The usage of energy drinks has become common across all ages, but is most prevalent among the adolescents and children. In the recent past, it was believed that these drinks are less harmful to human health (Seifert, Schaechter, Hershorin, & Lipshultz, 2011). However, the findings of very recent studies show that these drinks contain a number of harmful substances. The most common element that is contained in these drinks is caffeine, which is said to be in excessive amounts. For that reason, these drinks are considered to have no therapeutic value (Nordt et al., 2012). This paper addresses the inconsistencies between the articles “Energy drink use and adverse effects among emergency department patients” by Nordt et al., and the DNP Students’ Post, which is based on the media thread and “Health effects of energy drinks on children, adolescents, and young adults” by Seifert, Schaechter, Hershorin, and Lipshultz. The two articles feature issues that are related to the use of the energy drinks.
The first inconsistency between the DNP students’ post and the article by Nordt et al. is the exact amount of the caffeine contained in the energy drinks. The post addresses the amount of caffeine in a general perspective and it does not give the type of the caffeine contained in the drinks (Seifert et al., 2011). On the other hand, Nordt et al.’s article specifies the type of caffeine that is found in these drinks. This article mentions methylxanthine as the type of caffeine contained in the drinks. The article also approximates that the quantities of the caffeine found in drinks range from 70 to 500 mg in every bottle (Nordt et al., 2012).
The second inconsistency between Nordt et al.’s article and the DNA students’ post occurs in the age group of users that are at a high risk of developing complications and the type of complications that come with excess use of the drinks. The post places a lot of emphasis on the adolescents and children as the main groups that are at the highest risk of being affected adversely by the excessive intake of the drinks (Seifert et al., 2011). The article also demonstrates that everybody has an equal risk of developing complications as a result of excessive usage of the drinks (Nordt et al., 2012).
The post does not include palpitations as one of the complications that are associated with the usage of the energy drinks. However, the article lists palpitations as one of the major adverse effects associated with taking energy drinks. In addition, the article also lists chest pain as a complication that emanates from the use of these drinks. The article supports this by the findings of the study described in it. According to the study in Nordt et al.’s article, about 39% of the participants admitted they suffered chest pains and about 12% reported suffering from palpitations as a result of taking the energy drinks (Nordt et al., 2012).
Lastly, the post and the article provide different suggestions on the factors that complicate the adverse effects caused by the usage of energy drinks. The post indicates that the effects of energy drinks become worse when they are used by people who are under medications such as those administered to diabetes patients (DNP Student’s Post, n.d). On the other hand, Nordt et al.’s article tends to suggest that the effects of these drinks are severe when taken together with hard drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine (Nordt et al., 2012).
References
DNP Student’s Post (n.d). Energetic debate about energy drinks.
Nordt, S. P., Vilke, G. M., Clark, R. F., Cantrell, F. L., Chan, T. C., Galinato, M.,… Castillo, E. M. (2012). Energy drinks use and adverse effects among emergency department patients. Journal of Community Health, 37(1), 976-981.
Seifert, S. M., Schaechter, J. L., Hershorin, E. R., & Lipshultz, S. E. (2011). Health effects of energy drinks on children, adolescents, and young adults. Pediatrics, 127(3), 511-528.