5 Bad Effects of Energy Drinks on Body Health • Hello Sehat
Although there is no standard regarding the definition of energy drinks, these types of drinks are marketed with an energetic impression, increase stamina, or increase energy. In terms of substance, energy drinks refer to non-alcoholic drinks, with main ingredients such as caffeine, taurine, vitamins, sometimes accompanied by soda. Energy drinks also come with other ingredients that work to “refresh” or are stimulants.
Consumption of energy drinks is now more and more common, not only in adolescents and adults, but also for parents, even underage children, because this type of drink usually tastes sweet. The main reason someone drinks energy drinks is to get refreshed and to stay active all the time. But of course forcing yourself to continue your activities even though you are already tired is not good for your health, because the body needs rest, not just stimulant drinks so that the body doesn’t feel tired. In addition, energy drinks have an adverse effect directly on the body from the ingredients in each package.
Why shouldn’t you drink energy drinks too often?
Many energy drinks contain excess levels needed by the body. If drunk too often or more than one pack per day, this drink can cause concentration problems, nutritional imbalances, and in the long run will cause damage to the body. Ironically, the most dangerous composition is the “energizing” ingredients in the energy drink itself, namely caffeine and sugar.
Some energy drinks do not include the caffeine content in one package. Caffeine is the main source of “energizing” in addition to other stimulant ingredients that are also contained in this type of drink. After consumption of some time, some people will experience dependence because they receive enough caffeine levels from energy drinks.
The limit for caffeine that can be consumed by adults is around 400mg per day, but of course this can be lower or higher for some people. In energy drinks, caffeine contains about or more than 70mg to 200mg, this amount can be increased from other ingredients, namely guarana which is usually contained in energy drinks. If a person also drinks other sources of caffeine such as coffee, then he or she can experience a caffeine overdose, which can be harmful to the heart.
Sugar is the main source of energy for the body (glucose). Usually energy drinks contain glucose that is very high in excess of the need. High glucose consumption without balanced activity will lead to obesity and an increase in blood glucose levels.
One of research Experiments in 2010 showed that consuming too much caffeine in energy drinks inhibits brain performance. Energy drinks have been shown to improve a person’s cognitive abilities, but their function can decrease if too much is consumed. In this study, consumption of energy drinks with a dose of 1.8 ml / kg was proven to help in concentrating, but with a dose three times higher (5.4 ml / kg) would reduce the ability to concentrate in individuals.
Energy drinks also contain several other ingredients but they are too little to be of any benefit to the body. There are also other ingredients that are usually fulfilled without supplements such as taurine and B vitamins. Specifically for B vitamins, there are several types that cannot be absorbed by drinking so that they are immediately wasted and can be absorbed first.
Health risks of consuming energy drinks
What you need to pay attention to is the content in each package of energy drinks, especially caffeine, the amount of which needs to be adjusted to your body weight. The following are the effects of consuming too much energy drink:
1. Disorders of the heart
This may be experienced by individuals who already have heart health problems. The effects on the heart are caused by the consumption of excess caffeine which causes arrhythmias, even before a person experiences heart health problems. Consumption of excess energy drinks can also cause high blood pressure. One of studies by Steinke and colleagues showed an increase in systolic blood pressure by 11% or about 10mmHg per consumption of energy drinks per day. The effect on a person with a history or risk of heart disease is heart failure which causes death.
2. Insomnia
Energy drinks are beneficial in keeping a person awake and feeling fresh. However, if it is misused with excess consumption, a person may not feel sleepy at all. The condition of insomnia will have a bad effect on physical and mental health, especially impaired concentration.
3. Diabetes mellitus
This is definitely due to very high glucose levels. Consumption that is too frequent it will cause insulin deficiency due to a lot of sugar in the blood. Energy drinks themselves already have high sugar levels, and if you add glucose from other foods it will overload the performance of the pancreas in producing the hormone insulin.
4. Addiction
This condition is almost the same as the condition of caffeine dependence in general. However, dependence on energy drinks can also be caused by other stimulants so that the body needs energy drinks to do heavy work. Dependence on caffeine in high doses will also be very difficult to eliminate, as a result, dependent individuals may consume energy drinks again even for a long time. If you want to stop dependence and stop drinking energy drinks, a person may experience headaches as a symptom withdrawal aka “sakaw”.
5. Vitamin B overdose
Energy drinks contain various B vitamins, one of which is Niacin (vitamin B3). Vitamin B is generally needed in small amounts and can be fulfilled without energy drinks or supplements. However, vitamin B poisoning may occur if a person consumes more than one pack of energy drinks per day. Symptoms caused are skin irritation, dizziness, arrhythmia, vomiting, and diarrhea. Do not rule out the condition hypervitaminosis B which causes the beginning of nerve and liver damage.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Ansel, K., 2013. Are Energy Drinks Bad for You? The Health Side Effects of Energy Drinks. [Online] Available at: http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/nutrition_news_information/energy_crisis [Accessed May 2016].
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Howard, M. & Marczinski, C., 2010. Acute Effects of a Glucose Energy Drink on Behavioral Control. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 6, p.553.
live science, 2010. Highly Caffeinated Drinks Can Impair Cognitive Abilities. [Online] Available at: http://www.livescience.com/9081-highly-caffeinated-drinks-impair-cognitive-abilities.html [Accessed May 2016].
Miller, A., 2015. Are Energy Drinks Really That Bad? [Online] Available at: http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2015/01/16/are-energy-drinks-really-that-bad [Accessed May 2016].
NHS, 2014. Warnings issued over energy drinks. [Online] Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/news/2014/10October/Pages/Warnings-issued-over-energy-drink-risks.aspx [Accessed May 2016].
Steinke, L., Lanfear, D., Dhanapal, V. & Kalus, J., 2009. Effect of “energy drink” consumption on hemodynamic and electrocardiographic parameters in healthy young adults. Ann Pharmacother, p. 566.
