When you are on the run and need to keep yourself safe all of the time, you need to do what you can to keep your energy levels up. That is why one of the go-to things to consume while trying to keep yourself safe is energy drinks.
Energy drinks are supposed to keep you alert and energetic. Many energy drink brands market themselves as giving you the boost you need so you can take on any continuous challenge.
Many people who have to pull all-nighters, whether they work, study, or have a problematic caregiving role, drink plenty of energy drinks. Those who are prepping also are known to drink energy drinks often and even daily.
Is that a good idea? Let’s talk about what happens when you drink energy drinks every day.
What Happens If You Drink Energy Drinks Daily?
Here is the thing with energy drinks. You can drink them in moderation if you need to have a pick-me-up. Therefore, drinking them each day is not a good idea.
Ingredients
Before going into why let’s go over the ingredients of popular energy drinks such as Red Bull. For example, the ingredients in Red Bull include
- caffeine
- sugar
- carbonated water
- citric acid
- glucuronolactone
- baking soda
- magnesium carbonate
- artificial colors.
B Vitamins and Taurine
There are also B vitamins and taurine, which have some health benefits. Taurine is an amino acid that happens in your heart, muscles, eyes, and brain.
Therefore, you need this as studies show that it reduces diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Additionally, it can help enhance sports performances and provide you with extra energy.
However, you do not reap the benefits of taking in the B vitamins and taurine. That is because of taking in too much sugar, caffeine, and artificial colors and flavors, which cancels those out.
Sugar-Free Energy Drinks
There are also sugar-free energy drinks that contain artificial sweeteners. However, they are still not ideal for drinking all of the time. Therefore, you do not want to drink energy drinks every day because they can cause many health problems.
Thus, the truth is that taurine and B vitamins are useless. Let’s begin to talk about the side effects you will experience if you drink energy drinks all of the time.
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Increase Your Chances of Developing Diabetes
The concern about developing diabetes is less prominent if you mainly drink sugar-free energy drinks alone. However, you are not out of the woods with that either. Those sweeteners can increase your appetite and cause you to eat more, increasing the chances of obesity, and leading to type 2 diabetes.
However, if you drink sugared energy drinks, you increase your chances of developing type 2 diabetes even quicker.
Insulin Resistance
Yes, if you are active, you will burn off extra glucose quicker. However, excess sugar is challenging for your pancreas. That right there will still put you at risk of developing the disease.
That can cause your insulin to be resistant to glucose which means it does not recognize it, which will keep extra glucose in your bloodstream. Insulin resistance is a risk for type 2 diabetes.
Drinking energy drinks all of the time can also increase your blood pressure.
Rise in Blood Pressure
If you worry about your heart health, you will watch your blood pressure and heart rate. If your blood pressure increases along with your heart rate, you run the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, leading to a heart attack.
Caffeine
The problematic reason is that energy drinks contain a lot of caffeine, higher than the recommended intake. Too much caffeine will put a strain on your cardiovascular system, which will lead to high blood pressure and a fast heart rate. That becomes very stressful for your heart.
You can also risk developing severe sickness involving
- anxiety
- hallucinations
- nausea
- insomnia
- a fast heart rate from a caffeine overdose alone.
Therefore, if you drink energy drinks all of the time in addition to coffee, you run the risk of overdosing on caffeine.
If you drink energy drinks in moderation and have excellent or good heart health, you are not likely to increase your chances of ruining that. However, daily consumption will put you at high risk for cardiovascular disease.
Your kidneys can also suffer if you drink regular energy drinks all of the time.
Develop Kidney Disease
The risk of kidney disease is not nearly as likely to happen if you drink sugar-free energy drinks. However, if you consume regular energy drinks all of the time, the excess sugar will strain your kidneys.
Studies indicate that there is a link between kidney disease and high sugar intake regularly. In addition, there may be a link to this with type 2 diabetes so it may be interconnected.
Therefore, the daily consumption of regular energy drinks can put you at risk of potentially needing dialysis. Another issue that you can face if you drink sugared energy drinks daily is having dental problems.
Sugared Energy Drinks Are Bad for Your Teeth
You know that consuming too much sugar will cause your teeth to decay, and that will also happen if you drink energy drinks daily. However, you are not out of the woods with that if you even drink sugar-free energy drinks.
That is because all energy drinks contain acid, and the acid will erode enamel. Therefore, dental issues will arise if you drink energy drinks every day, and that means you will need to spend a lot of money on dental treatment all of the time.
One severe last impact that daily consumption of energy drinks can have is that it can cause you to engage in risky behaviors.
You May Engage in Risky Behaviors
The daily consumption of energy drinks can cause you to engage in risky behaviors as the excess caffeine can alter your reasoning. Therefore, you are at a higher risk of substance and alcohol abuse and not thinking rationally if you drink alcohol with energy drinks that can cause you to get into even more dangerous behaviors such as drinking and driving or drinking and boating.
Therefore, when you are prepping, you want to ensure that your mind is clear. That is also why you want to be careful with how often you drink energy drinks.
Frequently Ask Questions (FAQs)
What are the main ingredients in popular energy drinks like Red Bull?
Red Bull and similar energy drinks typically contain caffeine, sugar, carbonated water, citric acid, glucuronolactone, baking soda, magnesium carbonate, artificial colors, B vitamins, and taurine.
Are there health benefits to the B vitamins and taurine in energy drinks?
Yes, there are some health benefits. Taurine, an amino acid found in the heart, muscles, eyes, and brain, can reduce the risk of diseases like cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and enhance sports performance. B vitamins also offer health benefits. However, their positive effects are often negated by high levels of sugar, caffeine, and artificial ingredients in energy drinks.
What about sugar-free energy drinks? Are they a safer option?
Sugar-free energy drinks, while devoid of sugar, contain artificial sweeteners. These can still be harmful if consumed excessively, as they may increase appetite and contribute to obesity, which is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes.
Can daily consumption of energy drinks lead to diabetes?
Yes, particularly with sugared energy drinks. The high sugar content can lead to insulin resistance and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. Even sugar-free variants can indirectly contribute to this risk due to their effect on appetite.
Are there any risks associated with the caffeine in energy drinks?
Yes, excessive caffeine intake can lead to anxiety, hallucinations, nausea, insomnia, and a fast heart rate. There’s also a risk of caffeine overdose, especially when energy drinks are consumed in addition to other caffeine sources like coffee.
Are energy drinks harmful to dental health?
Yes, both sugary and sugar-free energy drinks can harm dental health. The sugar in regular energy drinks can cause tooth decay, while the acid in all energy drinks can erode enamel.
Conclusion
As you can see, daily consumption of energy drinks is hazardous to your health. It does not matter whether they have sugar or not. You are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, dental problems, and engaging in risky behavior.
The occasional pick-me-up with an energy drink is fine. However, you will want to look for safer energy drink alternatives‘ while prepping, which means higher calorie and nutrient-rich meal replacements; green tea, yerba mate, and ginger root tea, for example, are much safer options.
Therefore, while knowing that these energy drinks can cause serious problems, you will find safer ways to prep instead of drinking them all of the time.
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