Sports and Energy Drinks
Beverages called energy drinks are a multibillion-dollar industry based on aggressive marketing strategies that mainly target teens and young adults.  In 2010, 34% to 51% of those age 18 to 24 in the U.S. reported regular consumption of energy drinks, a total of 6 billion drinks.^{1 2}  A typical 16 oz. energy drink contains 150-200 mg. of caffeine, about equal to the same amount of brewed coffee.  In contrast, a 20-oz. bottle of Coke would contain only 58 mg. of caffeine.  Energy drinks also contain a variety of herbs, vitamins and usually large amounts of sugar.  Like other dietary supplements, energy drinks are not regulated by the FDA and are associated with a substantial array of health risks including increased heart rate, palpitations, high blood pressure, insomnia and high blood sugar levels.^{3 4}

Children should not consume energy drinks.  Adolescents should be advised to limit caffeine intake to 100 mg. per day and adults to 500 mg. a day.⁵  Because the millions of persons consuming energy drinks are likely to be unaware of the amount or risks of the caffeine they are ingesting, caffeine overdoses have caused serious illness and rare deaths––probably from heart irregularities.  Assuming that ingestion over a brief time of 3 to 10 gm of caffeine might be lethal, then it would probably take 12 or more energy drinks to reach a lethal dose in a healthy adult.  But in the presence of liver disease or other drugs, a fatal dose could be lower.⁶

Mixing energy drinks and alcohol is especially dangerous because caffeine offsets the sedating effects of alcohol, and drinkers may not realize that they are intoxicated, keep on drinking, and drink too much.  A group of students who consumed both energy drinks and alcohol approximately doubled their risk of experiencing or committing sexual assault, riding with an intoxicated driver, having an alcohol-related motor vehicle crash, or requiring medical treatment.^{7 8}

The International Olympic Committee published a statement in 2015 that it is “inappropriate and unacceptable to encourage dietary supplements for performance enhancement with youth athletes.”  However, studies have found use by between 22% and 71% of child and adolescent athletes.  Although there is little evidence that sports-nutrition supplements are effective, they are marketed with promises of improved athletic performance, and are a growing market, estimated at $6.7 billon of annual sales in the U.S. in 2016.⁹

Endnotes

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