Are energy drinks bad for young people? The effects, explained

Energy drinks have long been the crutch that propped up a million college students, as they rely on the heavily caffeinated drinks to keep their eyes open and brains moving through exhaustive exams and endless campus activities.

Dozens of brands compete for prominence in the ever-growing world of energy drinks, but over the years a few clear favorites have claimed positions at the top. The likes of Red Bull, a longtime popular pick to pair with alcohol, and Monster have long reigned supreme, but they’re increasingly finding themselves up against harsh competition.

As the war to unseat Red Bull as America’s energy drink of choice rages on, more and more brands target young people in their advertising. Young people are, after all, among the most likely to drink these sugary heart attacks in a bottle, but the health issues that are increasingly linked to an energy drink habit are starting to urge even youthful drinkers away.

Are energy drinks bad for young adults?

Sorry to ruin yet another glimmer of enjoyment for you, but energy drinks are bad for absolutely everyone. They’re much worse for certain sects of the population, in particular older folks who may have heart conditions, but there’s not a person out there who can enjoy energy drinks without risk.

For a while, we assumed that those at the least risk were young people, who — without the medical issues that come with age — had far less to worry about when their hearts started thudding. Unfortunately, that’s simply not true. A number of negative health effects have been discovered in young people who consume energy drinks, which now begs a vital question: If older people shouldn’t drink them and now young people shouldn’t drink them, just who is going to keep the energy drink empire afloat?

What are the health issues associated with energy drinks?

Several key health issues have been outlined as a result of young people — commonly college students — frequently enjoying energy drinks. The first is obvious, but it’s also a slippery slope to further health concerns: A lack of sleep. Drinking energy drinks is directly correlated to getting less sleep, even if you drink them early in the day, and sleep is vital. You may need a Red Bull to get you through that study session but if you instead showed up rested and refreshed, you might do even better than if you’d stayed up all night studying.

Then there are issues like the correlation between energy drinks and binge drinking in general, another major health hurdle that will only get worse as you age, alongside an increase in poor eating habits. Again, what you put in your body matters, and the more bad stuff you put in the worse you’ll ultimately feel.

Longterm research shows only negative or neutral health outcomes from prolonged use of energy drinks. Since there’s not a lick of positivity in there, the message is clear — you may like how they make you feel now, but in the long run energy drinks simply aren’t worth it.