Negative Effects of Energy Drinks

Energy drinks are defined as “soft drink[s] containing a high percentage of sugar, caffeine, or… [other] stimulant[s]” (Oxford Dictionaries, 2014). The popularity and consumption of energy drinks in today’s world is immensely widespread, especially among athletes and athletic institutions. Albeit this new category of beverages is somewhat novel, it has become a central and imperative weapon for those in need of a boost in their performance (Aufiero, 2014). Energy drinks –for the first time in history –have almost become the fuel of choice when engaging in physically demanding tasks; this is most likely due to its high-sugar content (Breda et al., 2014). Additionally, the deliciously empowering world of energy drinks has managed to influence a staggering 68% of adolescents –i.e. age ten to eighteen –in the European Union alone (Breda et al., 2014).Study: Negative Effects of Energy Drinks

History:

The first energy drink was crafted in the year 1962 by Taisho Pharmaceuticals –a Japanese pharmaceutical company established in Tokyo (Engber, 2014). According to Engber (2014), this particular energy drink was called Lipovitan D. At its inception, Lipovitan D was sold as an energizing tonic, and, it was labelled as especially caffeinated and vitamin fortified (Engber, 2014). Lipovitan D was initially targeted to and consumed by executives in Japan that fought to appropriate success (Engber, 2014). By the 1980’s, the energy drink market had already attained global notoriety. Although Lipovitan D did not dominate the international markets, it was the first beverage to be solely and specifically classified as an energy drink (Engber, 2014). The next major brand of energy drinks to dominate the market was known as Red Bull (Preceden, 2014). Created in 1987 by Dietrich Mateschitz –an Austrian Businessman, Red Bull was introduced to the United States of America in 1997 (Engber, 2014; Green and Keegan, 2013:175). Red Bull would be the catalyst to immensely expand the energy drink market. According to “Gary Hemphill, director of research for the Beverage Marketing Corporation,” ‘the energy drink market attained “$11 billion in retail sales’” alone (Engber, 2014).Study: Negative Effects of Energy Drinks