Late night with a big exam to study for the next day? Or maybe you have a big project at work to finish and your energy’s lagging?
If you’ve ever been in this kind of situation, you might have bought an energy drink for a quick pick-me-up… and you wouldn’t be alone. Stats from the UK show that sales of energy drinks increased by 155 per cent between 2006 and 2014, from 235 to 600 million litres. That’s a lotta caffeine!
Now health advocates are even calling for ban on sales of energy drinks to under-16s, due to their reduced tolerance for caffeine. But is there anything truly wrong with the odd Red Bull? Or do they pose serious risks to our health?
Up to 11 teaspoons of sugar per serve.
Like any fizzy sweet drink (except perhaps kombucha), you can expect that energy drinks would have too much sugar. But would you expect 20 teaspoons per serve?! According to Action on Sugar:
- A 473ml Red Bull Energy drink contains 13 teaspoons of sugar.
- A 500ml V Energy Drink contains 13 teaspoons of sugar.
- A 500ml Monster Energy Drink contains 14 teaspoons of sugar.
- A 500ml Rockstar Punched Energy + Guava Tropical Guava Flavour contains 20 teaspoons of sugar.
To put that in perspective, the World Health Organization recommends just six to nine teaspoons of sugar daily for an adult. And liquidised sugar in particular hits the body all at once and can put a lot of pressure on your liver to process it. Especially if it’s 20 teaspoons’ worth!
Crazy levels of caffeine.
While energy drinks contain levels of caffeine deemed safe by food safety authorities, that doesn’t mean they can’t be a problem (especially if consumed by adolescents). The Food Research Collaboration recently reported a link between energy drinks and headaches, stomach aches and sleep problems.
Energy drink-related visits to hospital emergency rooms in the U.S. also doubled between 2007 and 2011, because of adverse reactions or abuse of caffeine. Several studies have also suggested their use as gateway drug (linking energy drinks to alcoholism and binge behaviour).
How else should you get your energy?
We suggest ditching the energy drinks altogether and just focusing on REAL food. Vegetables, fresh fruit, protein and healthy fats all help you sustain your energy (and not crash an hour later from plummeting sugar levels).
Looking for a more nutritious pick-me-up? Check out our list of the BEST energy-boosting foods.
Is it time to ditch the energy drinks? What do you eat to give yourself energy?
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