Energy drinks have become everyone’s go-to beverage, you’re consuming them every day and even on an empty stomach which can make you gassy.
It’s believed that artificial sweeteners like sucralose and caffeine can make you gassy, especially when consumed on an empty stomach. Caffeine reduces hydrochloric acid which makes it difficult for your stomach breaking down protein, leading to digestion complications like making you gassy.
Furthermore, energy drinks are quite effective and can show their effects within 15 minutes after consumption. Often people resort to energy drinks and can’t have a proper breakfast when they’re in a hurry, this action will not only make you gassy, but it can also affect your heart health.
Energy drinks may just be the most potent beverage, these small cans containing energy liquid can lift your energy levels and wipe out your drowsiness within minutes and won’t come back at least for a couple of hours.
However, there’s a price to pay for every benefit, as you should know that energy drinks include huge doses of caffeine and sugar, while making you gassy is a minor side effect, energy drinks can cause insomnia, jitters, and headaches.
If you’re wondering about what more damage can energy drinks do to your body, I say you keep on reading.
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What Are 3 Common Side Effects Of Energy Drinks?
Energy drinks are marketed to adults only because it includes caffeine in large doses which may not bode well for young people.
In fact, in 2011, a myriad of adolescents aged 12 to 17 years paid a visit to the emergency room for side effects associated with energy drinks which include:
- Dehydration.
- Rapid Heart Rate.
- Anxiety.
All three of these side effects have been found among adults as well, especially when they consume energy drinks in immoderation.
The most crucial ingredient included in energy drinks is caffeine, which stimulates the brain and the central nervous system. Caffeine can significantly increase your physical and mental performance which leads to increased productivity.
However, as caffeine is included in large doses, and people often go overboard with energy drinks, they’re likely to experience side effects.
Besides those three side effects, you may experience:
- Restlessness.
- Shakiness.
- Insomnia.
- Headaches.
- Dizziness.
- Dependency.
In addition, if you’re caffeine sensitive, you may be prone to side effects upon consuming a small dose of caffeine as your stomach isn’t able to process caffeine.
Here are the side effects of caffeine sensitivity:
- Rapid heartbeat.
- Headache.
- Jitters.
- Nervousness.
- Anxiousness.
- Restlessness.
- Insomnia.
According to the FDA, you should limit your daily caffeine dose to 400 mg to avoid any side effects, however, 400 mg may be too much for caffeine-sensitive people, so if you’re caffeine sensitive, I suggest you steer clear of any caffeinated beverage.
Can Energy Drinks Cause Bloating?
Energy drinks also include sugar, often in large doses, and to my surprise bloating is one of many side effects of sugar.
Sugar may just be worse than caffeine, it’s added in energy drinks in order to mask the bitterness of certain ingredients or to include another source of energy as sugar is known to lift your energy levels.
Nevertheless, it shouldn’t be an excuse to include sugar in large doses as excessive sugar is associated with a number of side effects which include:
- Headaches.
- Irritability.
- Fatigue and difficulty concentrating.
- Feeling jittery or anxious.
- Feeling shaky or dizzy.
- Increase hunger.
- Bloating.
In severe cases, sugar can cause:
- Higher blood pressure.
- Inflammation.
- Weight gain.
- Diabetes.
- Fatty liver disease.
- Increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
According to the AHA, women are suggested to have an intake of 25 g of sugar, men on the other hand are recommended to consume 36 g per day.
What Happens If You Drink Red Bulls every day?
Thousands of energy drinks brands and Red Bull is the most popular one with the highest market share. People often without realizing consume more than 1 serving of Red Bull which isn’t healthy whatsoever.
One serving of Red Bull includes 27 g of sugar, 80 mg of caffeine, and 110 calories, and none of them in excessive amounts can be good for you.
There have been studies that linked chronic consumption of Red Bull with side effects which include:
- May increase your blood pressure levels and heart rate.
- May increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Could cause damage to your teeth.
- May have negative effects on your kidney health.
- Can cause caffeine overdose and possible toxicity.
Furthermore, Red Bull contains 110 calories per serving, and if you consume more than 2 servings, you may be likely to gain weight which can eventually cause obesity has its own health complications that include:
- All causes of death.
- High blood pressure levels (hypertension).
- Low HDL cholesterol, High LDL cholesterol, or high levels of triglycerides (dyslipidemia).
- Increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
- More likely to get coronary heart disease.
- You may suffer from a stroke.
- Gallbladder disease.
- Prone to osteoarthritis.
- Sleep apnea and breathing problems.
- Increased risk of several types of cancer.
- Having a low quality of life.
- Mental illness includes clinical depression, anxiety, and several other mental disorders.
- Body pain.
- Difficulty with any possible physical functioning.
Can Monsters Give You Gas?
Monster is the second most consumed energy drink, and it holds the second largest market share. Monster isn’t good whatsoever, yes it may lift your energy levels, but it may also cause side effects.
One serving of Monster includes 160 mg of caffeine and 54 g of sugar, now caffeine will only make you gassy if you consume it on an empty stomach. As for sugar, excessive sugar intake is associated with many side effects, and bloating is one of them which will cause gas.
Besides energy drinks, there’re other things that can make you gassy. Watch this video to find out.
In addition, Monster uses a dangerous blend of ingredients which has caused rapid heartbeat among teenagers especially.
In fact, this popular recipe has led people to their graves, there were a number of people who were guilty of chronic and immoderate consumption of Monster, and unfortunately, they were the ones who faced the consequences of that.
Now, Monster may be the most effective energy drink out there, but mind you it’s also the most dangerous one. I wouldn’t recommend Monster to anyone, especially to people who have pre-existing heart issues.
Here’s the table for the nutritional facts of the Monster energy drink:
| Values | Monster Energy (16 fl. oz) |
| Energy | 210 calories |
| Fat (Of which Saturated) | 0g (0g) |
| Carbohydrates (Of which Sugars) | 54g (54g) |
| Caffeine | 160mg |
| Protein | 0g |
| Sodium | 370mg |
| Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) | 3.6mg |
| Vitamin B3 (Niacin) | 46mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 4.6mg |
| Vitamin B12 | 13µg |
Here’s the list of ingredients included in Monster:
- Carbonated Water
- Sugar
- Glucose
- Citric Acid
- Natural Flavours
- Taurine
- Sodium Citrate
- Color Added
- Panax Ginseng Extract
- L-Carnitine L-Tartrate
- Caffeine
- Sorbic Acid
- Benzoic Acid
- Niacinamide (Vitamin B3)
- Sucralose
- Salt
- D-Glucuronolactone
- Inositol
- Guarana Extract
- Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6)
- Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
- Maltodextrin
- Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12)
The only reason to share the nutritional facts and the ingredients of Monster is to spread awareness about how large doses of certain ingredients Monster is including.
Alternatives To Energy Drinks
Energy drinks aren’t necessarily healthy, in fact, you may experience some side effects right after consuming them.
But, do you know what can’t cause any side effects, well check out the list below:
- Green Tea.
- Green Juice.
- Fruit Juice.
- Green and Fruit Smoothies.
- Herbal Tea.
- Kombucha.
Conclusion
- Energy drinks are likely to make you gassy, especially when consumed on an empty stomach.
- The most common ingredients that can make you gassy are caffeine, artificial sweeteners, and sugar.
- While making you gassy is only a minor side effect of energy drinks, there’re a number of life-threatening side effects that you can experience upon excessive energy drink intake.
- The most common three side effects people have experienced are dehydration, rapid heartbeat, and anxiety.
- One serving of Red Bull a day will not only give you gas, but it’ll also cause many other side effects like increased blood pressure levels.
- Monsters include a large dose of sugar, which may cause bloating and gas.
- I suggest you go for drinks that have zero sugar and avoid consuming energy drinks on an empty stomach.