Are energy drinks good for teenagers?

Over the past couple of years teenagers have consumed energy drinks more than ever with brands like Red Bull, Monster, and Bang, which are marketed to give us more energy, help us concentrate, and improve our performance. They can be seen at our local convenience stores, vending machines and are easy to get hold of around the world. A lot of teenagers choose these drinks as they are easy to find in stores and vending machines. They help them stay awake during long study sessions while playing sports or having a part-time job. Some teens say that energy drinks give them more adrenaline and help them not slack off at their part-time job. Energy drinks have become increasingly more popular which has made teachers, parents, and professionals wonder if energy drinks are healthy or harmful for teens. As Richards and Smith pointed out, energy drinks can improve teens focus and improve their moods, but Costantino warns us of the potential risks, like increased stress, anxiety and causing depression.

Perspective #1: The Advantages as to why energy drinks are good for teenagers.

An argument can be said that consuming energy drinks may negatively affect mental health, particularly in teenagers, by increasing mood swings, burnout, and anxiety. However, as Richards Smith in their review of energy drinks and mental health, argue that “Banning the sale of energy drinks to minors could be an overly simplistic and ineffective solution.” (Richards and Smith). It would not work making it illegal to purchase energy drinks being the age of under eighteen because when looking at junk food they can still be bought as a minor even when they are also known for being bad for our health. Instead, Parents and schools may be more to blame and should keep an eye on and teach kids about energy drinks as it may help teenagers if they were taught to make better choices when it comes to energy drink consumption, like not drinking them at all or drinking them with caution. The source points out that drinking little sips of energy drinks may help teens with being able to focus without being distracted such as an athlete who could already be tried from practice from the other day or people who have part-time jobs. It’s also important to know that the research done can vary between different people depending on how much caffeine they can handle as the more we consume energy drinks the higher risks of negative effects it has on our mental health. Teenagers that have sports or a part-time job after school may decide to use energy drinks to stay awake and focused. A lot of energy drinks also are advertised with vitamins, electrolytes, and amino acids, which will help teens perform better. As Richards and Smith observed that, “In low doses, energy drinks can sometimes elevate mood, though results depend on individual response and dosage.” (Richards and Smith). For students and athlete’s energy drinks can help with their attention span. This can increase their productivity and improve mood. Some teenagers may use energy drinks when their upcoming deadline for an assignment come up or physical activities that can make teens feel tired.

Perspective #2: The Advantages as to why energy drinks are bad for teenagers.

Professionals that ran tests on human subjects have found that people who consume energy drinks increased their stress, anxiety and made them more depressed. Costantino in their comprehensive review found that teenagers who regularly drink energy drinks felt, “Rather bad/very bad.” (Constantino). Teenagers and a lot of younger people might use energy drinks to deal with stress or stay awake. On one hand this could be a good thing since energy drinks can help younger people deal with school, a part-time job and other things that can cause tons of stress by giving them a boost of energy and being able to stay awake for a longer period. However, this can be a concern in the future, when using energy drinks as a stress reliever it could lead people to not be able to function without sugar and caffeine which is bad as it affects our mental and physical health, over time can affect our sleep and even increase anxiety when teens not consuming energy drinks. Researchers also have looked at multiple studies and tests that involved humans consuming energy drinks to see what it does to the body and mind. According to Constantino, “A significant prevalence of adverse effects, particularly on the cardiovascular and neurovegetative systems.” (Constantino). The caffeine from energy drinks that teens consume may help them balance their schedules of sports games, school, and large crowds but the same studies have also shown that teenagers are being affected negatively by the caffeine inside of the energy drinks which causes them to not be able to stay still, being more sensitive, and worse sleep. For some teenagers the positive side effects of energy drinks comes at the cost of health concerns that can negativity affect them as they grow up as adults.

Similarities and Differences

One of the biggest differences between the arguments is the amount of damage energy drinks can do to teenagers and how the effects should be looked at. Richards and Smith take into account that teenagers can be depressed and stressed due to not sleeping enough or poor dieting. As Richards and Smith notes that, “It is important to consider whether energy drinks do indeed affect mental health.” Costantino argues that Energy drinks are bad for our health.

According to Costantino, “The majority of research has observed positive associations between energy drink consumption and symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression.” Teens and people that are younger found that energy drinks affect our heart, bad sleep, and addiction. Richards and Smith see energy drinks as harmful depending on certain factors in teenager’s lives, while Costantino sees energy drinks as hazards and that it could lead to serious problems if they are not looked after.

Strength and Weaknesses

Both arguments agree that energy drinks can do something to us mentally and physically when being consumed. They acknowledge that consuming energy drinks daily or often can cause problems like anxiety, stress and problems with sleeping. Richards and Smith, notes that caffeine effects can vary “In low doses, energy drinks can sometimes elevate mood, though results depend on individual response and dosage.” This is why teens who are athletes may perform better while the average person can experience negative effects towards their mental health. As from Richards and Smith prospective, instead of declaring that energy drinks are just harmful without looking at evidence it makes people informed about their choice, but the weakness of their argument could be that they might not show all the serious risks that consuming energy drinks does to teens. Both sources agree that energy drinks can be bad when not used appropriately and energy levels can fluctuate the more, we consume it. When looking at both arguments I would disagree that energy drinks are good for teens as the short-term benefits that the drinks give us are not worth the side effects. Costantino’s argument is a lot stronger because it talks about when drinking energy drinks on a daily basics it can affect the heart and nervous system. Costantino mentions that “Significant Prevalence of adverse effects.” As Costantino has evidence from studies and case reports that indicate potential health concerns related to energy drinks. But its weakness might be that it doesn’t talk about when people moderately use energy drinks and how it might offer advantages.

Compromise

Rather than banning energy drinks completely for teenagers as that would not be a unhealthy solution a middle ground between the arguments would be for parents to do a better job at watching what there teenagers consumes and the teenager can also find healthier options and to know that they can’t substitute water for energy drinks and that it is important to get enough sleep and enough water each day and that teens should learn that energy drinks are bad to use before bed and to know when they are drinking too much. Older teens who may have tighter schedules and play sports an occasional energy drink could benefit them but overdoing it or drinking too often could lead to harmful side effects and that they need to make sure that they are using energy drinks appropriately like getting enough sleep and eating well.