Emmerson Cattich | Opinion Editor
As they wake up in the morning, most high school students reach for a quick energy boost. However, as new research presents, this boost could be detrimental to cardiovascular health as energy drink-dependent teens age.
Recently, concerns have been raised after a twenty-year-old woman had a heart attack at the gym after having an energy drink for pre-workout. Instances like this where perfectly healthy people suffer serious heart problems are cause for concern.
The science behind this is that energy drinks change how your heart cells function, causing the heart to beat faster and more irregularly. These changes in cardiovascular activity are harmful to overall heart health, which can lead to serious heart conditions down the road.
However, caffeine is not the only culprit giving rise to heart diseases. Most energy drink companies; for example: Alani Nu, Celsius, and Monster, all enhance their drinks with other ingredients such as taurine, guarana, ginseng, and artificial sweeteners (which have already been linked to cardiovascular disease). Taurine is especially harmful, known for amplifying stimulant effects and increasing heart rate and blood pressure. Also, guarana contains additional caffeine, furthering the impact on the heart.
Understanding these ingredients is crucial for making sure you know what you are putting into your body. The calorie count in a typical “healthier” energy drink is 5-15, leading you to believe it is somewhat good for you; which could not be further from the truth.
Junior Grace Owens has an Alani Nu energy drink every morning and sometimes another one in the afternoon, and she said they are completely healthy because they contain “zero sugars.” This common misconception is very dangerous, and even if energy drinkers know how harmful they are, they are too addicted to the added boost to quit the routine.
Unfortunately, the energy drink market is booming currently. SCHS Junior Dylan Nelson recently tried the new winter edition Red Bull after she “saw an influencer rave about it” on TikTok. Afterwards, she reported feeling like she was “having a panic attack” because of how fast her heart was beating.
Overall, drinking energy drinks every day or trying them because they are popular may not seem like a huge deal, but as research is exposing, the effects to your heart could be disastrous.
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