Research Paper on Energy Drinks

Energy drinks have caused quite a stir in many places in the whole of the United States because of one reason: are energy drinks safe to drink, and if so, should teens consume them? In many parts of the United States, there are cases for age restrictions for the consumption of energy drinks with two main views, one view where energy drinks should not be able to reach the hands of a teen, and another, that says that energy drinks are harmless. 

The arguments from the people that say that energy drinks are harmless are: Most energy drinks have half or the same amount of caffeine as a regular coffee, the F.D.A. studied cases that show that energy drinks can’t kill, and allowing a teen to drink energy drinks is a parental responsibility. In the article “Quenched”, the author tells their opinion on the case of teens drinking energy drinks. In the text, they say that a study took place where researchers compared energy drinks and coffee and found that most energy drinks have half the amount of caffeine as a Starbucks standard house brew. The second reason was that in 2012, the F.D.A. studied 5 cases where teens had issues after drinking energy drinks but after that, the researchers found that the caffeine in the energy drinks had just “triggered a pre-existing heart problem.” The third reason was that it is a person’s parent's duty to make sure that things that will cause problems for their children are out of their hands and because of that, there shouldn’t be laws about energy drinks because it is the parents' responsibility for their children.

Many people also think that energy drinks for teens are bad for them because they have more caffeine than what average teens should drink. Energy drinks have caused deaths in the past, and not buying energy drinks saves money for future college fees and other things. 

Firstly, the article says that a teen’s body is more affected by large 

doses of caffeine than an adult’s body because even if the teen is as tall as an adult, they weigh less than that adult. Teens also have a lower tolerance for caffeine. These factors can increase the effect of caffeine. These reasons cause teens to have many health issues like heart palpitations and high blood pressure. 

Secondly, because teens’ bodies are so unprotected from caffeine, Energy drinks and many other beverages that offer temporary energy often have caffeine, caffeine can cause serious health issues for teens like heart palpitation and high blood pressure. There have been cases where people claim that teens died because of drinking a lot of energy drinks. Anais Fournier is a 14-year-old who according to the text, “Take the case of 14-year-old Anais Fournier, who died from a heart attack on December 10th, 2011.” Another case of death by energy drinks is 16-year-old Lanna Hamann. According to the text, “Moreover, consider the case of 16-year-old Lanna Hamann who went into cardiac arrest after guzzling Red Bull energy drinks while on vacation in Mexico.”

Finally, teens can save money by not spending their money buying energy drinks. The author says that teens going into college can save money so that they can put their money towards college and other needs instead of short bursts of energy from an energy drink. According to the text, “Surely, there are better things that today’s teens could do with that money, from purchasing less-expensive healthier snacks to saving money for future college expenses. A quick buzz is not worth the cost to their bodies or their wallets.”