Are Energy Drinks Really Safe To Drink?
While popular, these colorfully marketed cans aren’t often properly regulated, and can have dangerous effects.
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Not to be confused with sports drinks, energy drinks are a dangerous mix of sugar, supplemental nutrients and stimulants. We won’t keep you in suspense: They’re no good. Here’s why.
The promise of popping open a can and slurping immediate energy is certainly appealing. Too bad it’s too good to be true. With names like Rockstar, Monster, Red Bull and Bang, energy drinks are marketed to appeal to adolescents, college students and anyone else famously short on sleep. Celebrity endorsements and sponsorships by athletic teams also add to the appeal. Flashy packaging and the fact that you can buy them at any grocery store or gas station further leads consumers to believe they must be safe. Social media has taken this popularity to new heights, making brands like Celsius and Reign sensations on TikTok. Chain restaurants have also cashed in on the popularity of energy drinks by offering their own takes on menus.
But the dangers of these drinks are real. In 2017, a 16-year-old boy tragically died of a caffeine overdose after drinking a series stimulant-containing beverages.
Many people fail to take stock of the multiple sources of caffeine they ingest, and the consequences are incredibly dangerous. A review published in 2021 linked energy drinks to several adverse cardiovascular and neurological effects that lead to emergency room visits and deaths. Findings from a study published in 2017 also suggest that consumption of energy drinks can be particularly harmful to the developing brains of adolescents and a review from 2023 further supports the need for better regulation of these beverages, especially for children.
With a few exceptions, energy drinks are sold as dietary supplements, not conventional beverages. This means that these products are not subject to the same scrutinizing U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) safety standards as regular foods and beverages. To know for sure, check the label — if the can lists “supplement facts,” it is a supplement and therefore not properly regulated and the label may be inaccurate. If the drink has a “nutrition facts” label, it has been classified as a beverage and tested for accuracy before being sold. While this is an additional layer of protection, it doesn’t indicate that the energy drink is a healthy choice or that the ingredients may not cause harm — all it means is that what is listed on the can is, in fact, in the can.
At best, these drinks are too high in sugar, but many brands also include a long list of unnecessary added vitamins and minerals. The calorie-free versions (full of artificial sweeteners) are also suspect — how can something with no calories provide energy? It’s easy to confuse a stimulant buzz with having true energy. The major difference is that energy from calories is real fuel, and stimulants only give you the illusion of energy by having a short-lived effect on your neurological system and heart rate.
Here are just a few of the potentially dangerous ingredients commonly found in energy drinks:
Caffeine: Can cause increased heart rate, anxiety, sleep disturbances, upset stomach and dehydration. Many drinks have two to five times more caffeine than a cup of coffee.
Guarana: A caffeine-like product that compounds the stimulant effect with limited evidence of safety. It has four to six times more caffeine than coffee beans.
Taurine: Promoted to help with focus, taurine may have a sedative effect. It is used to treat high blood pressure and congestive heart failure. Very little is known about the safety of high-dose or long-term use.
L-Theanine: Another poorly studied ingredient, especially when mixed with caffeine. Side effects can include headache, sleepiness and blood pressure shifts.
Vitamins: Excessive doses of several vitamins, including common energy drink additives niacin and vitamin B6, can be toxic in large doses. Toxicity symptoms of B6 can cause numbness and tingling in fingers and toes, and too much niacin can cause headaches, nausea and liver damage.
It has also become trendy to mix energy drinks with alcohol; this creates a dangerous combination of “uppers” and “downers” that may result in dangerous cardiovascular and neurological side effects.
Bottom Line: Cracking open an energy drink isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Pay attention to product labeling and then decide whether it’s best to avoid the drink altogether or proceed with extreme caution.
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