Energy Drinks: Are They Really Harmless?

Energy drinks came onto the scene during the past decade and they have quickly become a part of American culture. What once as the role of soda pop and coffee has now quickly been replaced with items that offer quite a bit more by way of a pick me up. From energy drinks to energy shots people of all ages are consuming these highly caffeinated, high sugar beverages in large quantity but many worry that this is an unsafe practice.

Most of the individuals using these items are doing so to help them overcome the exhaustion that they are experiencing by not getting enough rest and while it may be excusable for those adults working third shift to occasionally use a 5 Hour Energy or a Red Bull to get them going it seems highly unlikely that America's youth needs these beverages to keep them going. With no age restriction on these high energy beverages there is little a parent can do to stop their children from ingesting these beverages.

But really what are the ramifications? Are these items just a slight grade above a cup of coffee or soda or are they more. Well, quite honestly, perhaps the biggest thing that most people don't realize is that these items are not very well regulated and they contain very different amounts of both caffeine and sugar. While most people would assume that the different beverages are all alike they can be extremely more or less potent depending on their brand name.

As a result you will likely want to make sure that you learn all you can about the different brands of energy drinks and their actual contents before choosing one for yourself or for your child. Boosting your energy in a chemical fashion can have a reverse effect making you even more tired when the effects of the drink eventually wear off and it is important also to realize that these beverages should only be consumed on an occasional basis because anything more could result in high blood pressure.

There are risks involved in using these beverages to receive a boost of energy and they can even include death. So whatever you do, make sure you do your homework and keep those under the age of 18 away from the energy beverages as much as possible. Even if the government doesn't have the good sense to regulate them that does not mean that they should be ingested by everyone on a regular basis.