The growing consumption of energy drinks containing high amounts of sugar and caffeine has raised an alarm among heath professionals, particularly because they are often marketed to and consumed by teens and young adults. Consuming caffeinated beverages without adequate fluid intake can lead to dehydration, one of the leading risk factors for kidney stones.
Energy Drinks
Energy drinks are popular among teens and college students. An article in the February, 2011 issue of the journal "Pediatrics" says that energy drinks are consumed by 30 to 50 percent of adolescents and young adults. Energy drinks often contain sugar, caffeine, guarana -- a bean high in caffeine -- and other ingredients like ginseng and taurine, an amino acid, as well as vitamins and green tea. Most ingredients are intended to stimulate the nervous system, according to dietitians at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, or UAB. A 2008 study on the safety of energy drinks published in the "Journal of American Pharmacists Association" concluded that energy drinks contain amounts of caffeine and sugar high enough to cause a variety of adverse health effects.
Kidney Stones
Kidney stones form when excess minerals and acid salts in the urine are out of balance with total fluid passing through the kidneys.The most common type of stone is formed from calcium oxalate, found in high amounts in colas, coffee, tea, and many fruits and vegetables. In recent years, an alarming increase in the incidence of calcium oxalate kidney stones in children has caused concern among pediatricians. University of Michigan Health System urologist Gary Faerber, M.D., points to lifestyle factors like high sugar and sodium consumption from fast foods, physical inactivity, obesity and dehydration as underlying causes. The dehydrating effect of caffeine in energy drinks may be a contributing factor.
Caffeine and Kidney Health
Caffeine consumption does not directly cause kidney stones. However, consuming high amounts of caffeinated beverages and other foods high in calcium oxalate coupled with inadequate fluid intake can create conditions that lead to stone formation, according to Martha A. Simpson, associate professor of family medicine at Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine. If you are prone to kidney stones, MayoClinic.com recommends you consume enough water to produce 2.6 quarts of urine daily. Individuals who exercise regularly or who live in hot, dry climates may need to drink more.
Other Health Concerns
While energy drinks have not been linked directly to kidney stone formation, other reported adverse health effects include insomnia, nervousness, headache, tachycardia, seizures and death. Of the 5,448 reports of caffeine overdoses in the U.S. in 2007, 46 percent occurred in children under 19 years, according to researchers at the American Academy of Pediatrics. A research report published in the February 2011 issue of "Pediatrics" concluded that energy drinks have no therapeutic benefit. College students and young adults often consume beverages that combine alcohol and energy drinks. The caffeine in the energy drinks increases mental alertness and dampens the feeling of intoxication, allowing an individual to drink more alcohol without feeling its effects. The combination of caffeine and alcohol can lead to serious dehydration, note UAB nutritionists.
References
- "Journal of the American Pharmacists Association"; Safety Issues Associated With Commercially Available Energy Drinks; K. A. Clauson, et al., May-June 2008
- "Pediatrics"; Health Effects of Energy Drinks on Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults; Sara M. Seifert, et al., February 2011
- UAB Medicine; Energy Drinks: Healthful or Harmful?; Ashley Dinges and Debbie Strong, MBA, RD
- Ohio University; A Connection Between Kidney Stones and Caffeine?; Martha A. Simpson, DO, MBA, January 2011
- MayoClinic.com: Kidney Stones
- Science Daily; Kidney Stones in Children on the Rise, Expert Says; May 2009
