Submitted by our Athletic Trainer- Kristen Aguiar
You can not walk past a CHS student athlete group without seeing the bright colored cans and drinks being held by many of them. Energy drinks are all the rage right now- and I quite frankly CAN NOT STAND IT!! So in addition to this blog, I am creating a bulletin board, and a google slide show to provide some educational information about why these synthetic caffeinated drinks are so bad for you. In fact Celsius drinks are actually a banned substance on the NCAA list because of its ingredients. By no means am I shaming caffeine drinkers-I am definitely one, but the levels of caffeine in these drinks are dangerously high–and many other ingredients can be very bad for any person let alone a growing teenage athlete.
What does Caffeine do to your body?
100-200 mg of Caffeine (1-2 cups of coffee)
Increased body temperature
Feeling more alert
Faster breathing and heart rate
In young people can cause bed wetting, sleep dysfunction and anxiety
Increased stomach acid production
More frequent urination
600 mg a day 4+ Cups of coffee/strong tea
Insomnia
Anxiety
Depression
Cardiovascular problems
Heartburn/Ulcers
Bone loss (osteoporosis)
Some things to know—
Energy drinks are counter intuitive to hydration
Dehydration causes fatigue–
Feeling a rush is the sign of a stimulant or vitamin overdose
Energy drinks have up to 10 times more caffeine than soda!
Don’t rely on labels to know if they are safe-companies label specifically to avoid the FDA
Being marketed to target teenagers and young people
Read this story on a high school athlete who suffered a seizure from a NOS drink Dakota Sailor
And while TikTok is certainly not science or always reputable…this video (and many similar ones) show people using home tests to drug test their Celsius and Red Bulls for 4 types of drugs!! Both were POSITIVE!!!
All I am asking is to stop and think before you drink these beverages. Make sure you are eating food before you drink them, limit the number of them. And I actually rather you hit up Starbies or Dunks for a coffee when you need that pick me up.
