Energy drinks contribute to diabetes

Come exam-time and students get up to all kinds of gimmicks to improve concentration; study for longer hours and increase stamina or energy to study. Many students resort to energy drinks for late night revisions. These concentrated carbohydrate ­beverages contribute to a high rate of diabetes, as they have high calories and increase dependence.

Whether carbonated or non-carbonated, energy drinks contain caloric sweeteners such as sucrose or high fructose corn syrup. They contribute to obesity and pose a genuine threat of diabetes. A recent study says that individuals in the highest quartile of intake who typically consume 1-2 servings of such sugar-sweetened beverages per day have a 26 per cent higher risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes, than those in the lowest quartile who consume less than 1 serving per month.

According to a senior diabetologist, “Students readying for exams and sports people engaged in high levels of physical activity tend to consume high amounts of flavored or sports drinks in order to refill their energy quotient. However, they may not necessarily be careful about taking a balanced and nutritious diet. Therefore, they become addicted to these energy drinks.”

The marketing departments of energy or sports drinks successfully position them as healthy beverages in order to differentiate them from sodas. However, these drinks have very little fruit juice and contain too many calories. Moreover, they have certain ingredients that are not present in other types of soft drinks - vitamins, amino acids, special chemicals, and minerals. These tend to give consumers the impression that the drinks are healthy, which is far removed from the truth.

Youngsters must totally avoid such drinks if possible. If they must have an energy drink, one glass per month is more than enough. They must be conservative even when they drink fruit juice. If the fruit juice is 100 per cent pure, they must have only a glass a day, because of the high caloric content.