High school students everywhere around the world have either tried or have frequently drank energy drinks. There are many types of energy drinks, including, but not limited to, Monster Energy, Red Bull, Bang, Rockstar, Ghost, G Fuel, etc. Energy drinks aren’t the only type of soda that contains caffeine, though. Many other sodas like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper, and Barq’s Root Beer are some popular drinks that contain plenty of caffeine.
Why are energy drinks even popular? Doctors and different health inspectors have explained over and over again why these energy drinks aren’t healthy and, if drunk too much, could cause long-term problems. They can cause increased heart rate, blood pressure, anxiety, insomnia, and even heart complications.
Despite these warnings, 30-50% of adolescents, ages 13 through 17, drink energy drinks as a way to get an extra boost of energy or to keep themselves awake long enough to get through the day or even the night. Some, about 20% of students, drink more than one energy drink per month. Many are concerned because, if drunk too much, energy drinks can cause a caffeine dependency and/or addiction.
Though there are some who drink energy drinks because of their flavors rather than the energy the drinks bring. Energy drinks come in many different flavors, with new flavors coming out more often as of recently. Each brand comes out with a new flavor at least a few times a year, but it really depends on the location and brand.
A few of the most popular flavors are Monster Energy’s Zero Ultra Light, otherwise known as the White Monster, which is the most well known Monster flavor and widely enjoyed by people of all ages and has a tangy, citrus flavor, one of Red Bull’s most popular flavors is its original flavor as it combines a sweet and tangy taste
Energy drink companies, Like Monster, have even experimented with coffee flavors and juice flavors. This strategy aims to expand their brand’s reach to a wider audience, given the broad appeal of coffee and juice across age groups.
Not only do energy drinks have many flavors, but they also have many ingredients that many ignore or simply don’t care about enough to look at them. Everyone should know about a few ingredients and can learn more about them with a simple Google search, including Potassium Sorbate: a preservative generally considered healthy in moderate amounts, but may cause allergic reactions in some individuals, Taurine: an amino acid that can increase the risk of heart problems, Niacin: A B vitamin that can be toxic in high doses but is generally safe to consume in energy drinks and can even have some positive effects, like reducing the risk of heart attacks. These are only a few ingredients in a Monster Energy drink
It’s becoming increasingly common for people to have heart problems in the United States; 82.6 million people suffer from some type of cardiovascular disease. Energy drinks are not something people should feel afraid to drink, they are not unsafe when consumed in moderation. We should consume everything in moderation, not just energy drinks.
Research indicates that energy drinks worsen attention spans, anxiety, as well as long-term memory, and that excessive consumption causes headaches.
We don’t treat caffeine addictions as seriously as other addictions, but a caffeine addiction can be as serious as an addiction to alcohol. Some who have caffeine addictions don’t even realize they have an addiction until they start feeling the withdrawal symptoms, symptoms can include headaches, drowsiness, fatigue, nausea, anxiety, dizziness, and can cause depression.
Similar to Monster Energy, Red Bull is another popular energy drink enjoyed by high schoolers. Red Bull is similar to Monster, except it has less caffeine and other ingredients like guarana and ginseng root.
Energy drinks are enjoyable, it’s not an unknown fact, which is why almost everyone drinks them. They have varying flavors that can suit anyone’s tastes and plenty of different choices to choose from.