There are some times in our lives, when we all feel that we could use a little more energy. We're forever looking for that little extra something (generally caffeine) to give us that extra boost that's needed, at certain times of the day. There are various (relatively new) drinks on the market, that some teenagers and young adults are habitually going for, with the hopes of feeling greater energy. In fact, they're called "energy drinks", and they have hidden dangers that you might not be aware of.
Some names of the more popular energy drinks containing large amounts of caffeine and herbs include V, Red Bull, Adrenaline Rush, Venom, 180, ISO Sprint, Cocaine, Monster, amongst others. These energy drinks are generally marketed towards young adults that are under 25 years of age, and are easily acquirable on and off college campuses. You'll see them in the grocery stores, night clubs, convenience stores and even also in some schools. Many people have no idea that they could actually end up with a caffeine overdose from these so called "energy drinks".
The category of beverages that these caffeine laden energy drinks fall within are "herbal supplements", so as a result, they are not regulated by the FDA. Adding to the confusion, some of the manufacturers of these energy drinks, use herbal names for ingredients containing caffeine. So that many consumers have no accurate idea of the exact amount of caffeine content within the energy drinks.
Also, some of the energy drink labels list the amount of caffeine by servings, but consumers often don't realize that some of the drinks actually contain more than 3 servings worth of caffeine, that is, 3 times above the Recommended Daily Intake values.
The recommended daily dose of caffeine is 100-200mg for teens and 200-300mg of caffeine for adults.
Some of the bigger sized energy drinks contain over 10,000mg of total caffeine levels! That is an incredible amount of caffeine that no human should be able to withstand without some adverse health effects. It's not unusual for shift-workers and students to consume plenty of these energy drinks to endure their long hours of sustained mental and physical work and efforts. Energy drinks are potentially dangerous to your health and should be consumed with thoughtful consideration.
