Supposed to be a countermeasure against summer fatigue… “Energy drinks” nutritional professional declares that “people over 40 should not drink them”.

Caffeine and sugar “overdose” can cause myocardial infarction, insomnia, and thinning hair

Energy drinks are becoming increasingly popular, especially among young people. Many middle-aged men take energy drinks to turn on the “work switch,” drinking them to prevent drowsiness during meetings or when they want to work overtime. However, according to Erika Shinohara, a registered dietitian, “People over the age of 40 should avoid drinking energy drinks in particular.

The main ingredients in energy drinks are caffeine, sugar, B vitamins for metabolism, and arginic acid, which relieves fatigue. In addition, carnitine, which converts fat into energy, citric acid, which is effective against fatigue, plant extracts such as guarana seed extract, and ginseng extract are also included, although these vary from product to product.

Among these, caffeine and sugar can be fatal if consumed in excess.

Excessive intake of caffeine affects the central nervous system, which sends commands throughout the body, and can cause physical and mental abnormalities such as increased heart rate and blood pressure, dizziness, excitement, tremors, diarrhea, nausea, anxiety, and insomnia.

People who are in the habit of drinking alcohol may be adversely affected by the consumption of energy drinks.

Both alcohol and energy drinks can raise blood pressure if consumed in excess. If you habitually drink energy drinks, your blood pressure will rise even more when you drink alcohol, and if there are blood clots (clots of blood) in the blood vessels, they can clog and increase the risk of myocardial infarction or cerebral infarction.

Especially for those who have been diagnosed with lifestyle-related diseases or those whose blood has become sluggish due to disordered eating habits, there is a risk of fatal consequences.

If you drink an energy drink in the evening or later to keep up with overtime work, the effects of caffeine will continue until bedtime at night.

Caffeine has a stimulant effect that makes sleep shallow and leaves you feeling tired when you wake up in the morning. If you drink an energy drink again the next day to relieve the sluggishness, you will again have trouble sleeping at night, and you will become more and more insomniac. The more you drink, the more fatigue accumulates.

In addition, because energy drinks contain a lot of sugar, blood sugar levels can easily spike and fall, increasing the risk of obesity and diabetes. In particular, if you have a disordered diet, such as eating late at night or skipping breakfast, and you also have a habit of drinking energy drinks, the likelihood of developing diabetes is high. In addition, sugar is bad for various cells.

When excess sugar and protein combine in the body, it causes a phenomenon called “glycation,” in which the cells become scabrous. Glycation of bones leads to osteoporosis, and glycation of brain cells leads to dementia. In men, it also causes ED (erectile dysfunction) and aging of the hair, such as thinning and hair loss.

Blood sugar spikes and you’ll be groggy again within hours of drinking. ……

That’s not the only effect of caffeine and sugar. It is also highly addictive. As the term “caffeine addiction” suggests, caffeine is a substance that, when consumed on a daily basis, makes one unable to stop drinking, and when it is stopped, withdrawal symptoms such as tremors and anxiety appear.

Coffee, green tea, and black tea also contain caffeine, but the caffeine in energy drinks is not naturally derived from coffee beans or tea leaves, but is artificially produced. Moreover, since it is added in large quantities, it is thought to rapidly increase dependence if consumed continuously.

The sugars in energy drinks are called “monosaccharides” and are quickly absorbed by the body. Although the amount differs depending on the product, the large amount of sugar in these drinks causes a spike in blood glucose levels as soon as they are consumed. When insulin is secreted by the pancreas to lower it, the blood glucose level plummets, resulting in low blood glucose. Then the body feels sluggish, and the addict begins to crave it again.

When you drink it, you wake up feeling temporarily refreshed due to the arousing effect of caffeine and the rise in blood glucose levels. But after a few hours, you immediately feel tired, which is a characteristic of habitual energy drinkers.

Do not assume that “zero” in “zero-calorie” or “zero-sugar” beverages means “zero calories” or “zero sugar.

In the case of beverages, if the sugar content is less than 0.5g per 100mL, it can be labeled as “zero sugar,” and if the energy content is less than 5kcal, it can be labeled as “zero calories. Since it is not completely “zero,” the intake of calories and sugar will increase if you drink several bottles a day.

Even zero-sugar beverages may be sweetened with artificial sweeteners, and frequent consumption is not recommended for men over 40 years of age, who are at increased risk for lifestyle-related diseases.

One bottle may exceed a day’s worth of “sugar intake

From a nutritional standpoint, Shinohara says that if you are going to drink energy drinks, “drink no more than one a day at most, and do not drink them every day.

Health Canada (HC) has stated that the daily caffeine intake for adults should be no more than 400 mg (*1). For coffee alone, the standard is up to three mugs a day. Energy drinks vary widely from product to product, but some products contain as much as 300 mg of caffeine in 100 mg.

In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines recommend a daily sugar intake of about 25 g (6 teaspoons), including sugar used in cooking (*2).

Most typical energy drinks contain around 10 g of sugar per 100 mL, easily exceeding the daily allowance if each bottle has a volume of 250 mL or more. Considering these factors, it is best to limit the amount to one bottle per day at most.”

Check the Nutrition Facts label when purchasing, as ingredients and content vary from product to product. To avoid becoming dependent on caffeine and sugar to the detriment of your health, it is a good idea to find a favorite drink or snack that can replace energy drinks.

For a “crisp” feeling, try a strong, unsweetened sparkling water, and for preventing drowsiness, try a cup of black coffee or high-cacao chocolate. If your goal is to reduce fatigue, try 100% fruit juice, which is full of citric acid and provides quick energy.

If you want sweetness, try drinking soda water while licking a candy bar. One candy cane is far less sugar than an energy drink.

For middle-aged people, casually grabbing an energy drink because they “want to feel energized” is an act that increases the risk of disease itself. Simply stopping the use of artificial energy drinks as a stopgap measure may alleviate the discomfort and lethargy they are feeling.

• (*1) Health Canada Reminds Canadians to Manage Caffeine Consumption (2010)
• (*2) Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children

Erika Shinohara is a registered dietitian. She is a certified instructor of the Japanese Society of Anti-Aging Medicine and the president of Health & Beautrition. She is the leader of Health & Beautrition, which provides easy-to-understand information on dietary habits that create health and beauty from within the body. While working as a member of a medical team at a general hospital and a nephrology and internal medicine clinic, she realized the importance of sleep and became a sleep improvement instructor and a sleep health coach.