Nearly everyone is aware that drinking out of neon-colored cans that require a warning label displayed on the front may not be the healthiest decision for your body. However, younger consumers have accessed little to no educational information regarding the dangers of consuming energy drinks, especially in mass volumes. Although the connotation of energy drinks is overwhelmingly negative, there is oftentimes not enough evidence to persuade consumers to minimize their intake. Hopefully, learning about instances with severe consequences can convince you to put down the Monsters and Alanis.
In 2022, Panera released its infamous charged lemonades, flavored lemonades with added ‘clean’ caffeine created from guarana seeds and green coffee extract. The lemonades were beloved by many because of their accessibility and fruity flavors strawberry lemon mint, fuji, apple cranberry and mango yuzu citrus. However, the charged drinks have been discontinued for nearly eight months because of the health risks they have proposed.
Panera’s lemonades were not marketed as energy drinks but were more dangerous than one. A standard Red Bull contains 111 mg of caffeine, Monsters contain 86 mg of caffeine and a 5-hour Energy has 215 mg of caffeine. None of the marketed energy drinks compare to the charged lemonades, which contain 390 mg of caffeine per 30-oz cup. Since the United States Food and Drug Administration recommends no more than 400 mg of caffeine for the average adult, a beverage that contains that approximate amount, has unlimited refills and is not marketed as a highly caffeinated beverage can be dangerous when the consumer is unaware of its threatening qualities.
Unfortunately, worries about the drink were not enough to educate all of its consumers. There are two ongoing lawsuits claiming the charged lemonades caused permanent heart damage in healthy people. Sarah Katz, a 21-year-old Penn student, went into cardiac arrest in Sept. 2022 and later passed away after consuming Panera’s charged lemonade. Katz was diagnosed with long QT syndrome type one, a heart rhythm disorder. In an interview with NBC, Katz’s roommate, Victoria Rose Conroy, stated that Katz was very cautious about her disorder and even served as a Red Cap ambassador with the American Heart Association.
It is safe to say energy drinks masked as harmless lemonades have the potential to be hazardous to those who are uninformed or vigilant about their diet. However, beverages with harmful contents can be dangerous regardless of how informed the consumer is. Some people continue to consume energy drinks because they choose to stay ignorant or after developing a dependency on the amount of caffeine inside the drinks. Regardless of why they continue to consume, all of their health issues related to energy drinks could have been avoided by not trying them in the first place, because they are tough to put down.
Drinking just one energy drink on occasion has not proven itself to be harmful. On the other hand, creating habits of drinking one heavily caffeinated beverage every day, or drinking multiple every day, is incredibly harmful to your body. There is a fine line between the most beverages your body can tolerate and going into cardiac arrest. In early 2021, a 21-year-old college student suffered heart failure after drinking four energy drinks daily over the course of two years. The student required both a heart and kidney transplant after putting his body through such traumatic circumstances daily.
Before consuming one, or multiple energy drinks, be sure to educate yourself on the ingredients and possible consequences of it. First, the amount of caffeine in the drinks in the beverages is alarming. Since caffeine is a stimulant, it accelerates the activity in your nervous system and is the reason people have withdrawals. The drinks also contain a significant amount of sugar, which, when combined with other drinks with similar sugar content, is absurdly unhealthy for someone. Some of the most popular drinks, like Monster, Celsius and Alani include taurine, which is used for energy production within the body. In small quantities, taurine is useful for the body, but when consumed in large amounts it has been shown to cause ventricular arrhythmias.
As we grow up, take harder classes, involve ourselves in extracurricular activities and attend college, the pressure for students becomes increasingly difficult. That being said, it is understandable that some students feel they need caffeine to get them through the day. Energy drinks may seem like a plausible solution to the prevailing issue, but are not worth the risk. If caffeine is mandatory for you to go about your day, it’s safer to have soda, a cup of coffee or, at most, one energy drink, than to consume multiple energy drinks daily and risk your life simultaneously.
