The concept of the “energy drink” is a relatively new phenomenon. Brands such as Red Bull, Venom, Rockstar and Monster began appearing in the last few decades and have become extremely popular among young people. But new research by John’s Hopkins presents a stark warning about these so-called “high energy” soft drinks: many of them contain levels of caffeine high enough to endanger your physical health.
While many researchers believe that a small amount of caffeine (such as found in the ubiquitous morning cup of coffee) can actually be good for you, Roland Griffiths, a researcher from Johns Hopkins, points out that most energy drinks contain upwards of 10 mg of caffeine per each ounce. This amounts to 14 times more caffeine than in the average soft drink. It is the equivalent of drinking 7 cups of regular caffeinated coffee within a five-minute period.
While caffeine can help us to wakeup and get going in the morning, too much of a good thing can prove dangerous and cause a variety of troubling symptoms. Researchers report that 41 cases of caffeine abuse were reported by doctors between 2002 and 2004. Some of the symptoms of caffeine overdose include vomiting, nausea, tremors, dizziness, high blood pressure, numbness in the extremities, panic attacks and breathing difficulties.
Because of the rising popularity of these drinks, many researchers believe that they should carry a consumer health warning label. Further, there is a growing outcry among physicians and researchers for energy drinks to accurately list the amount of caffeine contained within the drink.
As you might expect, the manufacturers of energy drinks are none too pleased about the assertions that their product can be dangerous. The American Beverage Association is a lobbying group that represents Red Bull, Rockstar and other energy drinks — the association calls the recent report by Johns Hopkins “a rhetorical attack.”
In their defense, the energy drink makers point out that large cappuccinos or lattes from Starbucks have a similar amount of caffeine (actually, not quite as much) as many energy drinks, and yet no one is requiring Starbucks to post warning labels on their product.
In this regard, the American Beverage Association does have a valid point: requiring energy drinks to place health warnings on their products could easily be a slippery slope that leads to requiring all manufacturers of caffeinated products to place similar warnings. Imagine health warnings on the front of a regular bag of coffee or a Starbucks’ mocha…
However, what the energy drink manufacturers are failing to recognize is this: it is not the fact that their product contains caffeine that is troubling. It is the amount of caffeine contained in one small “shot” of these energy drinks that makes them cause for concern.
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