Reasons Why Energy Drinks Should Be Banned

Introduction

Try visualizing drinking anywhere between four to five Monsters or Red Bulls a day to continue about your daily routine and function normally. This is what my sister does every day. Since entering the Marine Corps in 2014, these caffeine-packed potent drinks have turned into an irresistible drug. To get a better understanding, I asked her the reason. For many like her in the military, working night shifts, not getting enough sleep, having homework, or just not enough time to be a normal functioning being is why energy drinks are favored. Energy drinks equal fast, easy, and a quick fix for caffeine to continue the necessary daily routines. My sister is not the only person who has fallen victim to the train of energy drink addiction and dangers. By using fancy labeling, coloring, and big words to catch consumer attention, manufacturers have hooked the younger generation to these caffeine-potent solutions. Over the years, the sales of energy drinks have skyrocketed, and companies have advertised this very potent drug-equivalent drink to children, causing a health scare nationwide. This is why energy drinks should be banned. Energy drinks are much more dangerous than many have believed, and cause damage that cannot be seen by the normal eye.

Sales and Consumption Trends of Energy Drinks

Sales and statistics shows the overall consumption of energy drinks has risen in the past few years. According to Statista the popularity behind these drinks have given sales a significant boost that, “sales off of energy drinks during 2015 were equal to 2.8 billion U.S. dollars and three years later by the time 2018 gone by and ended reached 3.14 billion U.S. dollars.” and later mentioned that, “Calculated during the 2017 calender sales, energy drinks made up one third or 33% of bottled beverages sales in America in which water and other options were available.”(Conway, 2019). What is aiding to and adding to the issue of these drinks is the easy access, cost, and fast effectiveness of ingredients.For the past few years, from 2015 to 2018 the industry has increased its sales roughly 340 million. This is a serious issue that is not being taken to heart. Analyzing that these drinks counted for 30 percent of sold beverages means that one in three consumers buying any drink available to them to choose from opts for the red bull or monster simply due to the addiction and the lasting effects it has. The ingredients are to blame when it comes to the addiction and craze behind energy drinks, this combined with other underlying marketing strategies equals the high consumption and sales.

Hidden Dangers in Energy Drinks

When researching the ingredients, by avoiding to get influenced by the craze behind energy drinks and eye catching labels plus claims being made by producers, these drinks are causing more damage than most think of. In general, an energy drink containing roughly 25 to 30 grams of sugar with double caffeine will have the same effects as a coffee with little to no sugar and other additives. A regular black coffee according to Mayo Clinic has, “no excess fat when drank black and fewer calories than store bought versions”(Zeratsky, 2017). Having an energy drink over good old coffee gives your an excess of 25 grams of sugar, preservatives,Caffeine is not needed at the double amounts leading to possible health hazards. Caffeine as stated in the article is also not FDA regulated so manufacturers control the quantity mixed in every can. According to Sutter Health, due to manufacturers mislabeling consumers, “in a 16 ounce can of energy drink contains a rough estimate of ranging from lower around 250 miligrams caffeine to high amount of 280 miligrams of caffeine; a larger size in comparison to 16 oz can further exceed that amount to 500 miligrams of excess caffeine…Compare these high numbers of potent caffeine to a 12 ounce soda can containing a lower amount justifiable at 35 miligrams.”(Lai M.D., 2019). This is said to be true and or applicable to most energy drinks and their questionable ingredients.The sugar to caffeine ratios are not the only major issues regarding energy and should be considered one of the least now developing into advertisement geared towards children.

Dangers of Energy Drinks Marketing

The issue is the specific marketing towards kids and the dangers that come along. The effects of marketing towards such an impressionable audience results in as stated by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, “almost one-third of teens between 12 and 17 years drink[ing] them regularly.”(Energy Drinks, 2019) The 33% of teens drinking energy drinks only increases with age. Even more than teens, men between early 20's to late 20’s drink these the most. The danger in this is kids are hooked on a substance that is formulated to be an addiction from a young impressionable age. Caffeine for children is dangerous and at any high dose it should be concerning. The way caffeine works is “the intense sweetness of energy drinks causes blood sugar levels to spike, triggering the pancreas to produce insulin...your blood pressure and heart rate will increase.”(The Irish Examiner, 2018). Kids find the increase in heart rate and increased more than normal blood pressure as normal and energy providing and exhilarating to experience so the addiction has begun. Since this is how caffeine becomes addictive and works fast all the kids who are sleep deprived and working adults are making the distasteful switch from harmless coffee to energy drinks to receive their own opinions and experience the effectiveness of energy drinks. In the long term in regards to health there are other better options on the markets

Solutions to Energy Drinks Epidemic

The first solution to this problem of energy drinks being unhealthy and dangerous is to use the substitution method. Instead of energy drinks find healthy more natural ingredients using alternatives. According to Food Business News, “soup based drinks such as V8 and Synapse use more natural non harmful ingredients in replacement of caffeine in energy drinks.”(Berry, 2018). This is a relatively easy substitution because these new products main marketing target is on a budget college students in search or fast energy. This is a healthier option as well because it substitutes the sugar for natural Agave and low glycemic sweetener made to boost energy levels and keep the heart rate normal. There are many more advantages to drinking this alternative over traditional energy drinks as well as making some other improvements on the advertising side.

The second solution to energy drinks and lowering consumption is to divert the advertising. This should be moved from aiming to kids to a more suitable age where the audience knows the side effects of drinking energy drinks not buying based on the labeling and big words. Kids will and have always bought stuff out of impulse and because it's trendy. This is why manufacturers use pretty labeling, taste appealing to kids and complex words making it difficult to understand their message. This as a marketing strategy works but not in favor of kids health. If this trend of drinking energy drinks such as red bulls and monsters would decrease so would kids health improve. Make energy drinks so that they are less easy to access for those under a certain age and try incorporating more informational advertisements for energy drinks. This change in advertisement geared toward children and using substitution are some of the changes that will spread awareness about the grave side effects related to energy drinks.

There are several advantages in using substitution and not advertising towards kids. The first advantage for substituting is better ingredients for your body and prolonging a healthy heart. The natural ingredients in other plant based alternatives do not affect the body as harshly as energy drinks containing caffeine. The second advantage due to substitution is no more artificial sweeteners such as those in caffeine and monsters. The alternatives will be using natural ingredients that have little to no side effects. The third advantage is from not advertising towards kids and those of an impressionable age. This will lower the mass sales of energy drinks mainly in the early to late teen years if the norm to drink these are broken by the mass media.

Conclusion

Energy drinks are used by most when in a rush or at a breaking point of energy. There are several issues in regards to energy drinks. The first issue was the increasing sales and consumers of these drinks year by year. The second issue was the questionable ingredients and third was marketing towards kids using fancy labels. The solution to these issues is to substitute for healthier options and rethink our ways of marketing towards a suitable audience.These commonly found colorful drinks may seem harmless and a quick fix to many but as discussed are dangerous to people's health.  

Works Cited

1. Conway, M. (2019). Energy Drinks Sales in the U.S. 2015-2018. Statista. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/281200/us-energy-drinks-sales/
2. Zeratsky, K. (2017). Energy drinks: Do they really boost energy? Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/energy-drinks/faq-20362040
3. Lai M.D., J. (2019). The Dangers of Energy Drinks. Sutter Health. Retrieved from https://www.sutterhealth.org/health/nutrition/cafeine-dangers
4. The Irish Examiner (2018). How energy drinks affect the body. Retrieved from https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/healthandlife/dietandfitness/how-energy-drinks-affect-the-body-462202.html
5. Berry, D. (2018). V8 and Synapse: The Newest Energy Drink Alternatives. Food Business News. Retrieved from https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/10817-v-8-and-synapse-the-newest-energy-drink-alternatives