Julia (real names withheld) was at a party recently and saw a man
mixing red bull with Hennessey. He filled about three quarters of the
cup with red bull and the remaining part with Hennessey and took like
four cups of this. When she asked why he did that, he replied that the
energy drink dilutes the alcoholic content of the Hennessey helping him
to consume as many cups as he wants without getting drunk or harmed by
the alcohol.
Well, he couldn’t be more wrong as many medical studies have exposed the dangerous side effects energy drinks have on the body.
An “energy drink” is generally defined as any drink which has the
capability of boosting your energy, especially when you are tired and
need extra vigour to go through with your work. Energy drinks have
soared in popularity since the late 1990’s and there are many readily
available brands which have flooded the Nigerian market. Their marketing
and advert strategies usually target the youth, making them very
popular on campuses and clubs around the nation. They are usually
packaged like soda, and have a soda-like taste, but their distinction
from soda lies in the extra ingredients which are added to give the
consumer the euphoria of added energy or mental alertness.
What then is in these drinks that have made them popular and at the
same time dangerous to the human body? Speaking with Sunday Mirror, a
renowned chemist who has served as a lecturer in various universities
and hospitals across the country, Professor Hussein Abudulkarim, said
energy drinks contain some dangerous chemicals which make them harmful
to the human body. “A lot of people are ignorant concerning the chemical
content of most beverages in the market today. Also, the companies that
produce them do not bother to write their correct nutritional value on
the container, so people are not aware of the dangerous effects of the
chemicals these drinks have on their body system. Energy drinks contain
high level of caffeine and people who do not normally drink much
caffeine might have an exaggerated increase in blood pressure which can
lead to hypertension or even heart failure,’’ he explained.
A study conducted recently by researchers who presented their
findings at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and
Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism 2013 Scientific
Sessions, published in the Medical News Today, says that these drinks
can drastically increase blood pressure and disturbthe heart’s natural
rhythm.
According to the lead author of the study, Sachin A. Shah, “Doctors
are generally concerned if patients experience an additional 30
milliseconds in their QT interval from baseline. Energy drinks have very
high levels of caffeine and taurine; both these ingredients can greatly
elevate blood pressure and contribute to increased cardiovascular
disease risk. The correlation between energy drinks and increased
systolic blood pressure is convincing and concerning, and more studies
are needed to assess the impact on the heart rhythm. Patients with high
blood pressures or long QT syndrome should use caution and judgement
before consuming an energy drink.”
Equally, mixing the drinks with alcohol has been condemned by medics
who say it alters the chemical content of the alcohol making it more
dangerous. According to the Marin Institute, an alcohol industry
watchdog group in the USA, “mixing alcohol with energy drinks or
purchasing ready-to-drink mixtures is an emerging trend among the
younger crowd. An energy drink’s ability to mask alcohol flavor and
rouse sleepy partygoers create a dangers situation because the youth are
more likely to be in accidents or sexually assaulted after consuming
alcoholic energy drinks than when consuming traditional alcoholic
beverages’’.
It was on this backdrop that a motion seeking a legislative ban on
the sale of energy drinks in Nigeria was promoted by a member of the
House of Representatives, Yacoob Bush-Alebiosu, in January this year.
Mr. Bush- Alebiosu said the abuse of energy drinks had endangered a
generation of Nigerians mostly the youth who are the target group that
gobble down the drinks despite its health hazards. He noted that energy
drinks are now found all over campuses, in bars, dance clubs and social
functions across the nation.
In his motion, Mr. Bush-Alebiosu said that “several brands of energy
drinks such as Red Bull, Power Horse, Vault, Red Alert, and Burn, among
others contain high levels of ingredients and stimulants that create
dangerous health risks such as kidney damage, seizures and strokes, even
life-threatening effects on blood pressure, heart and brain function.
Other studies have revealed that the consumption of these drinks causes
the heart to stop functioning at intervals and that the consumption of a
250ml can of energy drink can lead to blood clotting, which is highly
fatal. The heart diseases caused by the consumption of these drinks,
most especially among young people, is alarming, and threatening the
health of the younger generations,” he warned.
He stressed that since most European nations such as Denmark,
Germany, Norway and France, among others, have placed outright ban on
the sale of these drinks in their countries, there is no reason why
Nigeria should be a dumping ground for the companies that make them
thereby endangering the health of consumers.
Professor Hussein says he supports the banning of energy drink in
Nigeria adding that it would help reduce the number of deaths that come
from alcohol intakes and other related substances. “As a strict Muslim
and also medical personnel, I’ve always advocated the banning of alcohol
or any of these drinks that have stimulating effects on the body
system. As a chemist, I understand the harmful effects these substances
contained in these drinks can have on the body in the long run and
always advise my patients to steer clear of them. I rather ask people to
form the habit of drinking lots of water on daily basis. Water is the
best drink made by nature to quench as well as refresh our thirst. It
has many cleansing abilities that help the body to function at its
optimal level. I encourage people to imbibe the culture of making water
their best drink rather than any other stimulant because it contains
natural substance that improves our total wellbeing,’’ he counselled.
For people who are already addicted to taking these drinks or need a
form of stimulation before they muster enough energy to engage in any
form of activity or the other, the medical expert advised that they go
for general body check up to ascertain their overall wellbeing. “If you
feel constantly run down and you need energy drinks to get you through
the day, I recommend you take an inventory of your life to determine the
root causes of your exhaustion. Are you getting enough sleep? Are you
nutritionally deprived? What are you eating? Are you drinking enough
water? Are you getting regular exercise? Fatigue will stem from being
deficient with any one of those habits. Get them in check and you will
soon find out that you have completely eliminated your desire for the
“enhanced” energy drink,” he advised.
*Credits: National Mirror.
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