Candice Thompson
In Motion
It’s the 4pm middle of the day slump. Frantically rushing against unforgiving deadlines, students eyes everywhere begin to close. In desperate need of a rapid boost, most reach for a highly caffeinated energy drink to get them through the day.
That burst will be short lived, and in the end will leave the consumer even more exhausted than before the drink was guzzled. Some of the most common side effects are nervousness, irritability, insomnia, rapid heartbeat and increased blood pressure.
But what about the other, more dangerous side effects? The ones that command a warning label be printed on the cans to warn pregnant and nursing mothers they should not consume this beverage, along with children and people sensitive to caffeine.
Several lawsuits against big name energy drink corporations have been filed by individuals and families claiming their products were to blame in several deaths and miscarriages, along with numerous heart attacks, strokes, brain damage and kidney failure.
In 2011, 14 year old Anais Fournier drank two popular energy drinks in one day. She went into cardiac arrest within 24 hours of drinking the beverage and died in the hospital a week later. When Fournier consumed these drinks she was at home watching TV. She wasn’t participating in any kind of strenuous activity. Her body could not handle the large doses of caffeine.
Here is the caffeine breakdown according to the Mayo Clinic. A 12oz can of regular soda has 23-35mgs of caffeine in each can. Compare that to a common 8oz energy drink containing 70-100 mgs per can, or a popular high energy promising 2oz “shot” that contains 200-207 mgs of caffeine. That is the equivalent of drinking nine regular 12oz sodas in one 2oz shot.
While ConsumerAffairs.com states consuming one 250ml energy drink per day is fine and even considered safe for the average healthy young adult, some popular energy drink corporations warn to limit intake to three per day.
Due to the added nutrients, these drinks are labeled as “dietary supplements,” and therefor are not required to be regulated by the Federal Drug Administration. Anything considered a “shot” is not considered a beverage, and is not regulated, either. The FDA does require supplement companies to notify them when a death occurs while using their products.
Never mix these drinks with drugs or alcohol. Students should also avoid consuming them before or during sports and other vigorous activities that will increase their heartrate.