THE SILENT KILLING MACHINE IN OUR HOMES

Have you ever felt a loss of energy that you needed to replenish quickly so that you can get back on track to your work? The first option that may come to your mind will be to get a can of energy drink to “boost your energy level”. Well have you ever wondered what the energy drink you consumed to get that spark of energy really does to your body after taking it? Well in this article am going to share with you the silent killing machine that is in our homes.

Energy drinks are generally safe, but like most things, you should drink them in moderation. Because caffeine is a stimulant consuming a lot of it can lead to heart palpitations, anxiety and insomnia -- it also can make you feel jittery and irritable. Over time, caffeine can become addictive. It is also a diuretic it causes the kidneys to remove extra fluid into the urine. That leaves less fluid in the body. So drinking an energy drink while you're exercising can be particularly dangerous. The combination of the diuretic effect and sweating can severely dehydrate you.

There are several brands of energy drinks out there in the market. The decision of your choice may be the brand recognition among consumers or what is said by its manufacturers to give you. Whatever your brand choice is, energy drinks have some dangerous side effects that may be resulting in that heart burns, irregular heartbeat, excess sweating and anxiousness you have being experiencing.

Since energy drinks don’t all contain the same ingredients, you’ll probably find your body reacting differently from brand to brand. However, the ingredients in these drinks that are giving them a bad rap are namely sugar, guarana, taurine and especially caffeine. These are the ingredients aimed at providing you with an increased spurt of energy. However, these same energy boosters have been shown to have some pretty nasty effects on your body’s system and on your short-term memory.

Sugar per say may not be that harmful, but the quantity in your energy drink can be really harmful to your body. Energy drinks that come packed with sugar and sometimes fructose, which can often have laxative effects on your body. Sugar causes your energy levels (or insulin levels) to come crashing down once the sugar leaves the bloodstream. Energy drinks high in sugar are good for a short-term buzz, as they stimulate your nervous system quickly, which usually makes you feel more energetic at first. However, the sugar is used up in a short period, and the drinker is often left feeling more fatigued than they were to begin with. If your drink contains high amounts of sugar, regular consumption will lead to dental health problems such as cavities due to the fact that sugar provides easily digestible energy for the bad bacteria in the mouth. Aside sugar is fructose which is broken down by the body whiles trying to digest the sugar. Fructose is not needed in significant amount and there is no physiological need for it. Fructose is only metabolized by the liver into glycogen which is also stored in the liver. This glycogen is only released by the liver when the body needs it. As we consume more and more of sugar from energy drinks, the liver starts storing excess glycogen leading to fatty liver, which can be really harmful to your body. Keep in mind that the amount of sugar in these energy drinks is equal to six table spoons of sugar.

Guarana is a stimulant that comes from a small shrub native to Venezuela and Brazil. This stimulant is a mood enhancer and also contributes to weight loss. It is also used to enhance athletic performance and to reduce fatigue. It has been also used in the past as aphrodisiac, diuretic, astringent and to prevent malaria, dysentery, diarrhea, fever, headache and rheumatism. Guarana has also being used to help cocaine addicts during their withdrawal stage. It is also worth mentioning that this plant contains up to 7% of caffeine. Guarana is highly not recommended for pregnant women and young children. Guarana if consumed in moderation will have minimal side effects, as they are flushed out of the body quite easily, ceasing its side effects in a matter of hours. However consuming beyond recommended dosage can lead to increased blood pressure, irregular heart beat and heartburn

Taurine is an amino acid, a chemical that is required for building blocks of protein. Taurine is found naturally in large amounts in the brain, retina, heart and blood cells called platelets. Taurine is also found in meat and fish. Taurine which is often referred to as conditional amino acid, which means it can be manufactured easily by the body. As such taking these energy drinks will add to the excess taurine already present in your body. Although medical research is ongoing, some potential side effects include blood thinning, changes to heart rate or rhythm and extremely low blood sugar. Blood thinning is good for the heart as it reduces the effects of hypertension (high blood pressure) and prevents plagues from building up in the arteries. However individuals with hypotension (low blood pressure) might experience further blood pressure drops and subsequent problems such as dizziness. Experts can point to at least two instances where it might have triggered psychiatric disorder and brain damage. Digestive problems (as it triggers the body to produce more acid) and dehydration (as a person tends to visit the wash room as the body tries to flush it out with the urine) as it are also some of the results of it being excess in our bodies.

Caffeine is known to have both laxative and diuretic effects on the body, which means you often lose the stimulant through excess urination and are left dehydrated. Caffeine also increases your heart rate and body temperature. Too much of this stimulant can cause an nervousness, insomnia, heart palpitations, tremors, sweating, nausea, diarrhea, chest pain, and neurological symptoms, which is hardly ideal if you want to concentrate for an exam or get in the mindset for a competitive event. It is also true that drinks spiked with high amounts of sugar will raise your insulin levels, and contribute to a host of modern diseases such as diabetes and obesity.

Caffeine works by blocking the effects of adenosine, a brain chemical involved in sleep. When caffeine blocks adenosine, it causes neurons in the brain to fire. Thinking the body is in an emergency, the pituitary gland initiates the body's "fight or flight" response by releasing adrenaline. This hormone makes the heart beat faster and the eyes dilate. It also causes the liver to release extra sugar into the bloodstream for energy. Caffeine affects the levels of dopamine, a chemical in the brain's pleasure center. All of these physical responses make you feel as though you have more energy.

On top of that, high amounts of caffeine can reduce your coordination and balance. Too many energy drinks with caffeine will disturb your sleeping patterns. These are the reasons that top the list of why children, pregnant women and people with heart conditions should avoid energy drinks.

Other ingredients can also be problematic. For example, the stimulant ephedrine, an ingredient in many decongestants, can cause heart problems. In 2001, two California high school students fainted after ingesting energy drinks containing ephedrine. Because very little research has been done on the long-term health effects of consuming excess amounts of taurine and other ingredients in energy drinks, many health experts advise pregnant women and young children to avoid them.

If the side effects of energy drinks alone aren’t enough to deter you, then add some alcohol to strengthen the negative effects. Mixing energy drinks with booze causes further dehydration. This explains why raver kids are passing out at dance clubs.
Energy drink cocktails cause drowsiness, loss of coordination and slow reflexes. To make matters worse, when you’re pounding back energy drinks and alcohol it’s hard to determine just how much booze you’ve actually taken in. As a result, your blood alcohol concentration will often rise in conjunction with your energy and bravado – therefore you won’t even realize how much alcohol you’ve consumed, and might try to do something stupid – like drive home. Although people decide to drink energy drinks with alcohol with the intent of counteracting alcohol intoxication, another large majority do so to hide the taste of alcohol. Researchers at the Human Performance Laboratory have suggested people refrain from mixing such powerful stimulants with alcohol, they believe it might cause cardiopulmonary or cardiovascular failures.

As of November 10, 2010 caffeinated alcoholic energy drinks had been banned in Washington and Michigan in the United States. The bans followed a widely publicized incident which resulted in hospitalization in the fall of 2010 of college students who had consumed several cans of Four Loko caffeinated alcoholic beverage. Utah, which has state controlled liquor retail outlets, after studying them, never permitted the sale of caffeinated alcoholic energy drinks. The products will no longer be delivered to Oklahoma after December 3, 2010 and delivery to retailers has been suspended in New York.

Other than caffeine levels, how do energy drinks differ from sodas and sports drinks? Soft drinks are mainly water, sugar and flavoring. They don't do anything for your body; they're just supposed to taste good. Sports drinks which are often confused as energy drinks are designed to replenish fluids lost during activity. They typically contain water, electrolytes and sugar.

So, when we ask the question "Are energy drinks bad for you?" Understand that high amounts of sugar and caffeine are bad for you. If your energy drink is filled with sugar and caffeine, then it is bad for you. Well the choice to or not to consume energy drinks is however yours to make.

REFERENCING

1.      Coffee Drinkers may live long

 

2.      4 Reasons why you should avoid energy drinks-Natural and Health Guide with Natural Remedies

 

3.      http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/coffee.htm

 

4.      Energy Drinks Health Impact and Regulation

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