Each year, the world drinks more than 900 million gallons of energy drinks, a 600 million dollar market in the United States alone. These popular beverages were first introduced in Europe in the 1960s and contain caffeine as well as sugar, and some boast to be a source of vitamins and metabolism helpers. However, research has found troubling consequences of the drinks’ popularity, including caffeine dependence (addiction and withdrawal) and heart conditions.
Caffeine Dependence
Dependence, a physical or mental need for a substance, is a disability caused when the body becomes reliant on what a substance provides. In the case of energy drinks, or even coffee, the substance is caffeine. There is currently lax regulation in regards to labeling the contents of energy drinks, and caffeine limits do not stay below 0.02 percent caffeine as U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines require. Some energy drink producers get by on a loophole created by the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, but not all are any worse than the cup of coffee many are accustomed to drinking.
Addiction to caffeine can result in withdrawal symptoms, such as headache, dizziness, muscle stiffness, depression and fatigue, when the substance is not ingested. Caffeine withdrawal has been described in the medical literature for a century.
Even habitual coffee drinkers have been found to suffer adverse effects from energy drinks. Toxicity and overdose can mimic mental disorders. Caffeine intoxication includes:
- anxiety
- nervousness
- insomnia
- gastrointestinal problems
- tremors (being jittery)
- irregular heartbeat.
Recommended Caffeine Use
It is recommended that:
- caffeine not be given to those under the age of 12 years
- no more than 100-200 mg be ingested per 3 or 4 hour period
- it not be used as a remedy for sleepiness
- use be discontinued if an irregular heartbeat is experienced.
These warnings are present on over the counter no-doze tablets that contain 100 mg caffeine, but are not present on energy drinks, though they can contain up to 500 mg of caffeine, two to five times the recommended dose.
Caffeine Content of Popular Beverages
Amp - 75 mg per 8.4 ounces (8.9 mg/oz)
Brewed coffee (average) – 77 mg per 6 ounce cup (12.8 mg/oz)
Coca-Cola Classic – 34.5 mg per 12 ounce can (2.9 mg/oz)
Cocaine Energy Drink – 280 mg per 8.4 ounces (33.3 mg/oz)
Fixx – 500 mg per 20 ounces (25 mg/oz)
Jolt Cola – 280 mg per 23.5 ounce can (11.9 mg/oz)
Monster and Rockstar – 160 mg per 16 ounce can (10 mg/oz)
Powershot – 100 mg per 1 ounce shot (100 mg/oz)
RedBull – 80 mg per 8.3 ounce can (9.6 mg/oz)
SoBe Adrenaline Rush – 79 mg per 8.3 ounces (9.5 mg/oz)
Reference: Reissig, Strain, and Griffiths. Caffeinated energy drinks - A growing problem. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2008.
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