
When the energy bar doesn’t work, try the energy drink
- September 17, 2021
A recent study found that energy drinks can make you feel better but that drinking them too often can be detrimental to your health.
The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, was done to examine how energy drinks influence energy levels in the body.
It found that those who consumed more energy drinks over the course of a day were found to have higher levels of cortisol levels than those who drank fewer.
“Our findings suggest that the effects of energy drinks on cortisol may be due to the increase in cortisol levels, not the energy itself,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Andrew F. Smith, a professor of medicine and physiology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
“These results are consistent with findings of the National Institute on Drug Abuse that energy drink consumption is associated with greater negative symptoms of anxiety, depression and anxiety disorders,” Smith added.
Cortisol is a hormone released in response to stress and other stressful situations.
It can help lower stress and increase energy.
According to the study, those who were more likely to drink more energy products reported greater anxiety and depression symptoms.
Those who drank energy drinks also reported experiencing increased levels of stress hormones in their bodies.
“While these findings suggest an association between energy drinks and negative symptoms, there are several important limitations to the current study that need to be considered,” the authors concluded.
“First, this is a prospective study, and there is no evidence to support a causal relationship between energy drink use and anxiety or depression symptoms, or other health outcomes,” they added.
In the past, there have been reports that people who consume too many energy drinks are more likely than others to develop cardiovascular disease and diabetes.