If you suffer Crohn's disease consuming caffeinated energy drinks may aggravate your condition. This inflammatory bowel disease does not have a known cure, so you must manage your symptoms with medication, lifestyle and food choices. This disease is characterized by periods of improvement followed by flare-ups. Aggravating factors vary from person to person.
Identification
Crohn's disease most often affects the intestines, but it can occur anywhere from your mouth to the end of your rectum. Its cause is unknown, but Crohn's may be related to issues with your body's immune system response that lead to chronic inflammation. Symptoms of this disease can include persistent watery diarrhea, crampy abdominal pain, fatigue, appetite loss, pain passing stools, fevers, joint pain and bloody stools. Consuming caffeine-containing drinks slightly raises your risk for Crohn's disease, according to "Positive Options for Crohn's Disease," by Joan Gomez.
Significance
There's not a proven, effective diet for managing Crohn's. Caffeine-containing beverages, however, such as energy drinks are a common aggravating factor among people who suffer Crohn's, notes MayoClinic.com. Caffeine can stimulate your intestines and make diarrhea worse. Problem foods vary from person to person. Aside from foods that contain caffeine, common problem foods include raw fruits, spicy food, popcorn, alcohol and gassy foods like beans and cabbage. Limiting fiber, dairy and fat also may help you manage symptoms and avoid flare-ups, according to MayoClinic.com.
Caffeine Content
Energy drinks can have significantly more caffeine in them than cola or coffee. The amount in such drinks varies considerably from brand to brand. Since energy drinks are marketed as dietary supplements, not food, they are not subject to limitations on caffeine by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as sodas are. Soda is limited to 71 mg per 12-oz can. A typical cola drink has 35 mg caffeine, while coffee has 80 to 150 mg caffeine. Energy drinks may have the equivalent of 14 cans of cola, reports the "Los Angeles Times." That's enough to raise concern about caffeine intoxication.
Nutritional Energy Drinks
Nutritional energy drinks that do not contain caffeine may help you manage your symptoms. Enteral nutrition drinks, which resemble a milkshake and are absorbed through the intestines, are commonly used in Canada and Europe to manage Crohn's disease, reports News Channel 5 in Nashville, Tennessee. These are used in lieu of food. This approach does not work for every Crohn's sufferer, but can induce remission in some people. This treatment has fewer side effects than the steroids typically used to help you manage symptoms, but it is not covered by insurance.
References
- PubMed Health: Crohn's Disease; December 2010
- MayoClinic.com: Crohns Disease Lifestyle and Home Remedies; August 2011
- Los Angeles Times: Energy Drinks Can Cause Caffeine Intoxication; Shari Roan; September 2008
- NewsChannel5.com: Curing Crohn's One Shake at a Time; August 2010
- "Positive Options for Crohn's Disease"; Joan Gomez; 2000
- "That's The Key"; Michelle Tonkin and Melissa Tonkin; 2007
Member Comments