Your Health: The Effects Of Energy Drinks

There has been a major spike in the energy drink craze. Products on the market that are consumed the most are Red Bull, Monster, Amp, and Rockstar... just to name a few. The concern over the popularity of energy drinks by kids ages 12-24 is at a new high. Researchers have found that these energy drinks are a possible indicator of "risky behavior" among individuals in this age group. The energy drink market makes $3 billion annually on sales in the United States alone. The consumption of these highly caffeinated drinks has parents, school officials and hospitals worrying because of the surge in symptoms of nausea, irregular heart rhythms, and emergency room visits.

In Colorado Springs, several high school students last year became ill after drinking Spike Shooter, a high-caffeine drink, prompting the principal to ban the beverages. In March, four middle school students in Broward County, Fla., went to the emergency room with heart palpitations and sweating after drinking the energy beverage Redline. In Tigard, Ore., teachers this month sent parents e-mail alerting them that students who brought energy drinks to school were “literally drunk on a caffeine buzz or falling off a caffeine crash.”

The research that has been found isn't necessarily saying that the drinks themselves are unhealthy, but it shows that the consumption of them may be a red flag to parents that their children are more likely to take risk with their health and safety.

Most people who consume the drinks regularly, may feel that because the drink is served cold, they can consume larger amounts, unlike coffee, which is sipped and hot. Another worry is the fact that a lot of people are mixing energy drinks and alcohol. Adding caffeine may make a person feel less drunk, but in all actuality, your motor skills and coordination are still as impaired just as if you had alcohol by itself.

One researcher told reporters, “You’re every bit as drunk, you’re just an awake drunk,”. So in lamens terms, you're still drunk as hell, but you your ass is wired for sound! HA!!!!