Energy drinks are all the rage nowadays, especially among the youngsters, as they provide you with an instant rush of energy and increase alertness as well. But energy drinks have a darker side, one that is seldom spoken of. Such is the rage for these energy drinks that they're now available in pet bottles as well. Everyone from sports personalities to movie stars, everyone is jumping on the bandwagon of these aerated drinks. So what exactly is the problem with these energy drinks and why you shouldn't be consuming them regularly? Let's take a look.
Caffeine:
While caffeine per se isn't bad for you and the USFDA states that one can consume up to 400 mg of caffeine per day, each can of these energy drinks comes with 240 mg of caffeine. That means, consuming 2 cans in a single day can take your caffeine levels above the permissible levels for the day. Caffeine also tends to dehydrate, which means that you need to keep a tab on your water intake as well.
Health complications:
Energy drinks are known to cause health issues such as High Blood Pressure, arrhythmia, anxiety attacks, and stroke just to name a few. In fact, the USA alone reports over 20,000 emergency cases that are linked with the consumption of these energy drinks. A small but important study even concluded that some of the reported cardiac arrest fatalities were a result of excess consumption of these energy drinks.
Loaded with sugar:
We at HYP have gone to great lengths to explain why you shouldn't be consuming sugar. Most of these energy drinks come loaded with sugar, some more than what you'd find in a soft drink. Excessive consumption of sugar can cause weight gain, can trigger an insulin response, can cause Type 2 Diabetes, and can cause fatty liver, which if left untreated, can also lead to cancer.
So what's the option?
If you're feeling low on energy, you can opt for an apple, a cup of coffee, a HYP Protein bar or Protein cookie, an egg, or you can just keep sipping on some good old water to curb your hunger pangs and to give you some much-needed energy. If you must consume energy drinks, then try to save them for times when you don't have an option to pick anything else.
Questions?