HLTH102 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Energy Drink, Convenience Store, Caffeine

Energy drinks are classified as any non-alcoholic drink that contains 80-150 mg of caffeine

per 8 ounces of liquid, and is designed to promote wakefulness, maintain mental/physical alertness,

and provide mood and cognitive enhancement (3). While energy drinks may have short term gains

for some students, they have serious mental and physical side-effects. As seen on figure 2, energy

drinks are being sold/advertised with slogans such as: “which wings suit you?” at the UW

convenience store. This is a major health problem for the students at UW as there are many physical

and mental side effects to its consumption. As the primary consumer of energy drinks are in the age

group of 18-34 (most university students age group) (4), the issue of energy drink consumption and

140/90 mmHg), nausea, vomiting, and in extreme cases cardiac arrest leading to death (4). Long term

effects include insulin resistance due to the high amount of caffeine and sugar in the drinks, which

can lead to the development of type 2 diabetes (4). The psychological side-effect of energy drink

consumption include anxiety, inclination to be involved in risk-taking behaviors, and insomnia (5).

After drinking one can of an energy drink, I personally feel both physical and mental side-

effects after drinking the beverage. The sale of these harmful drinks in my opinion, should be banned

from universities has they are harmful to students in both the short and long term. So, figure 2 shows

a black and white picture of the convenience store at UW is selling energy drinks to students, which

is grim as it’s a dangerous product to sell, which can lead to serious physical and mental health issue

for students. The selling of energy drinks is an health impediment on the UW campus.