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Safety issues associated with commercially available energy drinks.
Kevin A Clauson1, Kelly M Shields, Cydney E McQueen
1College of Pharmacy-West Palm Beach, Nova Southeastern University, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33410, USA. clauson@nova.edu
Summary
Energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine and sugar, which can cause adverse health effects like insomnia and tachycardia. Other ingredients like guarana, ginseng, and taurine are generally safe in typical amounts.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Science
- Pharmacology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Energy drinks are popular beverages marketed for increased energy and performance.
- They often contain a blend of ingredients including stimulants, herbal extracts, and sugars.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comprehensively review the benefits and adverse effects of energy drink consumption.
- To evaluate the safety profile of common energy drink ingredients.
Main Methods:
- Extensive literature search across multiple databases (Medline, IPA, EMBASE, MANTIS) and online search engines.
- Inclusion of data from specialized databases on natural medicines.
- Keywords focused on energy drinks and their key components like caffeine, guarana, and taurine.
Main Results:
- Energy drinks commonly contain significant amounts of caffeine (80-300 mg) and sugar (up to 35g per serving).
- Adverse effects reported are primarily linked to caffeine and sugar, including insomnia, nervousness, headache, tachycardia, and in rare cases, seizures and death.
- Ingredients like taurine, ginseng, and guarana were not associated with negative effects at typical consumption levels.
Conclusions:
- The concentrations of guarana, taurine, and ginseng in energy drinks are unlikely to cause therapeutic benefits or adverse events.
- High levels of caffeine and sugar are the primary contributors to the adverse health effects associated with energy drink consumption.
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