ADVERTISING: Advertorial — Energy drinks: Are they worth the risk?
Dr. Wayne M. Fichter Jr.
The same pick-me-up that powers you through a boring afternoon meeting or late-night deadline could be silently setting your body up for some serious health problems. A 2013 report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration outlines a drastic climb in energy-drink-related emergency room visits. With cans lining gas station and grocery store coolers across the nation, these beverages have become a billion-dollar industry in the United States. Energy drinks are very popular, globally the energy drink market was worth $39 billion in 2013 and is forecast to reach $61 billion by 2021. But research is citing major health implications due to the consumption of these pick me up drinks.
It all depends on how many drinks you have. If you add up the total caffeine and it’s equal or above 200 milligrams, this could cause a condition known as caffeine intoxication, according to a study published in the International Journal of Health Sciences in 2015. Symptoms of intoxication could include anxiety, insomnia, gastrointestinal irritation, muscle twitching, restlessness and periods of inexhaustibility.
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