Photo Credit: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nP0Fupr4_i8/TZDj1dnWp7I/AAAAAAAAAAM/BATzfNYkF1c/s1600/Monster_Energy_Drink_Wallpaper_by_u.jpg
Its midnight and you’re feeling tired. Your body naturally knows it’s time to sleep after a long day of studying. The problem: you have two finals tomorrow and a paper due. Therefore, sleep is not an option. As a college student, you crack open your fridge and you begin to hear angels sing, and the dim light in the back of the fridge has suddenly turned into a bright gleaming light shining down from heaven as you notice something in the back corner: a Monster Energy Drink. But, should you really be that excited to drink a Monster? Monster energy drinks may seem as though they are harmless and a great boost when it comes to crunch time, but, in reality, a Monster is the last thing you should be drinking.
According to a recent article titled, “Monster Energy Drink Cited in Deaths,” by The New York Times, Monster Energy Drinks are the killer in multiple deaths in America. It is reported by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) that Monsters could be the cause of death of five innocent people. A girl from Maryland named Anais Fournier supposedly died from a heart arrhythmia after drinking Monster Energy Drinks at the age of 14. Energy drinks are hurting people because there are not any regulations against energy drinks so people assume that they can’t get hurt by drinking them.
As a freshman who is about to finish their first year of college, there has been a reoccurring event throughout this school year: energy drinks are everywhere. Every day as I walk back from class, Red Bull cars sit along the curb lurking for foolish college students to be tricked into drinking their toxic energy drinks. The conflict is that in today’s society, people don’t want to sleep. It’s the 21st century; there are so many activities to do in one day that time is of the essence. We live in a world where we don’t stop and we will use anything in order to keep ourselves going. But, we are heading in a dangerous direction where energy drinks are taking over our world.
When you look at the nutrition facts on an original Monster Energy Drink can, you may be tricked by the big ingredient words, but don’t let them fool you. An average can of a Monster Energy Drink is 16 fl. oz. (480 mL). There are a total of 200 calories per can, 54 grams of sugar, 360 milligrams of sodium, 2000 milligrams of Taurine, 400 milligrams of Panax Ginseng and 5000 milligrams of Energy Blend. The main ingredients are: L-Carnitine, glucose, caffeine, guarana, Inositol, glucuronolactone and maltodextrin.
Original Monster Energy Drink Nutrition Facts Label
In recent events, scientists have been noticing the harmful ingredients in energy drinks. Guarana is one of the main ingredients found in Monsters, which is extracted from a seed found in the Amazon rain forest. The seeds contain up to 4-8% caffeine, whereas coffee beans contain approximately 1-2.5% caffeine. Guarana is not too dangerous, but when kids are drinking a 16 fl. oz. can full of it, and sometimes multiple cans a day, it becomes very problematic. Caffeine also increases a person’s heart rate, which could be deathly. Guarana is said to also cause nausea, shakiness, anxiety, diarrhea and vomiting. Another key ingredient, glucose can also lead to health issues. Companies such as Monster write “glucose” on their cans under the ingredient label, but consumers are not realizing that glucose is just another word for sugar. The American Heart Association states that an average person should consume about 50 grams of sugar a day, but a normal sized can of Monster contains 54 grams of sugar by itself. One drink already puts a consumer over the daily recommended intake. By drinking so much sugar, it can cause a lot of health problems such as diabetes, obesity, high blood sugar, etc. Maltodextrin is an ingredient which comes from treated grain starch, primarily corn or rice starch. Maltodextrin is absorbed into the bloodstream fast, and sometimes the body has a hard time when there is such high rates of blood sugars that maltodextrin is stored as fat. Most ingredient lying inside energy drinks are very harmful and can often create health problems.
A Guarana plant in the Amazon rain forest. The black beads of the plant are where all the caffeine comes from
Photo Credit: http://media.tumblr.com/903e6e46f7d4a797ef6a3ba1d2bccfba/tumblr_inline_mh6leffBq91qi77y6.jpg
In conclusion, I dare you to look at it this way, if a child was shot by a criminal, the FBI would be all over that case. American citizens would be screaming from the top of their lungs asking for justice to be served and for the killer to be put behind bars forever. The scenario is the same for Monster Energy Drinks, but why is no one doing anything about it? Monsters may not be purposely killing people, but if they are the cause of death for adolescents, why is there not law banning them as they line grocery store shelves and any child can purchase one? Why is there no age limit to a drink that could possibly be more harmful than alcohol, when alcohol can only be purchased if the buyer is over 21? If this is the case, why are Americans still buying Monster Energy Drinks? If drugs are illegal, why aren’t Monsters? Through recent events, these “Monsters” need to be caged.
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