Energy Drinks
Energy drinks may be harmful for you, physicians advise
Young people are consuming energy drinks because of the immediate high they get, but they probably aren't thinking about what's in the drinks and the more serious or long-term effects the drinks could have on them.
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Amanda Shroads, 19, of New Brighton said she drinks Full Throttle about three times a week. She said she likes the taste of that particular drink and uses it when she's tired.
"It gives me energy for a little bit, but after a while, I feel tired. It's like a sugar buzz," Shroads said.
"They may feel pumped up at first," said psychotherapist Marcy Pearsall of Western Pennsylvania Psych Care in Beaver. But she said the burst of energy is short-lived.
Pearsall said about a quarter of the teenagers she sees are consuming energy drinks, oftentimes more than one a day. She said the effect appeals to teens who want energy to work out or study. Boys tend to partake more than girls, she said.
Shroads said while she consumes the highly caffeinated beverages a few times a week, her boyfriend drinks them nearly every day.
"If we go to a store and they have energy drinks, he buys them," she said. How much he drinks depends on how tired he is, she said.
In addition to a burst of energy, the drinks can cause nervousness, irritability, sleeplessness and inability to concentrate, Pearsall said.
How severe those symptoms get depends on the individual, she said.
Family physician Michael Karp of Ambridge said in addition to hyperactivity and possible heart palpitations, the drinks could cause aggression and rage.
Pearsall said the drinks could also make kids more likely to act impulsively.
In kids who are already nervous, the drinks could cause panic attacks, Pearsall said.
"Can it make medications less effective? Sure," Pearsall said. She said how energy drinks would affect a medication depends on the individual, the type of medicine and the dosage.
Addiction is also a result of consuming energy drinks on a regular basis. Pearsall said kids like what the drinks do for them, they drink more, and eventually their bodies get used to the level of caffeine in the drinks, she said.
Karp said there are other physical problems that can occur with regular use of energy drinks.
Caffeine leaches calcium from bones. Karp said kids who drink any caffeinated drinks can have weaker bones. He added many kids already don't consume enough calcium by drinking milk.
Also, the drinks are often high in sugar and what Karp described as "empty calories" that have no nutritional value. "A few cans have a tremendous number of calories," he said.
Shroads said she has never thought about any of the negative effects energy drinks can cause. "I just drink it cause it gives you energy," she said.
Karp and Pearsall agree that anything in moderation is generally safe, and drinks taken in excess are what lead to problems. "If you're drinking Red Bull after Red Bull at 3 a.m., you're much more likely to see problems," Karp said.
