Long-Term Effects of Energy Drinks

It can be hard to keep up with the daily routine in our busy world without some help. Caffeine has proven effective when we need to stay alert and awake, and the invention of energy drinks allows people to keep going for long periods of time. In fact, according to a study by the research publisher Packaged Facts, sales of these drinks have increased as fast as 12 percent per year and it is estimated that by 2011 the sales will be at $9 billion. Few stop to wonder about the long-term consequences these drinks might have. Although there has not been much research in this area, some studies show the long term effects of the different drugs (primarily caffeine) found in energy drinks. Most of these long-term effects occur with excessively high consumption of these drinks.

Adrenal Exhaustion

• Caffeine forces adrenal glands to secrete adrenaline, which is the hormone that causes alertness. Energy drinks capitalize on artificially stimulating adrenal glands to secrete adrenaline: giving you that rush and feeling of alertness. If the body is constantly secreting adrenaline and not using it, your adrenal glands will become fatigued, and eventually, exhausted. That can lead to fatigue, anxiety, sleep disturbance, irritability, mood swings and depression.

Heart Problems and Blood Pressure

• A study done by Doctors at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit revealed an increase in heart rate from five to seven beats per minute, as well as an increase of 10 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure (the pressure when the heart compresses) in participants who consumed energy drinks in a lapse of seven days. While these increases are not enough to cause a healthy person to feel sick, they can have devastating consequences on people with heart or blood pressure problems.

Addiction

• Energy drinks can create dependence. The human body can easily develop tolerance to the drugs found in these drinks, leading to a higher consumption to attain the same effect. Since these drinks contain high amounts of caffeine, this can also lead to caffeine intoxication, creating adverse long-term effects such as anxiety, insomnia and rapid heart beat.