Yes, they may pair well with a hangover from the night before, however, many energy drinks and shots are artificially flavored with triple the caffeine, sugars, and vitamins your body needs. They can even take them away for that matter if you’re juggling other health issues.
Check out 8 reasons why you should nix the amped-up drinks to save your health:
Increased Anxiety
Those who are prone to feeling increased anxiety when consuming caffeinated beverages should stay clear of artificial energy drinks and shots. For some, larger doses of caffeine can even ignite full-blown panic attacks.
READ: Sugary Drinks Could be Linked to Colon Cancer in Younger Patients
Leads To Type 2 Diabetes
Because many energy drinks are also very high in sugar, they can eventually wear out the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, which unfortunately leads to type 2 diabetes.
RELATED: 6 Ways To Boost Your Energy Without Caffeine
It’s Addictive
Yes, you can most certainly become addicted to the caffeine in these drinks. It’s all about dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical that helps control movement, motivation, and emotions, so enhanced dopamine signaling makes a person feel more awake and alert.
Because caffeine produces that alert feeling, it’s classified as a stimulant. So, like many drugs, caffeine enhances dopamine signaling in the brain.
RELATED: 6 Drinks That Lower High Blood Pressure
Raises High Blood Pressure
Caffeinated products can elevate a person’s blood pressure. For those with normal blood pressure, this shouldn’t be too alarming, but those with already elevated blood pressure could be at risk of stroke and other health problems related to hypertension if they consume too many energy drinks in a short period of time.
A study published by the American Heart Association showed that energy drinks have a greater negative effect on blood pressure than drinks that contain caffeine alone as the active ingredient. They believe the combination of ingredients in energy drinks is why these beverages pose a greater risk of heart-related problems than coffee or tea.
You Can Overdose on Niacin
Niacin, also known as Vitamin B3, is placed in almost every energy drink at levels that cause no harm and can even be healing. However, Niacin, which has often been inaccurately portrayed as a natural supplement to flush your system of marijuana, can cause an overdose when the vitamin is consumed with energy drinks. Symptoms include skin flushing, dizziness, rapid heart rate, vomiting, itching, gout, and diarrhea.