The U.S. poison control centers reported that between 2010 and 2013 there were over 5,000 cases of people getting sick from energy drinks. Almost half of the cases involved children who had no idea what they were drinking. This research will be presented at the American Heart Association.
Side effects such as seizures, dangerously high blood pressure, and irregular heart rhythms were found by the researchers and most victims were children under age 6 who were unsupervised when consuming the beverages. Of course these children did not buy the drinks from stores since no store will probably sell something to a child under age 6 without adult supervision, instead they found these beverages lying around the house, in the refrigerator or counter tops left by other family members. Children this young are very curious and will put anything they find in their mouth without knowing if it's safe for them or not. So let this be an eye opener for all the parents out there.
Energy drinks are dangerous because they contain caffeine and high levels of sugar. Studies suggest that energy drinks are no better than a cup of coffee and have a nasty side effect. Dr. Steven Lipshultz is a pediatrician at Michigan Children's Hospital and one of the researchers who noted that in 2007 adults and children who had energy drinks got sick and was brought to the emergency room. In 2011 the number of patients increased with problems in their heart and liver and possible death. It is also reported that from October 2010 up to September 2013, there were 5,156 cases recorded and 40% involved kids below 6 year old.
Other than that, the researchers noted that those drinks with additives such as amino acids and other plant extracts seems to cause much severe problems compared to those with caffeine powder.
Most people do not know about the potentially dangerous side effects of energy drinks and so they just consume it at their own risk. We should all be educated about this. It's true when they say that it pays to check the labels of everything we eat and drink. Everyone in the family should be made aware of the side effects that can be brought about by energy drinks most especially to children.
