26 Feb 2019

Energy drinks are widely consumed with the believe that they boost energy levels and thereby improve performance.  

Botswana National Health Science (NHS) describes an energy drink as a non-alcoholic drink that contains caffeine, taurine (an aminon acid) and vitamins in addition to other ingredients. Of late, a lot of Batswana indulge in these drinks to an extent of even taking them with meals.  

A dietician at Bokamoso Private Hospital in Mmopane, Mr John Nderitu said energy drinks affected the effectiveness of certain medications due to their constituents.  

“Some prescription medication reacts to yerba mate including quinolones, which is used to treat a variety of illnesses such as respiration and urinary tract infections.  

The other medication is cimetidine, which is used to treat certain types of ulcer and conditions that cause the stomach to produce too much acid,” he said. 

He said yerba mate also affected medication such as estrogens, which was a type of medication used in hormonal birth control and menopausal hormone therapy.  

As a result of taking energy drinks and some of the listed medications, one may experience jitterines, increased heart rate and headaches. 

Furthermore, he explained that both ginseng and ginkgo biloba, which were found in some beverages such as health teas, could interfere with proper drug action of certain medications such as insulin, oral hypoglycemic agents, blood thinners and diuretics. 

He said sometimes caffeine intoxication followed if the person took doses equal to or above 200mg of energy drinks.  

He added that it could also result in acute and chronic daily headaches. “It can also lead to caffeine-induced anxiety, caffeine-induced sleep disorder and caffeine-related disorder,” he said, adding that “if individuals consume more than 300mg of caffeine per day, hallucinations may be observed.”  

He said high levels of cortisol that followed caffeine intake could explain this. Cortisol is the hormone responsible for stress, high blood pressure and heart disease. 

“Cortisol enhances the physiological effects of stress resulting in a greater tendency for the subjects to hallucinate,” he said.  

Moreover, Mr Nderitu said caffeine increased the release of acid in the stomach leading to an upset stomach or heartburn. 

He said caffeine was also a diuretic hence the body lost water and the consumer craved more to quench the resulting thirst.  

The dietician said diuretics were medicines/drugs belonging to a particular class that promoted diureis, a condition in which the kidneys filter too much bodily fluids leading to increased or excessive production of urine.

 Energy drinks contain large amounts of sugar ranging from 21g to 34g. The sugar content is in the form of sucrose, glucose or high fructose corn syrup. Therefore, the high intake of energy drinks increases the risk of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. 

Mr Nderitu said obesity and metabolic syndrome were likely to result because the high sugar content in energy drinks might reduce the activity, diversity and gene expression of intestinal bacteria.  

It is also discouraged to take energy drinks during prolonged exercise in a hot environment due to potential danger of dehydration.   

There are also some dental effects due to low pH and the high sugar content. Moreover, what goes into energy drinks can also lead to late miscarriages, low birth weight and stillbirths in pregnant women.  

According to NHS, the increasing practice of mixing energy drinks with alcohol also carries risks. 

The researchers stated that the consumption of high amounts of caffeine found in energy drinks reduced drowsiness without diminishing the effects of alcohol, resulting in wide awake drunkenness. Ends