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The Side Effects of Energy Drinks
Energy drinks are very popular, but there are side effects of energy drinks that you need to be aware of.
Energy drinks are beverages that contain large amounts of caffeine and sugar, although sugar-free versions
of some energy drinks are available. Most energy drinks also contain additional ingredients like B vitamins,
amino acids and herbs. Energy drink manufacturers often tout the energy producing benefits of these additional
ingredients, but there's little scientific evidence to support many of the claims. Most of the energy from
energy drinks comes from the caffeine and sugar.
The caffeine in most energy drinks comes from multiple sources, so it's often hard to tell how much caffeine
the drinks actually contain. Energy drinks list herbal stimulants (like guarana) as separate ingredients from
caffeine, but they often don't tell you how much additional caffeine these herbal stimulants provide. Guarana
contains two to three times more caffeine than coffee beans do.
The typical energy drink contains about 80 mg
of caffeine per can, but many energy drinks contain much higher amounts than this. 80 mg is about the same amount
of caffeine that's in an average strength cup of coffee and about twice the amount of caffeine that's in a cup of
tea or a can of soda.
Here are the side effects of energy drinks that you need to know about:
- The high amount of caffeine in many energy drinks can overstimulate your heart and nervous system and
increase your blood pressure.
- The high amount of sugar in many energy drinks can cause an energy spike, followed by an energy crash.
- The high amount of caffeine in many energy drinks can cause dehydration.
- The high amount of sugar in many energy drinks can lead to excess calories and weight gain.
- Some of the herbs in energy drinks may not interact well with certain medications.
- Energy drinks and alcohol can be a dangerous combination. The stimulant effects of energy drinks can mask
how intoxicated you are.
If you're consuming energy drinks because you're frequently tired or run-down, there are better and healthier
ways to boost your energy: get adequate sleep, exercise regularly, and eat a healthy diet.
You also need to stay well hydrated, as dehydration is a common cause of constant tiredness. Drinking plenty
of water is the best way to stay well hydrated. Many people believe that drinking other types of fluids is the
same as drinking water, but it's not. Water is processed by your body differently than other types of fluids.
Water is also calorie-free and has a variety of health benefits. Visit the
Importance of Drinking Water page for information on water's many
health benefits.
In conclusion, many energy drinks don't live up to most of the claims they make and they can have unhealthy or
harmful side effects. Use them infrequently, if at all.
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