Energy drinks can prompt your body to release adrenaline. Adrenaline is a hormone that your adrenal glands secrete that is responsible for your "fight or flight" response to stressors. This hormone raises your blood pressure, quickens your heart rate and boosts your body's energy supplies. Constantly causing a spike in adrenaline can have health consequences, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Caffiene
The caffeine in energy drinks stimulates your adrenal gland to release adrenaline, according to a 1996 study published in the "Journal of Applied Physiology." Just one cup of coffee can have this effect, according to a 2003 study published in "Brain and Cognition." Caffeine, in fact, may cause your adrenaline level to increase by five times your normal levels, notes "Type 2 Diabetes," by Marcia Ruth Roper. This, in turn, raises your blood sugar levels.
Dosage
Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant. Its effect on adrenaline production is dose-dependent, meaning the more caffeine you ingest, the stronger the effect, according to the "Brain and Cognition" study. Some energy drinks may contain the equivalent of 14 cans of cola, reports the "Los Angeles Times." Energy drinks are not regulated as a food by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as sodas are. Soda can have only 71 mg of caffeine per 12 oz. can. Coffee typically has 100 mg to 200 mg caffeine per 8 oz. cup. Energy drinks are considered dietary supplements, thus are not regulated for caffeine content.
B Vitamins and Sugar
Energy drinks also typically contain B vitamins and sugar. Adrenaline production requires vitamin B6, though ingesting this vitamin in and of itself does not cause an adrenaline spike. Sugar's role in adrenaline production is somewhat controversial. Excess sugar appears to spike adrenaline levels in children but not in adults, reports the "New York Times."
Health Considerations
Constantly invoking your body's stress response and prompting it to release adrenaline raises your risk for a number of health problems. These include sleep problems, heart disease, impaired memory and digestive problems, according to MayoClinic.com. You also may suffer chronic high blood pressure, a reduced metabolic rate, anxiety, inefficient digestion, blood sugar changes and increased sweating, according to "Health is Simple, Disease is Complicated," by James Forleo.
References
- "Adrenaline and the Inner World"; David S. Goldstein; 2006
- "Type 2 Diabetes"; Marcia Ruth Roper; 2005
- "Los Angeles Times"; Energy Drinks Can Cause Caffeine Intoxication; Shari Roan; September 2008
- "Brain and Cognition"; Effects of Mental Workload and Caffeine on Catecholamines and Blood Pressure Compared to Performance Variations; C. Papadelis, et al.; 2003
- New York Times: Study Sees a Sugar-Adrenaline Link in Children; Jane E. Brody; March 1995
- "Journal of Applied Physiology"; Acute Effects of Caffeine Ingestion at Rest in Humans with Impaired Epinephrine Responses; M. Van Soeren, et al.; 1996
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