Fuelled by Energy drinks, but at what cost?

Super caffeinated energy drinks have surged into popularity over the past decade. Research undertaken in 2005 suggests energy drinks account for approximately £1 in every £5 spent on soft drinks. Modern life has created what we could call an exhaustion epidemic. With many people trying to keep up with impossible work loads, family life, and even internet social networking, we often find ourselves feeling less alert, feeling more tired as the day goes on, and often sleeping less to fit more into the day. It’s not surprising then that millions of people are reaching for pick me up drinks or chemical helpers, often without a second thought about whether they are good or bad for us. This is the first of two articles: this article will discuss the effects energy drinks have on our health, and the second article will explore how nutrition can help with maximising our natural energy, and suggest some less evasive natural alternatives for times when we do need an extra boost.

Worrying trends

Despite the manufacturers of these drinks saying the marketing of these products are targeted at adults, there are an increasing number of young people drinking them regularly, quite often to get them through the day at school. A study of 200 teenagers in 2003 in the US found that the teenagers with a high intake of caffeine were actually less mentally alert than those who did not consume much caffeine. Judy Owens MD (director of the Paediatric Sleep Disorders Centre at Hasbro Children’s Hospital US) points out that consuming these drinks is also likely to reduce the consumption of healthier beverages such as milk and juice, which are needed for children’s growth and development. This trend is indeed worrying as it could be argued that children are more susceptible to developing habits that last a lifetime, and there is a real potential danger of them becoming addicted to these stimulant drinks.

The increasing popularity of mixing energy drinks with alcohol is another worrying trend. The danger in this lies in the fact that the energy drinks are a stimulant while alcohol is a depressant. The stimulant properties can mask the feeling of intoxication, so drinkers feel less drunk and more awake, which can also lead to them drinking much more than the safe limit, or indeed feeling they are capable of driving. While drinkers may feel more in control, studies have reported that motor co-ordination and visual reaction times are just as impaired as when people drink alcohol on its own.

So what are the effects of these drinks on our bodies?

Dr Mark A Kantor from the University of Maryland reporting on CBS news says that a lot of the ingredients of these drinks have not been adequately studied, and we just don’t really know how safe these drinks are. However they are all similar in that they have high levels of caffeine, and often high amounts of (glucose) sugar. Sugar and stimulants both raise our blood sugar levels which gives a temporary boost in energy, but in the long term blood sugar levels can become unstable. One of the reasons for this is that the body becomes less sensitive to the hormone insulin. Insulin is produced by the pancreas and helps glucose to enter the body’s cells where it is used for energy. Regularly drinking these drinks is therefore likely to compromise the body’s natural ability to produce energy, resulting in becoming dependant on stimulants and leading to fatigue and exhaustion.

Stimulants such as caffeine work by triggering the release of three neurotransmitters: dopamine, adrenaline and noradrenalin. As well as this caffeine blocks the receptors for a chemical called adenosine, whose function is to stop dopamine release. With less adenosine activity the levels of dopamine and adrenalin are increased in the body, which boost energy and mood for a short while only. The adrenal glands are partly responsible for the regulation of blood sugar and providing the body with energy, as well as producing adrenalin. When adrenalin is produced in large amounts it triggers what is called the ‘flight or fight’ response. Our blood pressure goes up and glucose enters the blood which then goes to the arms, legs, and head enabling us to fight, run, or think quickly. The purpose of adrenaline is to provide short term energy to deal with any presenting danger. Once the presenting danger has passed, adrenaline production stops, and our energy levels drop resulting in fatigue. Drinking energy drinks will effectively trick our bodies into believing we are in danger, put our bodies under stress, and ultimately lead to our adrenal glands becoming exhausted thus compromising the body’s ability to produce and sustain energy. Over stimulation can also lead to the receptor sites for these neurotransmitters starting to shut down, therefore needing more of the products to have the same effect.

Caffeine is highly addictive and research has shown that drinking as little as 100mg of caffeine a day can lead to withdrawal symptoms, if you were to stop drinking it altogether. It is worth noting this caffeine can come from coffee, tea, and cola as well as from energy drinks. Withdrawal symptoms include headaches, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating. If you do consume lots of energy drinks a day, then it may be worth cutting down your intake gradually.

The effects of consuming large quantities of caffeine can include: feeling jittery, anxious, and irritable, raised blood pressure, heart palpitations, and insomnia. For anyone who wakes from not sleeping very well, energy drinks can be seen as an answer to help them through the day; however they are only likely to exacerbate their sleep problems, again leading to less energy not more. The Food Standards Agency also warn of the dangers of consuming too much caffeine in pregnancy which they say can result in babies having a low birth weight and in some cases can cause miscarriage. As a diuretic, caffeine causes our kidneys to remove extra fluid from our bodies. This can lead to dehydration especially in cases where people consume energy drinks while they are exercising and sweating, or when they combine alcohol with these drinks on a night out dancing.

Another popular ingredient of energy drinks is guarana, from the seeds and leaves of the guarana shrub native to Brazil and Uruguay. There is a belief that if something is natural then it is more likely to be good for us, however guarana is naturally high in caffeine and therefore has all the attendant health risks. However fats and oils in the seeds prolong the absorption of caffeine meaning that guarana can have a milder and longer lasting effect.

The cost to our health, of drinking these drinks, certainly does seem very high. Energy drinks stimulate our nervous system, making our bodies believe we are in danger and reacting to this perceived danger (flight or fright). They also stop our body’s natural process of energy production from working as effectively, leading to exhaustion, fatigue and becoming dependant on more and more of these drinks for energy. The vicious cycle of fatigue, drinking energy drinks, dependence on these stimulants, withdrawal and fatigue is a cycle that is very difficult indeed to escape.

“Let food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food”
Hippocrates

Note: Information in this article is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor, who should be the first port of call with any of the mentioned health conditions. I am not medically qualified, but have been interested in nutrition since my eldest daughter developed food intolerances almost 20 years ago. I have researched this piece from reputable internet sites and by reading through books such as;

The Food Doctor, Healing foods for mind and body by Vicki Edgson & Ian Marber
Superfoods by Michael Van Straten & Barbara Griggs
Prescription for Nutritional healing 2nd edition by James F Balch M.D & Phyllis A. Balch C.N.C
Food your miracle medicine by Jean Harper
The food pharmacy by Jean Harper
500 of the most important health tips you’ll ever need by Hazel Courteney
Natural Highs by Patrick Holford & Dr Hyla Cass
The Food Doctor Diet by Ian Marber Dip ION (Institute of Optimum Nutrition)