Pitfalls of an energy boost

A typical energy drink such as Red Bull has about 76 milligrams of caffeine, and local dieticians say this popular stimulant is too easy to abuse. Caffeine is being added to more products, and dieticians say the amount some people are consuming is excessive and could cause health problems.\n“The caffeine is the one ingredient that worries me,” said Samantha Schaefer, a registered dietician at Bloomington Hospital. “Limit your intake to 300 milligrams a day.”\nBobbie Saccone, a registered dietician for the IU Health Center, said 830 milligrams a day is considered excessive. \nSaccone said an average cup of coffee has about 75 to 100 milligrams per cup, and an average Starbucks grande has 330 milligrams of caffeine.\nBut today there are products with added caffeine all over the supermarket. In addition to the soft drinks, energy drinks and NoDoz, there are now candy bars, chewing gums, breath sprays and even jelly beans with added caffeine, Saccone said. Mars just released the new caffeinated Snickers Charged, which its Web site describes as “peanuts, nougat, caramel and chocolate you love with an added boost to help you get through the day.”\nOne thing that worries Saccone about energy drinks is the varying sizes of the cans \nand bottles.\n“What you’ll find in those energy drinks like Jolt and Rockstar all have somewhat similar numbers that are a little bit different,” she said. “But a lot of times the differences are based on the can they come in. They will tell you how much is in eight ounces, and it might appear to somebody with a quick look that there is only 150 in this ... Well what is 150 in a container that’s double the volume?”\nSaccone said that as people drink more caffeine, their tolerance increases and some of the side effects include increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, sleep disturbance, anxiety, mood changes, heartburn \nand addiction.\n“Caffeine can be classified as a drug because it is toxic, so at the point you have about 10 grams of (caffeine) in your diet, it can cause death,” she said. “It’s a poison, and so that’s equivalent to 70 to 100 cups \nof coffee.”\nJunior Scott Sylvester, acknowledges that energy drinks can be dangerous. However, he occasionally drinks them for a quick fix to stay awake.\n“I’m not a huge energy drink person, but if I need it I will,” he said. \nAlong with caffeine, there are all kinds of ingredients in energy drinks of which Saccone said people also need to be aware.\n“People don’t know exactly what’s in it,” she said. “They might not know the effects of caffeine and other energy enhancing substances, but their bodies may be on other drugs and there are drug and drug-food interactions all the time.”