Energy drinks, such as Celsius, Alani, Red Bull, and Monster started becoming popular in the 2000s for teenagers and adults and were notoriously known for their potent and unpleasant taste, but effective when it comes to an extra energy spike. Energy drinks first came about in Japan, post-World War 2, to benefit truck drivers or factory workers to keep them alert for longer periods of time. These drinks, called Lipovitan, were served in small bottles and consisted of a key main ingredient, taurine. Studies show that up to 3,000 mg of taurine is safe to consume at a time, and these bottles had that amount in them. An Austrian man named Dietrich Mateschiz took interest in taurine’s impressive effects and collaborated with the energy drink brand Krating Daeng to boost energy drinks’ popularity globally. This is when Red Bull is created and takes Europe and the U.S. by storm in the 1990s.
After multi-vitamins, energy drinks are the most popular “dietary supplement” for people ages 12-34. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, “Between 2007 and 2011, the number of energy drink related visits to emergency departments doubled. In 2011, one of every ten of these visits resulted in hospitalization.” Along with taurine being found in energy drinks, caffeine was introduced as well. Caffeine is dangerous in large amounts already, but when combined with alcohol, can be even more dangerous. It impairs the body’s ability to gauge alcohol consumption, making it seem like somebody is less intoxicated than they really are. The FDA states that more than 400 milligrams are not safe for the human body, heart, and nervous system. Caffeine increases activity in a person’s brain and nervous system, but it also acts as a diuretic, which means it causes dehydration. Ever notice how when you drink energy drinks or coffee that you end up going to the bathroom a lot? That’s an effect of the diuretic and the dehydration that comes along with it. This can also cause an increase in blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, and increases the chance for nausea or heartburn because of the increased stomach acid production. Just like alcohol, it is possible to build up a tolerance to caffeine and energy drinks, which can lead to exceeding the safe amount of consumption and lead to even bigger problems, such as tachycardia, insomnia, and muscle breakdown. Life-long side effects could stem from excessive caffeine intakes, and even though the bright packaging of Alanis and many different flavors of Red Bull look appealing to an average high school or college student, drinking too many could result in health problems for life.
