Are energy drinks safe for your health?

Thirty-one percent of U.S. teenagers say they drink energy drinks, according to Simmons Research. Not only teens but people of all ages are taking energy drinks to get a shot of freshness or energy.

But are they safe for your health?

According to researchers at Johns Hopkins University, the labels of popular energy drinks, such as Red Bull and Rockstar, should contain warnings about the amount of caffeine they contain and the potentially harmful side effects they could cause.

In recent years, a number of different energy drinks have been introduced to provide an energy boost or as dietary supplements. They contain high levels of caffeine as well as other additives,such as taurine, ginseng and carnitine that act as stimulants.

Scientists from Johns Hopkins have spent years evaluating the effects of caffeine and the impact these high-caffeine energy drinks can have on a person’s health. While a typical 12 ounce soft drink has about 35 milligarms of caffeine, some energy drinks contain up to 500 milligrams. The researchers suggest that most consumers are unaware of the caffeine content in these energy drinks or about the potential dangers, and that information should be added to the product labels.

In addition, many of these drinks are heavily marketed in bars or for use in combination with alcohol, which could further increase the health risks for consumers.

Energy drinks may pose various health risks, including:

Restlessness and irritability. The caffeine in energy drinks can make you irritable, restless and nervous. Excessive caffeine is also associated with headaches, tremors, nausea and insomnia.
Increased blood pressure. The caffeine in energy drinks can increase your blood pressure and make your heart beat faster. In some cases, this can trigger potentially dangerous changes in heart rhythm. Mixing energy drinks and alcohol compounds the effect, since alcohol also makes your heart beat faster.
Possible dehydration. Some studies suggest that the caffeine in energy drinks may increase the risk of dehydration during exercise, but results are mixed. Other studies don't associate caffeine with dehydration.
Weight gain. The sugar in most energy drinks can contribute to weight gain, especially for people who don't exercise regularly and those who struggle with their weight.
In addition, excessive amounts of energy drinks have been associated with manic episodes, seizures, chest pain, heart attacks and sudden cardiac death.

Suggestions from: Mayo Clinic physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist- Edward R. Laskowski, M.D

Useful links:

* Teens Abusing Energy Boosting Drinks, Doctors Fear

* An important report (I suggest readers to read comments section at the bottom of the report): Energy Drink Health Risk Warnings Needed According to Researchers

* An interesting site with reviews, news and other information about energy drinks is: 'Energy drink review'

* 12 Harmful Ingredients in Power Drinks, Colas and Artificial Juice Drinks

Use of electronic and digital products causing health problems

Use of electronic products is enormously increasing, but as research is showing there are some bad effects of regular use of these products. I am quoting here 2 reports about the use of laptop and mobile phones, as these are the favorites of young generation.

I just want you to bring awareness about  risk involved at frequent use of these useful devices.

According to report "Dr. Yefim Sheynkin, an associate professor of urology at SUNY--Stony Brook told Reuters, "the increase in scrotal temperature is significant enough to cause changes in sperm parameters. It is very difficult to predict how long the computer can be used safely. It may not be at all, if the testicular temperature goes up high within a very short period of time."

Particularly at risk, says Sheynkin, are younger men, especially if they use a laptop computer several times a day over the course of time. "Long-term use may have a detrimental effect on their reproductive health," he said.
To arrive at these conclusions, Sheynkin recruited 29 healthy volunteers between the ages of 21 and 35 to determine what kind of effect using a laptop computer had on scrotal temperature.
The volunteers’ scrotal temperatures rose over two degrees centigrade when the laptop computers were merely placed on the volunteers’ laps. Once the laptop computers were turned on, the scrotal temperatures increased by 2.6 degrees C on the left side and 2.8 degrees C on the right side.

2nd report is about health risks due to radiation from mobile phones.

Eurobarometer, a programme within the EU took opinions from across the EU. Of Britons, 65 percent believed that mobile phones affected their health and 71 percent felt that mobile phone masts affected their health. The European results were73 percent and 76 percent.

For over 10 years, a Scandinavian study has been checking for health risks connected to mobile phone use. They report that there is an increase in the chance of getting brain tumors and that radiation from mobiles can kill brain cells, which could mean that the youth may develop senile symptoms by the time they are forty."

So these reports are indication of the risk involed in long term use of all electrical devices, which produce radiation. This radiation is very harmful, and if we cannot avoid the use of these products, we can limit the use to our extreme needs.

Teens are also at risk , because they don't think about limitations or boundaries when they use these digital products. In this condition moderate use is the safest option for all of us.