12 hours

By this time, most people have completely purged all the caffeine from their bloodstream. Factors like age, activity level and gender can play a role in how long it takes your body to get to this stage.

12-24 hours

Within 12-24 hours of your first can, your body starts craving another drink and
withdrawal symptoms kick in. If you’re used to drinking it every day, skipping out on your habit can leave you feeling lethargic and distressed, and cause you to experience headaches and constipation.

7-12 days later

All it takes to become tolerant to caffeine is one to two weeks. This means that your body starts to need more caffeine to get the same effects.

Why Are Energy Drinks So Bad?

Energy drinks don’t just contain a lot of caffeine, they’re also loaded with sugar and artificial sweeteners. Mixed with alcohol, the combination is said to have similar stimulating effects as cocaine.

In a study published in the British Medical Journal, researchers warned that energy drinks damage the liver so much that they can even cause acute hepatitis. Hepatitis can cause liver disease, liver failure, and necrosis.

“A previously healthy man aged 50 years presented with malaise, anorexia, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, generalized jaundice, scleral icterus and dark urine. He was not on any prescription or over-the-counter medications, but reported drinking 4–5 energy drinks daily for 3 weeks prior to presentation,” Dr. Jennifer Nicole Harb wrote in the study summary.

Researchers concluded that these effects are mainly due to vitamin B3, which is added to the drinks to help your body convert the drink into energy. Other ingredients like high fructose syrup and added sweeteners also damage the organ.

Plus, too much niacin may cause burning, tingling, itching, and redness in the face, arms, and chest.

Children Are At Risk

This makes drink incredibly dangerous to children. In one case, a 14-year-old girl from Maryland died after drinking two 24-ounce cans. Other cases involving energy-drink related illness and death are currently being investigated by the FDA. It’s estimated that the number of people hospitalized due to energy drinks doubled between 2007 and 2014 in the US, according to SAMHSA.

According to Macleans, researchers at the Mayo Clinic warn that a single can of 473ml (16oz) “can significantly raise blood pressure and boost levels of stress hormones.”. These effects are made worse when the drink is mixed with alcohol.

The team studied 25 young healthy volunteers with no medical problems and found that consuming energy drinks lead participants who drank Rockstar had a 3.5-point rise in their blood pressure and higher levels of the stress hormone norepinephrine compared to the placebo group.

“We believe that the consumer should be more cautious when consuming energy drinks due to the possible health risks,” says Dr. Anna Svatikova, lead author of the Mayo Clinic study.

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