Don't drink those popular energy drinks

[ChronoTrigger]

They're bad for your health, but so many young people are drinking Monster, Red Bull, 5 hour energy, etc. drinks. They're bad for your liver and your kidneys.

[prisonchaplain]

According to my brief research energy drinks are a bad idea for children and teens. For adults, they may accelerate already-existing kidney damage. Most long-term health damage would be linked to excessive use.

I don't like the phrase, "everything in moderation." However, for energy drinks, it may be a matter of personal conviction.

Can Energy Drinks Damage Your Kidneys? | LIVESTRONG.COM

[ChronoTrigger]

You have those 5 hour energy drinks sponsoring breast cancer awareness with their pink commercials. I think it's ironic they're trying to raise awareness for health with a product bad for your health.

[Lakumi]

yeah and they taste bad too

[prisonchaplain]

I'm not sure they are "bad" for the average person. It's excessive use, or use by those with weak or problem kidneys/livers that can be dangerous. Donuts are bad for diabetics, but we wouldn't stop the local shop from sponsoring a Boy Scout troop, would we?

[marshac]

I'm not sure they are "bad" for the average person. It's excessive use, or use by those with weak or problem kidneys/livers that can be dangerous. Donuts are bad for diabetics, but we wouldn't stop the local shop from sponsoring a Boy Scout troop, would we?

I know that Red Bull is what's provided in the physician's lounge, and we go through it pretty quickly. I can't tell you how many cans of the sugar free kind I consume during a 100 hour week stretch. At 75mg per can, it's only double than what's in a 12oz can of Coke.

Most of the major brand energy drinks (Monster, Red Bull, Rockstar) have slightly more or less caffeine than a good sized cup of coffee- and few people outside of the LDS community would bat an eye at a coffee drinker. The off-brands are the ones you've got to be concerned about- one brand (whose name I forget) advertises 334mg of caffeine per can. That's too much and would ruin a caffeine-naive person's day/night.

[SanctitasDeo]

I submit that unpopular energy drinks are likely just as unhealthy.

[pam]

I stay away from energy drinks only because they make me crash and burn. But I will admit to occasionally using the 5 hour energy shots. Those work good for me without the crash and burn effect following the wear off. Now Mt. Dew is another story. :)

[LittleWyvern]

I think a good takeaway from marshac's comment is that we should treat caffeine the same as we treat any drug that is potentially habit forming. I had to take sleeping medicine as a child so I feel well-equipped to responsibly take caffeine when I need to. If anybody isn't familiar with the standard ways to reduce your chance on dependence, there's a lot of literature out there that shows how to be smart about potentially habit-forming drugs.

That being said, I really wish it was law to label the exact dosage of caffeine on everything. It makes it hard to keep track of my consumption.

[Seanette]

I stay away from energy drinks only because they make me crash and burn. But I will admit to occasionally using the 5 hour energy shots. Those work good for me without the crash and burn effect following the wear off. Now Mt. Dew is another story. :)

I'll confess to a fondness for Mt. Dew myself. :)

DH does have a bit of an energy drink habit, which started when he was working an irregular schedule that was not compatible with his body's functioning as far as sleep/wake pattern. We're working on it.

[Drpepper]

Don't mind the Dr Pepper even if I do say myself. :)