Stop before, during and after strenuous exercise! The hidden dangers of energy drinks

If you like to drink a can of energy drink to boost your energy and performance during exercise, this article is worth a minute of reading!

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) released a statement on energy drinks earlier (February 9, 2018).

There are two most important points:

1. Energy drinks are not suitable for teenagers and children. Beverage manufacturers should not market or sell energy drinks to teenagers or children.

2. Never consume energy drinks before, during, or after intense exercise. It may increase the risk of sudden death or other adverse effects.

Other suggestions include:

1. It is not suitable for pregnant or breastfeeding women, people with cardiovascular disease, or people who are sensitive to caffeine.

2. It cannot be used to replenish water during exercise.

3. Do not use with alcohol.

The market for energy drinks is huge, and with exposure through television commercials, various media, and sporting events, sales are staggering. After such widespread commercial marketing, most people have the impression that they need to drink refreshing energy drinks when exercising! In 2013, the global energy drink market reached US$39 billion (more than NT$1 trillion), which is amazing!

The main ingredients of energy drinks are high concentrations of caffeine, taurine, various amino acids, vitamins, plant extracts of unknown ingredients, and other so-called essences. According to statistics, caffeine can improve athletic performance by 2% - 4% (depending on the type of sport). Moderate use can indeed give you more satisfaction on the sports field. However, in addition to caffeine, other additives in energy drinks are also quite irritating to the body, so the safety concerns they cause are much greater than simply drinking coffee.

The most common adverse effects of this type of beverage are cardiovascular symptoms and neurological symptoms.

There have been some case reports of sudden death during exercise that may be related to drinking energy drinks. Although some of the cases had existing illnesses and other factors, the cause of death cannot be entirely attributed to energy drinks. However, in some cases, no other cause can be found at all. Therefore, after compiling the existing information, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends: Please do not use energy drinks before, during, or after strenuous exercise until safety is confirmed.

Further analysis of the data revealed that more than half of these adverse effects occurred in children and adolescents! It is speculated that the reason is that children are relatively light in weight and can easily accumulate higher concentrations of harmful substances. In addition, children's bodies are more sensitive to stimulating substances such as caffeine. Therefore, the American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends that children and adolescents are absolutely prohibited from using energy drinks.

It’s not that you can’t drink energy drinks, but you should not drink them during exercise and should not give them to teenagers or children. You can drink it, just in moderation!

This article is from: Dr. Tai Dawei's blog Ta-Wei, Tai MD

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