Frappuccinos & Fructose: How Your Daily Energy Drinks Are Hurting More Than Helping

Have you checked the nutrition facts of your favorite coffee or energy drinks lately? Many of us overlook the ingredients in these beverages, but it’s about time we become aware of what we’re putting into our bodies. What these drinks have in common is the massive amounts of caffeine and sugar packed into a few ounces that thousands of people consume several times a day. Despite the excessive amounts of caffeine and sugar, coffee shops are everywhere, and big-chain stores have aisles stocked full of various energy drinks.

So if everyone basically lives off of these things, what harm could they really cause? A little here and there won’t be an issue for most people, but many end up relying on these beverages every single day just to perform basic tasks, which then becomes quite a problem. Drinking more than the daily recommended amount leads to a slippery slope of physical and even mental issues that can affect day-to-day life. To understand why these drinks shouldn’t be consumed in huge amounts, we need to learn exactly what caffeine and sugar do to our bodies.

Caffeine (found in coffee beans, cacao beans, and tea leaves) is a stimulant that temporarily increases brain activity, but most of us know it as the morning pick-me-up (1). What starts out as a delicious, energizing drink can slowly turn into dependency with many needing multiple cups of coffee a day just to stay awake. When consumed in excess, caffeine can lead to dehydration, heart palpitations, anxiety, and restlessness (1). Since caffeine is a stimulant, it is classified as a drug, meaning addiction can ensue if one consumes it carelessly. Many won’t realize they have a caffeine addiction, yet they notice headaches and jitters when they go too long without coffee, forcing them to reach for another cup. This is why it’s important to know and understand what caffeine is and try your best to avoid addiction. If you already experience those coffee headaches and jitters, there are certainly ways to slowly reduce your caffeine intake.

While sugar isn’t as chemically addictive as caffeine, millions of people find themselves needing to grab a sugar-filled drink multiple times a day. Although there are necessary sugars, like those found in fruits and carbohydrates, the sweet treats we find on the shelves are a non-essential source of highly processed and unhealthy sugars (2). We've all had cravings for something sweet, but the consequences of excessive sugar intake – diabetes, heart disease, inflammation, tooth decay, and sluggishness – far outweigh the momentary satisfaction (2).

One sneaky ingredient to look out for (especially in the U.S.) is high fructose corn syrup, a concentrated sweetener extracted from corn. Don’t let this highly processed and unhealthy sweetener fool you on the nutrition labels – it still has the same unwanted effects that sugar provides. High fructose corn syrup is much cheaper for manufacturers; this is why it’s so abundant on nutrition labels! Become a conscious consumer by thoroughly reading these labels and looking out for any sweeteners. When you realize that your health is more important than these companies’ opportunity to save a few bucks, you can be free of their undesirable side effects. 

So you might be among the population who are always reaching for these drinks, and maybe you’re realizing your morning coffee or mid-afternoon energy drink was actually more hindering than empowering. However, it’s never too late to learn and make a change toward a more healthy life. There are plenty of alternatives and lifestyle adjustments that can help you wean off these beverages while staying energized. 

When you find yourself feeling tired and lacking energy, the first thing you can do is take a look at your sleep schedule. It’s recommended for adults to have between seven to nine hours of sleep per night; too little or too much will leave you feeling lethargic and make it hard to stay awake throughout the day (3). Sleeping is the most important way to take care of yourself as that is the time your body does most of its maintenance and repair. Trying to replace proper sleep with a caffeinated drink leads to serious health complications and can even be fatal in extreme instances, so ensuring adequate rest is a vital step to improving overall health. 

If you get enough sleep every night yet still seem to feel tired all day, that may indicate an underlying health issue stemming from lack of proper diet and exercise. Certain vitamin and nutrient deficiencies can make us feel tired and lightheaded, so checking in with a doctor to test for deficiencies and curating a healthy diet is a great way to beat low energy. Nearly 92% of Americans have some sort of vitamin deficiency (4), so supplements with essential vitamins, such as The Plug Pills, can be beneficial. In addition to your diet, exercise naturally gets your blood pumping and energy flowing by releasing endorphins that stimulate the brain and body. Even a short, ten-minute walk is enough to revitalize you when you’re feeling sleepy in the middle of the day.

Now, you probably don’t want to completely give up your precious morning or midday treat, but luckily there are plenty of alternatives out there! If you really enjoy the taste of coffee, a simple switch to decaf is a worthwhile change. Tea is another alternative that still contains some caffeine to perk you up, but not nearly as much as a regular cup of coffee. Black, white, and green teas have some caffeine, but there are also flavorful herbal teas which contain zero caffeine. To sweeten drinks up, try organic honey or natural fruit-derived sugars. If regular tea isn’t your taste, try adding milk or dairy alternatives to non-herbal teas to transform them to your liking, similar to the way you might enjoy coffee. 

At the end of the day, proper diet, exercise, and moderation are the key to feeling awake and energized. Caffeine and sugar, when consumed in small amounts, have potential to be beneficial to the body and can be incorporated into a balanced diet. However, with countless flashy and sugary drinks oversaturating the market, many consumers end up drinking much more than recommended and are unaware of the damage they can cause. Too much can even have the opposite effect and leave you feeling more tired, which creates a cycle of dependency that many find themselves stuck in. Don’t let yourself fall victim to these unhealthy beverages! Prioritize your physical and mental health by reducing unnecessary sugar and caffeine intake, and incorporate healthy energy-boosting habits into your routine. Remember that caffeine and sugar are not always the answer when it comes to solving your exhaustion woes – once you minimize the amount of fructose in your life and get some proper sleep, your natural energy will certainly rise to the occasion!

Bibliography 

1. Berg S. What doctors wish patients knew about the impact of caffeine [Internet]. American Medical Association. 2024 Jan 5. Available from: https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-impact-caffeine 

2. The sweet danger of sugar [Internet]. Harvard Health Publishing | Harvard Medical School. 2022 Jan 6. Available from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/the-sweet-danger-of-sugar 

3. How Sleep Works - How Much Sleep Is Enough? [Internet]. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute | National Institute of Health. Updated 2022 Mar 24. Available from: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep/how-much-sleep 

4. 92% of the U.S. Population has Vitamin Deficiency. Are You One of Them? [Internet]. the biostation. Available from: https://thebiostation.com/bioblog/do-you-have-vitamin-deficiency/#:~:text=92%25%20of%20the%20U.S.%20Population