Many people rely on energy drinks, but some have opposing views. Which product is better, who has a stronger argument? Here at Lodi High School, two students with opposing views stated their arguments on whether they are worth the hype.
An article produced by Mayo Clinic Health System shows how young adults and teens value drinking energy drinks as “people consuming nearly eight gallons of sports and energy drinks a year. These beverages are the second most popular dietary supplement among U.S. teens and young adults, behind multivitamins.” Although caffeine is the second most popular dietary supplement among U.S. teens and young adults it doesn’t mean it is good for you and your body in the long run. “ In recent years, emergency departments have seen a rising trend of children being admitted due to overconsumption of caffeine, also known as caffeine toxicity.”
First, we have a freshman Violet Raines who believes energy drinks are worth the hype as she drinks one every day. “ I drink energy drinks because I’m tired” Violet believes they help her get through the day as she claims to be more productive and feel herself after having one. Next, I asked Violet if she ever believes her views change on energy drinks, and she replied “Maybe”. By that answer, you can see that Violet has considered in the future possibly changing her views on energy drinks to consider the possible impacts they can have on you.
An article produced by University of Rodchester medical center claims energy drinks are not safe for your heart when “Consumed frequently or in large quantities” specifically stated by cardiac electrophysiologist Mehmet Aktas, MD, of UR Medicine. According to the article heart problems energy drinks can provide are “Tachycardia: increased resting heartbeat, Arrhythmias: irregular heartbeat, including skipped beats and atrial fibrillation, Hypertension: high blood pressure, Arterial spasms that may lead to heart attacks and other forms of vascular disease” This shows risks of energy drinks that are unlikely but do happen to people and can be a reason people do not drink energy drinks.
Following Violet we have another Freshman, Ashlynne Parsons who has opposing views on energy drinks to Violet. Ashlynne believes energy drinks are very bad for you and your heart. I asked Ashlynne her opinion on energy drinks, “Energy drinks are not good for you and I don’t drink them because I do not want my heart to stop”. When drinking energy drinks Ashlynne considers all of the downsides and side effects of drinking them with a high consistently. With that information, I next asked Ashlynne if she believed her opinion would ever change in the future. With that prompt Ashlynne replied “ No, my beliefs won’t change but I might drink them more for energy” Ashlynne believes sometimes it is okay to drink energy drinks if you are very tired and need them but not continuously or in large amounts on occasion.
Here at Lodi high school, there are opposing views among students and energy drink consumption. Some students fully believe in the helpful aspect of energy drinks while others see through to the core of harmful ingredients and their impact on their health.
