Headline of the Week Weak
Filed under: Headline of the Week
"Energy drinks linked to risky behavior among teenagers"
Oh, no!!!! CLICK HERE to read the startling article accompanying this headline.
Energy drinks linked to risky behavior among teenagers
Health researchers have identified a surprising new predictor for risky behavior among teenagers and young adults: the energy drink.
Super-caffeinated energy drinks, with names like Red Bull, Monster, Full Throttle and Amp, have surged in popularity in the past decade. About a third of 12- to 24-year-olds say they regularly down energy drinks, which account for more than $3 billion in annual sales in the United States.
The trend has been the source of growing concern among health researchers and school officials. Around the country, the drinks have been linked with reports of nausea, abnormal heart rhythms and emergency room visits.
In Colorado Springs, several high school students last year became ill after drinking Spike Shooter, a high caffeine drink, prompting the principal to ban the beverages. In March, four middle school students in Broward County, Florida, went to the emergency room with heart palpitations and sweating after drinking the energy beverage Redline. In Tigard, Oregon, teachers this month sent parents e-mail alerting them that students who brought energy drinks to school were "literally drunk on a caffeine buzz or falling off a caffeine crash."
New research suggests the drinks are associated with a health issue far more worrisome than the jittery effects of caffeine — risk taking.
In March, The Journal of American College Health published a report on the link between energy drinks, athletics and risky behavior. The study's author, Kathleen Miller, an addiction researcher at the University of Buffalo, says it suggests that high consumption of energy drinks is associated with "toxic jock" behavior, a constellation of risky and aggressive behaviors including unprotected sex, substance abuse and violence.
The finding doesn't mean the drinks cause bad behavior. But the data suggest that regular consumption of energy drinks may be a red flag for parents that their children are more likely to take risks with their health and safety. "It appears the kids who are heavily into drinking energy drinks are more likely to be the ones who are inclined toward taking risks," Miller said.
The American Beverage Association says its members don't market energy drinks to teenagers. "The intended audience is adults," said Craig Stevens, a spokesman. He says the marketing is meant for "people who can actually afford the two or three bucks to buy the products."
The drinks include a variety of ingredients in different combinations: plant-based stimulants like guarana, herbs like ginkgo and ginseng, sugar, amino acids including taurine as well as vitamins. But the main active ingredient is caffeine.
Caffeine content varies. A 12-ounce serving of Amp contains 107 milligrams of caffeine, compared with 34 to 38 milligrams for the same amount of Coca-Cola or Pepsi. Monster has 120 milligrams and Red Bull has 116. Higher on the spectrum, Spike Shooter contains 428 milligrams of caffeine in 12 ounces, and Wired X344 contains 258.
Stevens points out that "mainstream" energy drinks often have less caffeine than a cup of coffee. At Starbucks, the caffeine content varies depending on the drink, from 75 milligrams in a 12-ounce cappuccino or latte to as much as 250 milligrams in a 12-ounce brewed coffee.
One concern about the drinks is that because they are served cold, they may be consumed in larger amounts and more quickly than hot coffee drinks, which are sipped. Another worry is the increasing popularity of mixing energy drinks with alcohol. The addition of caffeine can make alcohol users feel less drunk, but motor coordination and visual reaction time are just as impaired as when they drink alcohol by itself, according to an April 2006 study in the medical journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
"You're every bit as drunk, you're just an awake drunk," said Mary Claire O'Brien, associate professor in the departments of emergency medicine and public health services at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
O'Brien surveyed energy drink and alcohol use among college students at 10 universities in North Carolina. The study, published this month in Academic Emergency Medicine, showed that students who mixed energy drinks with alcohol got drunk twice as often as those who consumed alcohol by itself and were far more likely to be injured or require medical treatment while drinking. Energy drink mixers were more likely to be victims or perpetrators of aggressive sexual behavior. The effect remained even after researchers controlled for the amount of alcohol consumed.
Energy drink marketers say they don't encourage consumers to mix the drinks with alcohol. Michelle Naughton, a spokeswoman for PepsiCo, which markets Amp, said, "We expect consumers to enjoy our products responsibly."
well that explains a lot
I love energy drinks but they do make my mind insane!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
is this really a suprisE?
I dont care
xoxo love you Perez
Caro
First???? lol
first again!
firstttt
First
I've always been scared of theose "energy drinks." Love u Perez! When r u coming to your hometown!?
xoxo
Mann…..
the govermenrt is soo slow to catch up…
I've not sure how it works .. but the "high" you get from them energy drinks just as red bull .. it aint just a caffeine rush….
infact .. its very common for students in college to play with red bull and get a major buzz…
some even take redbull in combination with ADHD meds such as Ritalin,Adderal etc.. or even Coke ….
its basically maxes the high…
I'm still suprise these thing are legal.. or at least wth that much stuff in them..
and ofcourse drinking energy drinking is a clear indicative of future drog of choice or behaviour by teens … HELLO!!!!!
caffeine is a drug stimulant.. so if you take and like it ( your brain likes it) then is safe to conclude that your brain would also like other uppers suchs as dangerous behaviour that releases dopamine and adrenaline….such as coke, amphetamines etc
I wish they would but a ban on how old you have to be to buy these things…not drink em, just BUY them. Too many teens think it makes them look cool to drink these energy drinks that are messing with their bodies.
]]]]]]]]]]]]] thatz bullzhit ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
zzz my ziz and I have alwayz drank thozeeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzz
[[[ it hazn't led to anything….]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
zz I've alwayz had my bigg mouth…it didn't coz that.zzzzzz
obama= 57 statezz..unreal…and un=American..u freakin idiotz
Lindsay Lohan used to drink energy drinks all the time…
All I got to say to that is well duhhhh. thats as obvious as it is that Lindsey Lohan is a lesbian.
Perez, that post was so boring I almost fell back to sleep.
I think likely, that teens predisposed for such behaviour are drawn to these drinks because they think they are cool, some sort of variety store booze.
www.maus.ca
Obama, you make me sick. I was on top before I endorsed you. Now look at me. White people hate my big fat black ass cause of you, thanks. Maybe I should tell them all about you and that
Rev. and his god damn America. I drink the drinks daily.
Not everyone goes Bizerk by drinking to many energy drinks,missinformation to the readers everyone needs to be responsible for there own actions energy drinkoholic or not.
I think energy drinks are OK every once in a while. I drink Red Bull once every blue moon, or when I need to stay awake for exams. But I've never heard of mixing them with alcohol! I have friends who drink Amp a whole lot, and if you can get addicted to coffee, can you get addicted to energy drinks?
AT MY COLLEGE CAFE THERE ARE AMP ENERGY DRINK ADVERTISEMENTS THAT ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO "CRAM" WITH AMP!!
IT SAYS "AMP IS THE DRINK OF CRAMMERS" OR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES!!
NOT MARKETED TOWARD TEENAGERS? HALF OF COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE 18 AND 19, TEENAGERS!!!!
Teenagers + (caffiene/guarana) = idiots? Who'd a thunk it? Why can I get money for a half-assed grant study like this?
WELL NO SHIZ!! DUH! KIDS SHOULD NOT BE DRINKING THIS STUFF! STUPID PARENTS ALLOW THEIR KIDS TO DRINK THIS CRAP AND COFFEE! THAT'S WHY KIDS TODAY ARE MORE DUMB, AND WATCH CRAP LIKE "THE HILLS".
I like me some redbull and vodka….just kidding
I like me some redbull and vodka….just kidding
and wtf, duplicate comment???? uh huh…
My husband is a doc who had a 20 YO patient die from overdose on these. He was preparing to move his family to a nearby community & drank them for a few days straight, packing, and when he did finally fall asleep, his wife could not wake him up. He was ina coma and eventually died - - - be careful & don't abuse these drinks!
Redline is a drink made for weight lifters, around here you can only get it in supplement stores and you need ID for it!!
I drink energy drinks like mad but I must be immune to all this risky behavior or sweating or nausea.
Maybe your kids are just fucking retarded.
this is such BS kids will do what they want weather they drink energy drinks or not, everyone is always trying to find something to explain their kids behavior, so funny
to buy redline legally you have to be at least 18 years old, it says so on the label. it's so potent that you are only supposed to drink a HALF bottle at once. i've had it a couple times, and probably won't ever drink it again. when the pharmacist was ringing it up he smiled and said "this stuff is crack in a bottle"…
If this is true..drink up, Perez!!!
Caffeine is a naturally occurring pesticide. The coffee, cola, and tea plant accumulate it as a way of keeping bugs from eating them. When you flood your body with it, your body sees it as a poison, so increases your metabolism to rid the poison. Nuff said.
I quit enjoy them, I find myself mowing the lawn, vacuuming and dusting after downing a red bull…something I would never do normally
{kHk/b says – reply to this
]]]]]]]]]]]]] thatz bullzhit ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
zzz my ziz and I have alwayz drank thozeeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzz
[[[ it hazn't led to anything….]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
zz I've alwayz had my bigg mouth…it didn't coz that.zzzzzz
obama= 57 statezz..unreal…and un=American..u freakin idiotz
WHAT A FUCKING DUMB IDIOT. I WANT TO SCRATCH YOUR EYEBALLS OUT.
lamefuck.
#33 what the fuck is a cola plant?
#33 what the fuck is a 'cola plant'?
WTF? Its not like they are drinking alcohol. If they can't control themselves with this crap, what are they going to do when they start drinking booze? Lock up yer children, there will be drunks on the loose.
I completely agree with these findings. I won't even let my teenager drink them. I predict them banned within next couple of years!
LET KIDS BE KIDS YOU FUCKING IDIOTS!!!
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IF PEREZ SAID SHIT WAS GOOD FOR YOU… ALL YOU SHEEP WOULD HAVE SHIT EATING GRINS!
ew. i hate energy drinks.
oh f**k im addicted to rockstars and after i drink 1 im great and im 12
I don´t think it´s the energy drinks themselves, it is the fact that people mix it with alcohol, prescription meds and drugs.
However, consuming very high amounts of cafeine all the time isn´t ealthy either, but you can also achieve this with coffee, especially if you put a lot of sugar in it. I think teenagers like energy drinks better than coffe because of the taste, and because of it it´s easier to "overdose" on cafeine. Also, most people would not mix coffee with vodka in large amounts. Another problem of these drinks is that there are often lots of vitamins added in too large amounts, which is not very healthy either. If you just drink them occasionally, there is no harm, if you abuse them, probably, yes. In some European countries they are banned. Interesting though that they are a marker for risky behaviour in adolescents…
I drink at least one Red Bull a day.
And I'm the most cautious, careful teenager in the world.
Adults just don't want to admit that teenagers are reckless.
Deal with it, stop trying to find someone to blame.
I'm not if you have it in the states, but in Canada we have Rockstar energy drinks pre mixed with vodka at the liquer store lol
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DONT TAKE AWAY OUR ENERGY DRINKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And next week they will publish an article on the health benefits of drinking energy drinks.
it's a fucking energy drink. big deal.
Wth people.
I have drank energy drinks for a year now and I am 17.
I'm fine, you people just want something to blame for your kids being assholes.
Get a life.
hahahahahaha stupid teenagers. Trying to act all grown up why would they need energy drinks for!!
dumbasses
Those kids shouldn't have even had REDLINE! Here in AZ you have to be 18 to buy it…and I'm pretty sure those middle schoolers were NOT 18
I live in Colorado Springs, and that Spike incident happened in my friends' school. They stopped selling the drink in all 7-11s here in the city.
I love energy drinks
I drink them everyday
and i feel fine
They are the best thing ever.
Risky behavior? Haha How about all of the kids taking stimulant prescriptions, then a prozac to calm them, then they go shoot the school up…it's all bad news!
correlation does not equal causation
The last thing a middle schooler needs is more energy! Why are they drinking this stuff?
DUH!!! Didn't any of those little shits - or their parents, for that matter - read the labels on those drinks? Most of them warn not to exceed two servings in an hour. That alone should have raised a red flag. Also, the ingredients list, if one should chose to investigate, reads like a household cleaner label. No one should be surpised about this - I'm just glad someone finally did an article about it.
that's weird, me and a bunch of my friends guzzle caffeinated shit like there's no tomorrow (10 coffees in a 2 hour sitting, exam week, no i wasn't jittery) and none of that shit happened to us
lol i guess some people just can't hold their caffeine
Ok… so I think that kids who abuse the term "energy" are fucked in the head. i hate the youth of today who fuck evrything up for the ones who came before them. I always drink a rockstar when I have to stay up late. Please put a you have to be 18 to buy an energy drink!!!!!
Where is this article from?
I guzzle that shit like crazy and NEVER KNEW SHITNEY DRANK IT
eff the conservatives. energy drinks are good.
the problem here is COMBINING drugs and energy drinks. yes… DRUGS. if you're not physically able to consume an energy drink or two a week, then don't. we're drinking a fricken sugary drink, not popping caffeine pills. our 'energy drink era' has a longer life span anyways.
ooooo, when i have an exam or an essay do to, i usually down 2-4 rockstars…maybe i should stop that.
well iv been drinking energy drinks for a few years now and im perfectly fine but i do remember my brother for a bet drank 6 of em and just got sick from it and was fine in a few hours don't know any one who goes absolutely crazy from them but i do think its stupid how they have energy gum now thats stupid
my favourite energy drink is rockstar XD! i had one today!
I don't doubt it. Those things are so loaded with sugar and caffeine that they taste nasty and bitter. At least, to me. Maybe the US should outlaw drinks that have that much in it…I mean, honestly, those symptoms sound more like a mild narcotic and less like a drink to me.
Visit.: www.myverve.com/amandahyun
Its a healthy energy drink!
I am a college student and love to mix redbull with drinks. Redbull vodka is good and so are Jager bombs. Its ok in moderation, but too much makes you the sloppiest drunk ever because youre energetic and sloshed
this is such bull shit. it's a known fact that teens don't make the greatest decisions and therefore engage in "risky behavior" because their brains haven't fully developed. yeah, energy drinks are probably not all that healthy but why do people feel the need to sensationalize some already pretty adverse health effects to scare people into not drinking energy drinks?
it's just absurd.
tell the jobros to stop drinking energy drinks.
lol just kidding.
yeah, i've seen this terrible crime against energy drinks in teenagers. everyone is addicted too.
Oh, well. That's what you get when you drink anything made from bull bile (that's what Taurine comes from, you know…why do you think they call it Red Bull?) and other "high energy" ingredients. No wonder "Red Bull gives you wiiings" cause you're gonna need them when you die from this crap.
WTF?!?!? Those fucking things NEVER work for me!!!! I feel more tired after I drink them instead of feeling all energetic.
haha seriously guys why worry about those side effects when the worst one is the effect energy drinks have on your adrenal system…. women beware, when you load your body with those chemicals it causes your adrenal system to secrete hormones to cope and one of the most noticable symptoms of over consumption of these drinks is increased "male pattern" hair growth due to these hormones…. YUCK thats not attractive!
I used to work in a beauty therapy clinic and we would see more and more young women each month with excess hair growth due in part to loading up on red bull / v / monster etc…..
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!