Now a multi-million dollar industry, energy drinks can be found in nearly any convenience store. As popular as they may be, some researchers wonder how safe these drinks really are because their lack of strict regulation by the Food and Drug Administration has provided scarce research on their ingredients.
Sebastian Cianci, public affairs specialist for the FDA stated in an e-mail message that the term "energy drink" is not specifically defined in the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. He said if the drinks are not labeled as a supplement, they are subject to be regulated as conventional foods, and have to meet the general requirements outlined for all food products.
Mariam Basma, nutrition counselor at the university, said many of the herbal ingredients and supplements added to energy drinks - including taurine, guarana, l-carnitine and ginseng - have not been researched enough to properly assess their potential health effects, as well as their effects when mixed with caffeine.
"We aren't sure how safe they are," Basma said. "Some countries have banned energy drinks simply because they don't know how safe they are."
She said taurine, one ingredient found in drinks such as Monster, Red Bull and Full Throttle, is an amino acid that occurs naturally in protein- foods like meat and fish. She said isolating Taurine in energy drinks may actually be counterproductive, because it can create a calming effect.
This is one reason why energy drinks may cause their users to crash or feel sick after drinking them, Basma said.
According to WebMD.com, the FDA requires commercial beverage manufacturers to list caffeine on all nutritional labels. However, it does not require manufacturers to list how much caffeine a product contains.
Most energy drinks contain approximately twice the amount of caffeine as a caffeinated soda, and more caffeine than most coffee beverages, the Web site states. In many energy drinks, the amount of caffeine exceeds the maximum limit placed on carbonated sodas. While a 12-ounce serving of Coca-Cola Classic contains 29 milligrams of caffeine, energy drinks such as No Fear can have nearly 141 milligrams of caffeine per 16-ounce serving.
Basma said in high doses, caffeine alone can be potentially harmful to the body by causing it to excrete calcium, a precursor to developing weak bones. It can also elevate heart rate and blood pressure. Large amounts of caffeine may also hinder the ability to concentrate, she said.
"If you take caffeine in high amounts, you won't be able to focus," Basma said. "Especially if you drink it later in the day, that can lead to sleep deprivation and irregular sleep patterns."
Other ingredients found in energy drinks are ginseng and guarana, both stimulants similar to caffeine. Basma said little research has been done assessing the interactions of these stimulants with caffeine, a cause of concern because the energizing effects of the additives and caffeine could be multiplied when mixed together. She said the additives may not even be essential ingredients for energy drinks.
"The company's justification is that during times of high stress, your need for these ingredients is higher," Basma said. "Do you need it for a drink? No, not necessarily."
Kathleen Miller, a research scientist at the University at Buffalo, studied the effects of energy drink consumption and concluded that a correlation exists between drinking energy drinks and "toxic jock behavior," a behavior associated with hyper-masculine attitudes and excessive risk taking.
Her 2006 study found people who drank energy drinks at least six days per month, or one or two times per week, had an elevated risk of problem drinking, illicit drug use, sexual risktaking and violence.
Miller said she believes more research needs to be conducted on the effects and safety of the ingredients used in energy drinks because there are currently loopholes in the way they are used. She said energy drinks should carry warning labels to notify children and pregnant women of their potential side effects.
"Even if we don't regulate, we at least ought to know what we're getting in these drinks," Miller said.
Some countries including France, Denmark and Norway have banned energy drinks due to their excessive amounts of caffeine. Canada requires warning labels and Sweden only allows energy drinks to be sold in pharmacies for medicinal purposes, she said.
Basma said for students looking for increased energy levels, there is no need for them to rely on energy drinks because a healthy diet, frequent exercise and adequate amounts of sleep are all keys to maintaining energy levels. However, for those still needing a boost, drinking coffee in moderate amounts is healthy.
"You should not have to rely on energy drinks," she said. "One or two cups of coffee in the morning is all you need."
Junior Max Ferreira said he believes energy drink users, especially students, should be more aware of their potential health risks.
"A lot of people use these drinks for studying," Ferreira said. "If people knew a little bit more of the health risks or the lack of regulations, they probably wouldn't drink them as much. Something like that, if you do it too much, it's bound to have adverse effects."
Follow us on Twitter
Subscribe to our feed
Contact us through email
Be the first to comment on this article!