Notes

Hey guys, my name is Kevin Shah. I want you to imagine you're heart beating extremely fast, the sweat that's gathering across your body and your hands that wont stop shaking. I know it sounds like I'm describing what it feels like to give a speech in this class, but what I'm actually describing are the negative effects of drinking energy drinks. As college students, we all have one thing in common--the need for more energy. Now when I say energy, the primary source of energy that probably pops into your head is energy drinks. And when you hear energy drinks, you probably think of a nice cold tasty beverage that you can easily pick up for an inexpensive price to get you through your day. And you're right. These drinks do produce that extra jolt of energy to keep you active and engaged for a period of time. However, the continuous consumption of energy drinks can lead to many illnesses in the long run. To understand the problem of energy drinks, first I will tell you what exactly energy drinks are. Next, I will discuss the health risks of energy drinks and what is wrong with them. And finally, I will go over the solutions and alternatives of energy drink consumption.

So what exactly is an energy drink? In simple terms, an energy drink is a beverage that boosts energy levels (go figure) in order to improve mental and physical performance in individuals for a certain period of time. Popular brands of energy drinks such as Monster, Red Bull, Rockstar, and others contain extremely high amounts of caffeine and sugar. But because these drinks are marketed as dietary supplements and not beverages, the FDA does not regulate the safety of the ingredients in them. So then the question is who regulates them? Well I'm going to tell you who regulates them. The manufacturers of these drinks are the ones responsible for the regulation and safety of ingredients. Since the main interest of the companies is to make money off these drinks, they have the ability to warn you however they please. Now the main ingredient in energy drinks is obviously caffeine. Because caffeine is so common in diets today, people generally disregard the fact that it does alter performance, is addictive, and can be toxic or even fatal--especially at high concentrations.

These high concentrations of caffeine are the primary cause of major health problems. Even though manufacturers are not required to label to caffeine content in energy drinks, it is believed that there is up to 5 times as much caffeine in one energy drink to the equivalent size can of soda. This leads to serious health effects such as heart rhythm problems, increased blood pressure, and even cardiac arrest. A report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found emergency room visits involving energy drinks doubled from 2007-2011 from nearly 10,000 to over 20,000. Another main cardiovascular effect of energy drinks is heart palpitations. According to a study, 1/5th or 20% of college students who used energy drinks experienced heart palpitations. The scary thing is that as college students that we are the primary targets of energy drink consumption. According to consumer affairs 1/3rd of adolescents who fall in the age range of 12-19 consume energy drinks on a daily basis. And in 2007, of all caffeine overdose cases from energy drinks, 46% of them occurred in people under the age of 19.

Due to the dangers of such drinks, there needs to be an action that must be taken. Luckily, there are many reasonable alternatives and several different ways you can act. One course of action would be to simply stop the purchase and consumption of these energy drinks. If that seems too over-the-top, you can limit your energy consumption to one a day or every other day. You can also start consuming more natural, healthier alternatives for energy such as coffee which also contains many health benefits such as reducing risk of developing type 2 diabetes and providing a large amount of antioxidants to your body.