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Energy drinks keep you sharp.
Caffeine, via energy drinks and coffee, is essential for many students’ basic functioning at Hillsdale, and there are many health benefits to drinking a moderate amount of caffeine — despite common belief.
At times it feels as if the only way to get through all five of my Wednesday classes is by starting the day with a Bubbl’r, grabbing a coffee from Jitter’s halfway through the day, and then grabbing another coffee from AJ’s after class. Life as a busy student — academics, extracurriculars, meal times, social life and all — would be somewhat impossible to navigate without the support that my caffeinated energy drinks give me.
Not only do caffeinated drinks give people a boost to get through long days, but there are also noticeable health benefits provided by the natural caffeine (caffeine sourced naturally from plants and coffee beans) found in some of these drinks.
Studies done by Central Nervous System Neuroscience and Therapeutics show that caffeine is effective at reducing the risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
According to the same CNS study cited above, both men and women who drink about 3-5 cups of coffee a day have roughly a 60-70% lower risk of getting either Alzheimer’s or dementia in old age in comparison with those drinking little to none. The study also demonstrated that a higher intake of caffeine lowers the risk between 30-50% of getting Parkinson’s disease for males.
Drinking a moderate amount of caffeine could be dodging the bullet of degenerative cognitive diseases. From a scientific standpoint, caffeine helps preserve our long-term health.
It is important to note that moderation is required to obtain the health benefits of caffeine intake. There are serious health issues that can arise from excessive intake of caffeine, especially in energy drinks such as “Monster” and “Redbull,” according to a study done by Nutrients. In addition to containing large amounts of caffeine, these energy drinks often contain ingredients such as guarana, niacin, taurine and sugar. Guarana and taurine strain the cardiovascular system when combined with caffeine, niacin in high doses is harmful to the liver, and processed sugar contributes to long term health problems. These drinks also facilitate consuming caffeine above the study’s wrecommended 400mg limit.
If you enjoy drinking coffee or other energy drinks, keep in mind what other possibly harmful ingredients might be included and the effects of excessive caffeine intake. But moderate consumption of caffeine provides health benefits with each sip, and helps get you through the day.
Enjoy your energy drinks despite what your friends may think. When you all are old and gray, and they have dementia, you can sit back and sip your caffeinated drink in peace, with your neurons firing like in the old days.
Monica Smies is a sophomore studying philosophy.
