Danger in Your Energy Drink?

Hidden ingredients can spell disaster

 

 

Remember when Jessie Spano on Saved by the Bell went off the deep end on caffeine pills? One minute she was “so excited,” the next she was crying, passing out, and missing her big break for filming a trampoline-laden music video.

If SBTB were still filming today (hey, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Mario Lopez still look good), Jessie might have swapped her pills for a super-sized energy drink. Only this time, energy drinks are actually sending people to the hospital — more than 20,000 emergency room visits were due in some part to energy drink consumption in 2011, according to The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Energy drinks contain anywhere from 80mg of caffeine (Red Bull) to 208mg (5-Hour Energy). Your tall Starbucks coffee has about 260mg. Energy drinks pack a larger punch because they contain guarana, a caffeine-like substance that stimulates the body more than caffeine.
Overdoing it on energy drinks has been associated with the following symptoms, according to the American College of Medical Toxicology:

• anxiety
• dehydration
• heart palpitations
• seizures (though rare, cases have been documented)

A big concern for the over-21 set is that caffeine and guarana in energy drinks can mask intoxication. This makes reckless behavior and bad decisions more likely to happen than if you were just drinking alcohol. You may feel like you can drive home, but trust us, you can’t.

All this is not to say you can’t crack open a Monster every once in a while. Caffeine affects people differently, and some people may not experience energy-boosting or negative effects at all while some people could drink weak tea and not sleep for days. Moderation is the key — plus avoiding Jäger bombs or any other cocktail combo of alcohol and energy drinks. Sorry, Real World cast members.

The Grapefruit Paloma: A drink that is tasty and good for you.