Deadlines are overtaking you?
MYP Booster! - No essay is hard enough.

Energy drinks are beverages like Red Bull, Venom, Adrenaline Rush, 180, ISO Sprint, and Whoopass, which contain large doses of caffeine and other legal stimulants like ephedrine, guarana, and ginseng. Energy drinks may contain as much as 80 mg of caffeine, the equivalent of a cup of coffee. Compared to the 37 mg. of caffeine in a Mountain Dew, or the 23 mg. in a Coca-Cola Classic, that’s a big punch. These drinks are marketed to people under 30, especially to college students, and are widely available both on and off campus.

Are there short-term dangers to drinking energy drinks?
Individual responses to caffeine vary, and these drinks should be treated carefully because of how powerful they are. Energy drinks’ stimulating properties can boost the heart rate and blood pressure (sometimes to the point of palpitations), dehydrate the body, and, like other stimulants, prevent sleep.
Energy drinks should not be used while exercising as the combination of fluid loss from sweating and the direct quality of the caffeine can leave the user severely dehydrated.
Know what you’re drinking. Energy drinks are not necessarily bad for you, but they shouldn’t be seen as “natural alternatives” either. Some of the claims they make like “improved performance and concentration” can be misleading. If you think of them as highly-caffeinated drinks, you’ll have a more accurate picture of what they are and how they affect you. You wouldn’t use Mountain Dew as a sports drink. And a drink like Red Bull and vodka is more like strong coffee and whisky than anything else.

What happens when energy drinks are combined with alcohol?
Energy drinks are also used as mixers with alcohol. This combination carries a number of dangers:
• Since energy drinks are stimulants and alcohol is a depressant, the combination of effects may be dangerous. The stimulant effects can mask how intoxicated you are and prevent you from realizing how much alcohol you have consumed. Fatigue is one of the ways the body normally tells someone that they’ve had enough to drink.
• The stimulant effect can give the person the impression they aren’t impaired. No matter how alert you feel, your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is the same as it would be without the energy drink. Once the stimulant effect wears off, the depressant effects of the alcohol will remain and could cause vomiting in your sleep or respiratory depression.
• Both energy drinks and alcohol are very dehydrating (the caffeine in energy drinks is a diuretic). Dehydration can hinder your body’s ability to metabolize alcohol and will increase the toxicity, and therefore the hangover, the next day.

Energy drinks” are meant to supply mental and physical stimulation for a short period of time. They usually contain caffeine, taurine (an amino acid, one of the building blocks of protein) and glucuronolactone, a carbohydrate.
“Energy drinks” should not be confused with sports drinks such as Gatorade or Powerade, which re-hydrate the body. These sports drinks also provide sugars, which the body burns to create energy and replenish electrolytes. Electrolytes maintain salt and potassium balances in the body.
The problems with “energy drinks” arise when too many are consumed or when they are mixed with alcohol. For example, they have become popular at all-night dance parties, bars and clubs.
People drink them to keep up their energy during periods of intense physical activity or drink them after exercise to quench their thirst. But rather than re-hydrating their bodies, these drinks may actually lead to dehydration.
Because of the effects they have, some “energy drinks” may have to be regulated as natural health products under the Natural Health Product (NHP) Regulations, depending on their ingredients (such as caffeine and vitamins), and the claims they make. Under the regulations, natural health products have to undergo a review process for their quality and safety. They also have to display recommended conditions for use, as well as cautions.
Currently, only Red Bull Energy Drink is authorized for sale as a natural health product and bears a natural health product number (NPN). The safety of other “energy drinks” (including those listed above) have not yet been evaluated under the NHP Regulations.
Four reports of adverse reactions involving “energy drinks” similar to Red Bull Energy Drink, have been reported to Health Canada.
In the four reports of adverse reactions involving “energy drunks,” symptoms included:
• Electrolyte disturbances;
• Nausea and vomiting; and
• Heart irregularities.
These four incidents involved improper use of “energy drinks,” such as drinking them with alcohol or in greater quantities than recommended.
Because of the nature of the adverse reaction reports, it is not possible to tell if the symptoms reported were due to the effect of combining the “energy drink” with alcohol, or due to alcohol itself.
If you drink “energy drinks,” be aware of the following.
• Red Bull Energy Drink is considered a health product in Canada and should be used according to the label instructions.
• Do not drink excessive amounts of Red Bull Energy Drink. The limit on Red Bull Energy Drink is 500 mL or two cans a day, as indicated on the product label.
• Do not mix Red Bull Energy Drink with alcohol.
• If you engage in intense physical activity or exercise, drink enough water to help re-hydrate your system.
• The safety profiles of other similar “energy drinks” have not been evaluated by Health Canada. It is not wise to drink excessive amounts of any “energy drink” or to mix them with alcohol.