Energy Drinks Jolt-and-Crash

Filed in archive News on October 28, 2006

More than a handful energy drinks are launched the world over year after year. These are usually marketed to teenagers and young adults. Just like the problem with cola, energy drinks are laden with sugar and caffeine and are bound to be addictive.

The Associated Press has recently come up with an investigative article that reports more serious consequences:

Nutritionists warn that the drinks, laden with caffeine and sugar, can hook kids on an unhealthy jolt-and-crash cycle. The caffeine comes from multiple sources, making it hard to tell how much the drinks contain. Some have B vitamins, which when taken in megadoses can cause rapid heartbeat, and numbness and tingling in the hands and feet.

But the biggest worry is how some teens use the drinks. Some report downing several cans in a row to get a buzz, and a new study found a surprising number of poison-center calls from young people getting sick from too much caffeine.

The NC Times published the article Caffeine-stoked energy drinks wire a generation; doctors, other experts see troubling signs.

Like in all things, moderation is key.

For individual reviews, visit the blog quoted in the article, Energy Drink Reviews.