Gas stations: the modern-day black hole that draws insomnia-ridden teens and young adults in, urging, daring and eager for the ding of the overhead doorbell to signal their prey caught. Neon colors and graffiti text on aluminum cans entrance all who enter. Victims scan the multitude of options in mesmerization.
Energy drinks, though often perceived as a fast-acting cure to the intense drowsiness young adults face daily, prove to be toxic beverages often disguised beneath fruity notes of peach and cherry, and lime, ultimately overpowering the effectiveness of its anti-exhaustion agent.
Commonly found adorning the exterior of vividly colored Monster and Alani cans lie a number of malignant ingredients— public, visible, yet ignored. Could the lethal effects of these caffeine-infused drinks be caused by consumers’ lack of education on what they are ingesting?
Taurine
Taurine, listed in the top 10 ingredients in many energy drinks that make a steady death taste oh-so-sweet, is an amino acid naturally secreted from several body parts that is crucial for the survival and progression of brain cells. From blood pressure to neuromodulators, taurine plays an important role in stabilizing the body’s most valued organs.
Although alone it may possess various benefits, when united with the other components of countless revitalizing drinks, it can pose a threat to adolescent’s brain development and cardiovascular system. Factors expanding from the more menacing consequences include increased blood pressure and heart rate, causing issues involving the stunted growth of evolving children. In fact, numerous countries have even banned the distribution and consumption of energy drinks to customers under 18, and as these issues progress, more are beginning to see these dangerous effects.
In past years, nutritionists and scientists uncovered the truth about taurine. Like all things, there are negatives and positives buried under this commonly seen amino acid. Pros could include preventing nerve damage/death, cholestasis in newborns, and improving management of diabetes, aging advantages and more.
When considering these positives, taurine doesn’t seem all that bad, but the contrasting effects subjugate every potential benefit. The cynical side of the mystery of taurine is defined by its overwhelming negatives including heart problems, kidney damage, liver pain, migraines, vomiting and seizures. All of these consequences are just a little glimpse into the problems caused by a substance millions ingest daily.
Perhaps the largest issue, millions remain unaware of the matter they are consuming. In several reports in the last decade, it was disclosed that taurine holds several forms, often made synthetically by pharmacists, but was previously extracted from ox bile, or more commonly, bull semen.
The curtain closed around this ingredient hides more than people think when draining the intensely pigmented cans of their tangy contents.
L-Carnitine
Hidden within the catalogs inscribed onto the backs of graphic cans lay yet another harmful element, L-Carnitine, given access to both our strong and fragile features when consumed. Its advantages may make this nutrient seem relatively healthy, but when diving a little deeper beneath the surface of weight loss, an increase in good cholesterol and muscle recovery lives what may seem like common, not-so-serious side effects: vomiting, abdominal cramps, and fishy body odors.
In theory, muscle strengthening and healthy, plaque-free arteries sounds like a benefit associated with consuming these drinks, but seizures and decline in everyday comfort is not an even trade in exchange for attentiveness.
Caffeine
The most apparent ingredient: caffeine. Although written in bold letters on shelves of countless convenience stores, it pays no mind to the damage done to our bodies when guzzled by half-conscious young adults. Late nights and early mornings result in a quick grab-n-go supplement for hours of sleep lost to homework. Gen-Z often tosses the idea of a hot and hearty meal out the window, averaging out to 40% of the generation starting the day on an almost-empty stomach.
The unhealthy combination of insomnia and an inadequate amount of food is simply a recipe for disaster when piling hundreds of milligrams of caffeine on top of an already-distressed body. Contents of these favored drinks flow into the stomachs of those desperate for the refreshing feeling of being energized and are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream due to no competition against nutrients from a non-existent breakfast.
Not only can a lack of food suppressed beneath energy drinks cause nausea, but research compiled throughout 2023 confirms neuro, cardiovascular and digestive issues. Though some may consider caffeine their personal life saver, mania, heart attacks and internal bleeding aren’t risks worth taking for benefits of a temporarily lively mind.
As always, too much of a good thing contradicts the perks, as well as the original goal. Caffeine, in controlled amounts, offers several benefits. It is only when control is relinquished that pros morph into cons. The drug that caffeine embodies holds the power to hurt us, as much as it does to help us. Consuming multiple energy drinks a day, most of which contain 150 milligrams or more, introduces the tragic possibility of caffeine poisoning or overdose, with potential lifelong consequences. Although result of an overload of a popular stimulus, the specifics such as the amount of milligrams is yet to be determined.
Energy drinks as a whole evidently don’t have a definite “good” or “bad” placement in the world of healthy versus unhealthy. But, then arises the question: to drink or not to drink? The simplest answer would be to avoid them and their negative effects all together, but let’s be realistic: sometimes a little caffeine is just what we need to drown out the effects of unfortunate sleepless nights. When used in moderation, the likelihood of facing life-threatening risks severely decreases. But for the moments when the pros and cons blur together and the line dividing them seems to fade, it’s best to stick to what is safer. After all, less is more.
