By Tori Godwin
Monster Energy drinks are now sold as merchandise. Photo by: Tori Godwin
They are loved by thousands, they taste great, and they give people tons of energy. They are energy drinks. Although consumed by thousands of people daily, many do not know the ingredients or health effects of energy drinks. A few PHS students reveal their favorite energy drink and all that they know about them. Freshman Mariana Olvera says “My favorite energy drink is Monster.” Dominic Hawkins, a sophomore, agrees by adding “Monster has to be my favorite.” Junior Michael Buchanan explains his slightly different opinion by stating “[My favorite energy drink is] Monster or Venom.”
With any type of food or drink, anyone can have some of their favorite thing, but having that certain thing in moderation is important. It’s the same with energy drinks. It’s okay to have a few energy drinks, but watching how many are consumed is also important. Junior Christine Banghart explains “If I have any[energy drinks], I usually have two or three,” Freshman Benjamin Lapp says, “[I have] one every two days.” Sophomore Cody Matthewson says that he has two energy drinks within a day.
If someone has ever had an energy drink, they know that they usually feel happy, hyper, or tired after drinking one. That may be a pretty nice feeling, but drinking too many can lead to serious side effects. “Shaking, heart problems, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and death.” says Banghart about health effects from energy drinks. Olvera states “I’ve heard about kidney stones,” Lapp explains, “They cause your arteries to clog up and induce the risk of heart attacks.” Hawkins states “It speeds up your heart rate and could cause heart attacks and blood pressure problems.”
It sounds like these students know a lot about these drinks,so they probably know about a lot of people’s opinions of energy drinks. Some people say energy drinks are healthy, but on the other hand, several believe that energy drinks are horrible for the body. Whether energy drinks are as unhealthy as people say they are has been a constant debate for a while. Buchanan states his opinion on whether energy drinks are unhealthy or not by saying, “No, they make me happy.” Lapp says, “I think they are unhealthy because of all the sugar and carbonation.” Hawkins explains “I do[think they are unhealthy] because people that are overweight are in high risk of heart problems. It just depends on who you are.” Olvera lets out her full opinion by saying, “Yes. I know that they can affect my health, but I like them anyway.”
It’s great that these students know and understand the risks of energy drinks especially if they had the chance to create one. One of the best parts of inventing something is picking out the name. Several students have some interesting ideas. Banghart says “I would call it Tornado because it would make your head spin.” Buchanan states that he would call an energy drink “Apple Juice to make it sound kid friendly.” Olvera says “I would name it Maximum Rage because it would be so good that you’d go mad.” Lapp states “Energy Frenzy because it would give you energy to go through the whole day.” Hawkins explains “Okachobi; I would give it that because it is different.” Energy drinks may be unhealthy, but as long as they are consumed in moderation, it isn’t a crime to have one.