Holstein Pommern via Wikimedia Commons

Rockstar, Monster, Red Bull, NOS and many more are consumed on a daily basis by many people without even knowing what’s in them or what effects they have. An energy drink is anything that is highly concentrated in caffeine, sugar and other stimulants. Katherine Zeratsky, a clinical dietitian at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota said in a CNN Report, “Overall, the concern is that these vitamins, amino acids and herbals are often in higher concentrations than naturally in food or plants, and the effects when combined especially with caffeine may be enhanced.” They are supposed to give you a “boost” of energy in the matter of minutes of drinking them but the way it gives you the energy is unhealthy in my opinion and many medical officials would agree with me. The difference between say a red bull versus coffee is that Red Bull is loaded with many additives like sugar and caffeine that could stimulate your body almost too much. With coffee, it’s natural energy (unless you add all of the sugar cream etc.) while energy drinks are just chemicals added to give you a buzz.

Energy drinks have high levels of stimulants added to them like caffeine, amino acids, sugar, and vitamins. A stimulant is anything that raises physiological or nervous activity in the body. This can increase alertness and energy that’s why energy drinks are loaded with them. The companies know that people want something to feel less fatigued and that’s why they use many of these. This allows the person drinking them to have a short “buzz” of energy. Craig Parker, a Pleasant Valley High School anatomy and biology teacher, said, “The problem with energy drinks is that the companies tend to load them up with stimulants and high levels of sugar that can cause many cardiovascular issues.” I and many other officials agree with him in that using energy drinks in large doses very frequently can cause issues in the cardiovascular system.

The stimulants within the energy drinks go directly towards your cardiovascular system. If a person is a frequent drinker it can cause the heart to have more forceful contractions, or it can increase your blood pressure significantly. A study showed that drinking Rockstar drinks raised the average person’s blood pressure 6.4%. This can become a serious risk because high blood pressure can cause a spiral effect of other health related issues. Also this can be an even higher risk if a person’s family has a history of high blood pressure. So all those pretty Atomic rockstar energy drinks are actually doing some damage on your heart health. In my opinion skip out on the pretty drink if you want to have a healthier heart. Also other issues can be insomnia, increased anxiety, panic attacks, and as serious as fatalities from caffeine overdose.

Obviously, some of these effects are only in some cases and that if you are a frequent drinker but they are still things to consider every time you want to drink one. I personally do not drink any energy drinks because of the possible risks. I would not recommend any one drinking them frequently if they have a history of any cardiac related issues, especially because of how the stimulants affect your heart. Also if you suffer headaches or migraines, because if you get addicted you can have withdrawal symptoms which we know can lead to more severe headaches or migraines. If a person has one every once in awhile that is ok because the risks don’t necessarily apply to those that don’t have one or more everyday. It is important for teens to understand the risks associated with energy drinks because it could affect the development of some crucial systems in your body.