The results of the study were published in the December issue of the Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology journal.

Healthy Alternatives to Energy Drinks

There is a growing body of research studies revealing the adverse effects of excessive caffeine intake and energy drinking consumption. People, especially teens, tend to seek help from energy drinks in order to keep them functioning at their “peak performance”. But studies had found that the content of energy drinks, like caffeine and other stimulants, can result to different symptoms like palpitations, seizures and hypertension, and may also exacerbate an existing medical condition. So it is therefore recommended that one make use of healthy alternatives to energy drinks, such as:

• Drinking water can be a healthy alternative to drinking energy drinks since the body tends to perform better if well-hydrated. Drinking plenty of water after a small meal can also help sustain the feeling of fullness and can also avoid the drowsiness caused by eating a heavy meal. Water is abundant and inexpensive, so there really is no need to waste your precious dollar on energy drinks.
• Drinking water with a twist of lemon juice can give you a lift whenever you need one. Lemon is a good source of vitamin C, antioxidants and other nutrients that can help in keeping you well-energized.
• Green tea contains less caffeine than coffee and energy drinks. But it can be an effective beverage to fight drowsiness and in stimulating the body and mind to stay awake and alert. Eating sweet fruits can also supply the body with enough energy to last the day.

Caffeine in coffee and other beverages can help in keeping your mind and body alert. But due to its adverse effects, medical and health professionals advise people to limit their consumption.

Sources
myhealthnewsdaily.com
news.yahoo.com
ecochildsplay.com

Why energy drinks are jeopardizing your health and what to do to energize yourself naturally

Drink at Your Own Risk

Energy drinks are all the rage these days.  Whether it’s Red Bull or Amp, Rockstar or Monster, 5-Hour Energy or Bawls, all of them promise to deliver amazing amounts of vitality and dynamism…so much so that you’ll wonder how you ever got along without it!

Claims like these sound truly fantastic, which is to say that they sound too good to be true.  But what sets these claims apart from so many other unrealistic company claims is that they actually deliver.

If you haven’t experienced the energy lift yourself, no doubt you have friends or family members who have experienced these jolts of energy.  These eight to 16 ounce cans are packed with so much caffeine and herbal stimulants, they make coffee seem like a kids drink.  And truth be told, by comparison, it is!

For example, the average cup of coffee has between 60 and 120 milligrams of caffeine.  Your average energy drink?  Try 200 milligrams (Arizona Green Tea Energy), 360 milligrams (Boo-Koo Energy) even 500 milligrams of caffeine per can!

Despite energy drinks popularity with the general public, several states are putting consumers’ health before the almighty dollar and removing energy drinks from store shelves and chill zones.  For example, the highly controversial energy drink Four Loko – the “four” referring to the absurdly high amounts of the four ingredients caffeine, taurine, guarana and alcohol – has been banned in the state of Michigan after nine Washington state college students were hospitalized after drinking it.  New York and Oregon are on the brink of following Michigan’s lead.

Should Energy Drinks Be Banned Entirely?

While no one is happy to see 20-somethings hospitalized, this may have been just what the doctor ordered to get people’s attention regarding why all energy drinks – not just Four Loko – may need to be banned.

My concern about the health effects of energy drinks comes after the release of a University of Texas at Houston study that examined the potential health risks associated with energy drink consumption.

John Higgins and his team of researchers looked at the ingredients of a wide array of energy drinks extending all the way back to 1976 – which was right around the time energy drinks became pretty mainstream in America – to today.  He also looked at the studies other researchers have done on energy drinks, though there haven’t been many.

His analysis revealed that cases of serious side effects – like heart attack, seizures or death – have been few and far between.  Nevertheless, the side effects he did observe were concerning enough for Higgins to say that they’re risky to drink.

Writing in the pages of the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Higgins and his colleagues say, “[People are] not rats, but consumption has been shown to be positively associated with high-risk behavior.”  The high-risk behavior he’s referring to involved bizarre behavior exhibited by rats during a separate study, wherein the rats displayed symptoms indicative of anxiety and self-mutilation.

Higgins noted other less severe, but nevertheless worrisome symptoms that come with energy drinks, like dehydration and elevated blood pressure levels in people that drink them.

Speaking to Reuters Health, Higgins said the best way to go about addressing the health costs of these energy drinks is greater regulation.  There is very little regulation on these drinks today, Higgins said, so companies can put whatever they want in them, and as much of what they want in them.

“Whenever you have a situation like this, you are going to run into problems,” Higgins said.

Energy Drinks Be Gone

Here’s the bottom line:  Don’t buy or consume so-called “energy” drinks.  Avoid them entirely.

It’s not that caffeine and herbal stimulants prima facie are bad; it’s the amount used that’s bad.  Caffeine is a fine thing when taken in moderation.  It increases awareness and can give you an extra energy boost when you want to rep out that last bench press.  But when used in excess, it ruins your sleep patterns, leaves you headachy if you’ve been taking it regularly and suddenly stop, and elevates your blood pressure to unsafe levels.

Far better to pursue natural ways of increasing energy.

Energize Yourself the Natural Way

There are lots of ways to natural increase your energy.  One of the best ways is to establish a regular exercise routine.  This may seem like putting the cart before the horse (a lot of people need energy to exercise, rather than exercise to get energy), but studies have shown that the physical act of moving increases energy levels.  A study published in a 2006 edition of Psychological Bulletin found that sedentary people who exercised regularly improved their feelings of fatigue considerably.  And this was true in 90 percent of the cases they reviewed!

Another way to find energy is by getting into the proper mindset, because much of your energy level depends on your attitude.  My colleague Steve G. Jones and I write about this fact in considerable depth in our book You Can Attract It.

Even if you don’t feel particularly energized, act it!  One of the worst things you can do in life is acting on your emotions at the moment.  After all, how often do we feel like going to work?  How often do we feel like brushing our teeth?  We do these things because it’s what life and good hygiene demand.  And an energetic physical you demands an energetic mental you.  As the saying goes, fake it until you make it!

Finally, take an inventory of what you’re eating from day to day, meal to meal.  There are a lot of foods that drain your energy levels by spiking your blood sugar, which send you crashing with feelings of lethargy and listlessness an hour or two later.

Energizing foods are those that are primarily carbohydrate-based.  Now, that doesn’t mean that any old carbo will do; you want to seek out foods that will fill you up without weighing you down.

Thus, fruits and vegetables are your best options.  These include blueberries, cantaloupe, tomatoes, bananas and spinach.  Bananas are particularly energizing, as they contain lots of potassium, a vital electrolyte that help stabilize blood sugar levels and maintain proper muscle and nerve function.

Other energizing foods are healthy fat foods.  While the body prefers to use carbohydrates as its primary source for energy, fats have the highest concentration of energy.  Thus, eat healthy sources of fat, which include protein sources like salmon, mackerel and herring; vegetable sources, like avocado; nuts, like almonds, walnuts and pecans; and seeds, like sunflower, chia, flax and hemp.

Follow these tips and you’ll be well on your way to a happier, energetic, livelier you!

Sources
newsmaxhealth.com
abcnews.go.com
energyfiend.com
naturalhealthontheweb.com
webmd.com
medicinenet.com
askmen.com

During the school year, the stresses of after-school jobs, finals and looming project deadlines leaves students’ time for sleep limited.  But poor sleeping habits apparently die hard as students often don’t change them in the summer months.  Instead of doing what they ought to do – sleeping a minimum of seven to eight hours a night – many students would rather gulp down caffeine-laden energy drinks to suppress the side effects of sleeplessness during the weekend than going to bed early. 

You knew such habits weren’t good for them.  A recent study suggesting energy drinks being linked to risk taking reveals why.

According to a study published in the March issue of The Journal of American College Health, frequent consumption of energy drinks like Red Bull, Rock Star and Amp is linked to “toxic jock” syndrome – characterized as risk-taking behavior that can involve unprotected sex, violence and substance abuse.

The study’s researchers, led by University of Buffalo professor and author Kathleen Miller, note that while the drinks themselves don’t cause risk taking, but there does seem to be a correlation between high consumption of energy drinks and the likelihood teens will put themselves in harm’s way. 

Though stimulants like guarana and ginseng are some of the ingredients responsible for these drinks designed to provide a non-alcoholic “buzz,” the chief culprit is the caffeine.  In an ordinary 12 oz. can of caffeinated soda, the caffeine content can range from 38 mg in your average Diet Pepsi or 41 mg in your average Diet Dr. Pepper.  But in an 8 oz. can of Red Bull, the caffeine content is nearly double that amount – 80 mg!  In a 16 oz. Rockstar energy drink?  Try 160 mg!

What’s the solution?  STOP drinking these physical – and mental – health hazards!  They’re not only loaded with caffeine, but also loaded with sugar.  And any “boost,” one gets from these is temporary, leading one to crash back to their tired selves once the caffeine rush wears off.

Granted, your high school and college-aged kids are young adults at this point and they’re going to do what they want to do.  But do the best you can in impressing upon them the importance of getting a good night’s rest; perhaps then they’ll be less inclined to need these drinks.  It may be a matter of appealing to their interests.  For instance, if your son or daughter is an athlete, studies show that a quality night’s rest improves athletic performance.  This research was presented in January 2007 at the 21st Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.  Perhaps your son or daughter is struggling in class, or is an overachiever and wants to be valedictorian.  A survey of students in Korea demonstrated that those who went to bed late at night are more likely to have diminished performance in school, whether those activities are at the desk, on the field or in the band.   

Dedicating at least eight hours to shut eye is a definite “do.”  But there are a few other dos and don’ts to adopt that will help ensure a good night’s sleep night after night:

• Do go to bed at the same time every night

• Don’t eat a big meal before going to bed

• Don’t use the bed to watch TV or read; use it for its primary purpose:  sleep

• Do avoid napping in the late afternoon

• Do clear your head.  Nothing is more detrimental to sleep than worrying about something or thinking about what you’re going to do the next day.  Do your best to “clear   the mechanism.” (The mechanism=your mind)

Three weeks makes a habit.  If you can at least persuade your young adult to put more of a premium on sleep, I’m certain they’ll feel the difference and make the appropriate changes.