Karina Gonzalez
The reflection watching me shook with trepidation. A nervous twitch shot through his eye, a quiver across his lip, a tremor through his clenched fists.
Panic fogged the glass between us.
His gaze was relentless.
As we squared off, my inner child writhed with desire, compelling me to proceed.
Quickly, I slid open the case and cast off the haunting apparition. Without hesitation, I extracted the pinkest, shiniest can from the 7-Eleven cooler.
Three dollars poorer, I stumbled out the door and guzzled my first energy drink. It left behind a foul chemical aftertaste and a scarcely noticeable buzz.
Nevertheless, such tonics have become a staple in today’s fast-paced, sleep-deprived society – a $3.4 billion per year staple. In the last year alone, more than 500 new brands launched worldwide.
Between the Pierce College Bookstore and Freudian Sip, students can choose from 19 of these stimulant-laden concoctions, although the top-sellers are consistently Red Bull and Monster, reported bookstore manager Greg Osweiler.
Companies like Red Bull spend hundreds of millions of dollars advertising their products to young people, and for good reason. The market, according to a 2006 CBS News report, is growing annually at a rate of 80 percent.
In 2006, MSNBC reported that 31 percent of U.S. teenagers regularly partake in the trend. That consumer base, then 7.6 million strong, had expanded by nearly three million in three years.
For an industry so booming, however, the science of energy drinks has been grossly under-researched. Daunting ingredient labels, paired with a lack of knowledge concerning substances like taurine and glucuronolactone has led several countries and organizations to ban Red Bull.
So far, prohibitions of the drink have gone into effect in France, Norway and Denmark.
In Japan, drinks caffeinated to the extent of Red Bull were classified as drugs and, until recently, were only available through pharmacies.
Canada has only allowed the 20-year-old beverage to be sold within its borders since 2004 and only with a label that warns: “Not recommended for pregnant women. Do not mix with alcohol. Do not consume more than 500ml (two cans) per day.”
That same year, Red Bull released a statement declaring that “no authority in the world has ever discovered or proven an unhealthy effect in or from Red Bull.”
But a number of deaths that occurred following the consumption of the popular drink, and others like it, have brought such claims into question.
In 2000, an 18-year-old basketball player from Limerick, Ireland died mid-game after consuming three cans of Red Bull, according to the BBC. Although no conclusive link was established between Red Bull and his death, the coroner ruled that he died of “sudden cardiac arrest brought on by an arrhythmic episode (heart palpitations).”
Heart palpitations, according to the Food and Drug Administration, are among the possible side effects of caffeine consumption.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is among the few sports organizations who have taken action to ban the consumption of highly-caffeinated beverages prior to sporting events. In the event that an athlete is found in possession, coaches are instructed to confiscate the banned substance.
In 2001, the BBC reported three people in Sweden having died after consumption of Red Bull as well. In one of the cases, the death occurred after several cans and a heavy workout.
In the other two cases, Red Bull was mixed with vodka, and the deaths were ruled the result of dehydration.
Because both alcohol and caffeine have diuretic properties, it is not uncommon for dehydration to result.
Also to be expected when the two are combined, according to a 2006 ABC News report, are shortness of breath, dizziness, disorientation, rapid heartbeat or potentially more serious cardiovascular risks.
Aside from their dubious roles as mixers and athletic performance enhancers, the so-called wonder tonics have become popular among today’s college students as last-minute study aids.
Osweiler reports that, compared to last year, energy drink sales are up 11 percent in the Freudian Sip and 6 percent in the Bookstore.
But the question at hand remains whether or not the possible benefits outweigh potential risks associated with consumption of such large amounts of caffeine.
“They’re stimulants, so they’re going to increase blood pressure and prevent sleep,” explained Beth Benne, Director of the Health Center at Pierce, in regards to why so many students depend on energy drinks.
As healthy alternatives, Benne said she would recommend “any herbal, non-caffeinated beverage,” but concluded simply, “I think moderation in anything is your answer-whether you have a glass of wine or you get drunk!”