Morgan Grooms

Professor Leonard

ENG 1202

18 March 2021

How Do Energy Drinks Affect the Body and Mind?

Have you ever drunken an energy drink? If so, have you ever wondered what it is really

doing to your body or most importantly your brain? Many people question this daily. And people

wonder if these effects from energy drinks are good or bad for you. A large number of

influencers or any type of people who go to the gym to train, consume energy drinks on a daily.

But are these drinks really helping or benefiting in any way?

In 2019, energy drinks were 31% of dollar sales. From 2020-2021 the percentage has

increased by over 9%. Are the energy drinks getting the hype they deserve? Energy drinks were

first made post-World War 2 in Japan. An herbal energizing tonic was sold in a small bottle.

These were made to keep people awake who worked a lot. They were used to keep them awake

all day. It boosted physical and mental health. But the downside of it was that is tasted like cough

syrup. There was a warning label that said not to consume more than 100mg of it a day.

So how do energy drinks really affect your body and are they good or bad? Energy drinks

have become more popular this year. Many people drink them before working out or just to stay

awake instead of coffee. Large amounts of caffeine intake can cause serious heart and blood

vessel problems. They can also cause sleeplessness in many individuals. Energy drinks can mess

up sleep patterns and even teens risk-taking behavior. Anxiety can also be increased from

drinking too much caffiene.

 Did you know that drinking energy drinks with alcohol can actually make you feel less

intoxicated? When alcohol is mixed with energy drinks or caffiene, the depressents in alcohol are

actually masked making you feel more alert and aware of your surroundings. In 2017, 31.8% of

teens in the 19-28 age group have reported drinking energy drinks with alcohol. Energy drinks

contain sugar, caffiene, and plant-based stimulants. Caffiene does not have any effect on the

metabolism of alcohol in the liver.

Caffiene can increase the amount of salt and water that leaves your body. This can also

lead to extreme dehydration. Most energy drinks have around 160 mg of caffeine in them.

Energy drinks can also cause high heart rates and blood pressure. This can cause heart attacks

and cardiact arrest. Another bad thing energy drinks can cause is teeth damage. It can ruin your

tooth enamel and cause tooth decay. These are all things that no one wants to have.

Did you know energy drink ingredients don’t actually give you energy? Their main

ingredients are taurine, L-carnitine and glucuronolactone. They do not cause an energy boost at

all. The ingredients are found in organ and muscle tissue. All of the sugar in energy drinks can

give energy but then will make you have an “sugar crash”. These sugars can then lead to obesity.

There are a few other side affects of enery drinks such as cardiact arrest, headaches, or even

mood swings. Consuming more than 1,200 mg of sugar can actually cause a seizure.
Works Cited Page:

Conway, Published by Jan, and Jan 25. “Energy Drink Sales.” Statista, 25 Jan. 2021,

www.statista.com/statistics/558022/us-energy-drink-sales/#:~:text=In%202019%2C

%20energy%20drinks%20accounted,grew%20by%20nearly%20nine%20percent.

Pearson, Keith. “Are Energy Drinks Good or Bad for You?” Healthline, Healthline Media,

13 Apr. 2017, www.healthline.com/nutrition/energy-drinks.

“Dangers of Mixing Alcohol with Caffeine and Energy Drinks.” Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4 Feb. 2020,

www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/caffeine-and-alcohol.htm#:~:text=When%20alcohol

%20is%20mixed%20with,risk%20of%20alcohol%2Dattributable%20harms.

“Energy Drinks.” National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services, www.nccih.nih.gov/health/energy-

drinks#:~:text=Large%20amounts%20of%20caffeine%20may,developing

%20cardiovascular%20and%20nervous%20systems.

Gillespie, Claire. “What Really Happens to Your Body When You Use Energy Drinks.”

The Healthy, The Healthy, 14 Apr. 2020, www.thehealthy.com/nutrition/energy-drinks-do-

to-your-body/.