Red Bull may give you wings, but at what cost?
To some, energy drinks are dangerous elixirs, while others consider them magic potions of vitality?
The truth about how they affect your body is not so black and white.
To get to the bottom of this caffeine-packed can, we spoke with Kamal Patel, the Director ofExamine.com.
For the purposes of this article, well focus on those.
But as always, check the ingredients list yourself and see how your drink of choice stacks up.
In fact, guarana has the highest caffeine content of any other plant out there.
That means its effect on you is essentially the same as caffeines.
That being said, theU.S.
When you ingest more vitamin B than your body needs, it merely gets lost in your urine.
Fortunately, youd need to consume nearly 50 servings of energy drinks to reach any dangerous numbers.
These arent the only ingredients youll find in energy drinks, of course.
Sugar isnt always bad for you, but in high amounts, itsvery unhealthy.
The artificial sweeteners used for the sugar-free versions of most energy drinks is a completely different can of worms.
Patel says that once youve developed enough tolerance, only the wakefulness effects will still be present.
Wevetalked about how caffeine affects the bodyat great lengths if you want to learn more.
As most caffeine drinkers already know, habitual caffeine consumption can possibly lead to
dependency
in some people.
Caffeine is Generally Recognized as Safe by the FDA, but theres still reason to be wary of it.
Keep your eye on each energy drinks sugar content.
Be sure to check out the actual servings listed on an energy drinks can.
So I dont like the idea of them.
While it might sound cliche, no one needs an energy drink.
If thats not an option,grab a nap if you have some time.
For now, theres not enough evidence to definitively say whether or not energy drinks are bad for you.
As with most things, moderation is key.
Kamal Patel is the director ofExamine.com.
He has published peer-reviewed articles on vitamin D and calcium as well as a variety of clinical research topics.
Illustration by Sam Woolley.
