Energy drinks are beverages containing extreme amounts of caffeine with added vitamins and herbs.
Most drinks are targeted towards people aged 18 to 30 years old, advertising energy boosts and increased concentration levels.
The brand names reflect the characteristics that companies want their drinks to be perceived as. Among the most popular are Red Bull, Monster, Spark, Full Throttle and Amp.
Commonly served in a can or bottle, energy drinks are sold in convenient stores, gas stations, super markets, bars and nightclubs.
In addition to caffeine, energy drinks share a common list of typical ingredients. Ginseng is a root believed to reduce stress and raise energy levels, according to the Global Health Center.
Carnitine, an amino acid, helps metabolize fatty acids. Ginkgo biloba is thought, by some, to enhance memory. It is found in the seeds of the ginkgo biloba tree. Taurine, another amino acid, is actually produced by the human body. It is thought to regulate normal heartbeat and muscle contractions.
A member of the B-vitamin complex, Inositol helps cells relay messages between each other. Brazil and Venezuela grow guarana seeds, which increase the caffeine levels in energy drinks.
The main ingredients found in most energy drinks can be very harmful when taken in large quantities or when mixed with alcohol. The main source of energy in most of these drinks is caffeine.
The highly caffeinated drinks coffee and tea are often sipped at a slower pace than energy drinks. Teens often guzzle energy drinks at a faster pace and consume more of them.
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Energy Drinks
News 8's Todd Boatwright explains the risks of consuming these beverages.
 
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Energy drinks do not always list the amount of caffeine, so consumers do not always know how much they are actually consuming.
Caffeine is addictive. It can be a stimulant, with health risks including anxiety, heart palpitations, irritability, difficulty sleeping and indigestion. Dependent upon the individual, either small or large doses may cause a person to be jittery or irritable. Caffeine is also a diuretic, causing the kidneys to remove extra fluid from the body. Caffeine is a bad choice when exercising and participating in physical activity, which makes you sweat, increasing the odds of dehydration.
More and more bartenders are mixing energy drinks with vodka and whiskey.
This combination could cause cardiopulmonary or cardiovascular failures, according to an article published by Science Daily.
Drinkers are choosing these mixtures, which make them feel energized and alert even while they are drunk.
Experts say this combination is a bad idea. It overwhelms the body with heavy stimulants and heavy depressants.
A study from Wake Forest Medical Center reported students who combined energy drinks with their alcohol became drunk faster and twice as often, were twice as likely to ride with a drunk driver and doubled their risk for being taken advantage of sexually.
