Energy Drinks and Eating Disorders: What’s the Connection?
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Energy drinks come in colorful cans, promising to boost your metabolism, improve your wellness and even help you lose weight. But behind their slick packaging is a serious concern: Consuming highly caffeinated energy drinks, especially in large amounts, may contribute to disordered eating behaviors.
A decade ago, researchers [1] linked energy drink consumption with heightened worries about appearance, weight loss and disordered eating behaviors such as purging. Over the past decade, additional studies have associated elevated caffeine intake with mood and anxiety issues as well as physical health challenges.
So, before you take your first sip of an energy drink, let’s examine how these beverages could impact your health. In this article, we’ll examine the concerning ingredients in energy drinks, explore their potential link to eating disorders and explain why women, young adults and teens may be especially vulnerable.
What’s in an energy drink, anyway?
While the ingredients of energy drinks differ slightly, most include caffeine, taurine and some type of sweetener. Let’s explore each of these in detail and why they could put people at risk for physical and mental health problems.
Caffeine
The average energy drink contains more caffeine than a cup of coffee or a can of soda. For example, a 12-ounce can of CELSIUS or Alani Nu, two popular energy drinks, contains 200 milligrams (mg) of caffeine. By contrast, a 12-ounce cup of coffee has about 140 mg of caffeine, while a 12-ounce can of soda has about 34 mg.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 400 mg/day is the general guideline for daily caffeine consumption in adults. So two energy drinks a day would reach that benchmark. Three a day would exceed it. Drinking too much caffeine during the day can lead to various health problems, such as:
- Dehydration
- Difficulty sleeping
- Irregular heart rate
- Elevated anxiety levels
Taurine
Taurine is an amino acid that occurs naturally within the body. However, researchers [2] pointed out that taurine, when combined with caffeine and consumed in large amounts, can, potentially raising blood pressure and heart rate.
Sugar or artificial sweeteners
While 16 ounces of soda contains roughly 41 grams of sugar, popular energy drinks like Rockstar (63 grams), Monster (54 grams) and Red Bull (51 grams) cram far more sugar content into their 16-ounce cans. But a newer line of energy drinks, those that position themselves as “healthier,” use artificial sweeteners instead.
Both types bring potential risks. Ingesting high amounts of sugar may cause tooth decay, while excess artificial sweetener intake may trigger GI symptoms like bloating and altered bowel habits.
Energy drinks and eating disorders: What’s the link?
Energy drinks are linked to eating disorders for two key reasons. First, their marketing messages often reinforce harmful messages about food, bodies and our relationship with both.
Second, people with disordered eating may use energy drinks or other caffeinated beverages to suppress their appetite and hide disordered eating patterns from their family members, friends or health care providers.
Diet culture messaging
Energy drink companies promote their products by promising enhanced metabolism, better hunger management, and improved strength and endurance. These messages are typically paired with images of thin, fit individuals across a brand’s website, TikTok and Instagram pages.
These messages reinforce the dangerous myth that a thin body is ideal and healthy. They also make it appear as if an individual can achieve a “perfect state” of enhanced performance, physical attractiveness and athletic prowess by consuming energy drinks.
As a result, individuals may choose to overindulge in energy drinks and begin exhibiting disordered eating behaviors to reach their weight loss goals.
Food restriction and appetite suppression
A recent study[3] showed that individuals with anorexia nervosa have a tendency to consume large amounts of caffeine through energy drinks, soft drinks, coffee or caffeine pills. They aim to use the excess caffeine to increase their energy level and suppress their appetite.
At Eating Recovery Center, it’s common for patients to tell us that they overindulge in caffeinated beverages and energy drinks. Additionally, our patients sometimes say they use energy drinks as meal replacements. It’s a phenomenon that’s repeated nationwide.
In fact, a recent Wall Street Journal article discussed how some young people with eating disorders even use energy drinks to temporarily boost their vital signs and gain water weight in order to mask the signs of disordered eating.
Who is at greatest risk for problems associated with energy drinks?
Another study [4] showed that while men consume energy drinks to a greater extent than women, the negative health effects of energy drinks can be more serious in females.
Females
The same study [4] reported that because women metabolize caffeine more slowly than men, they may experience increased side effects such as appetite suppression, dehydration and insomnia. Similarly, female college students showed a strong association between caffeine overuse and increased use of alcohol, nonprescription drugs and tobacco products.
Teens and young adults
Research indicates that while more than 30% of teens between ages 12 and 17 consume energy drinks regularly, adolescents are not likely to benefit from caffeine and taurine, and may suffer worse health effects from consuming both in excess. In addition, many young adults and college students like to mix energy drinks with alcohol – a practice that can lead to disastrous results. More research [5] shows that mixing the two can encourage people to drink even more alcohol, creating a dangerous cycle.
How to tell if energy drinks are triggering an eating disorder
Having an energy drink every now and then is perfectly fine for most people. But if you see any of the following three signs in your loved one, it’s an indication they may be using energy drinks in a disordered way:
- Increased energy drink consumption, including using energy drinks or other highly caffeinated beverages as a meal or snack replacement
- Changes in usual eating patterns, such as avoiding certain foods, meals or beverages that previously had been enjoyed
- Changes in sleep patterns or mood, including increased anxiety, which is a common side effect of caffeine
Getting help for energy drink overuse
At times, it can feel like energy drinks and caffeine are taking over your life, but you can regain control. At Eating Recovery Center, you will find a team that’s dedicated to helping you reduce your reliance on caffeine and develop a more positive relationship with food.
87% of our patients agree that their experience at Eating Recovery Center was helpful.
It takes just one message or phone call to 866-622-5914 to get started. We’ll listen to your story and help you find the path to healing that will work best for you.
Related Reading
Sources
- Jeffers, A.J., Vatalaro Hill, K.E., & Benotsch, E.G. (2014). Energy drinks, weight loss, and disordered eating behaviors. Journal of American College Health, 62(5), 336-342. doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2014.902838.
- Curran, C.P., & Marczinski, C.A. (2017). Taurine, caffeine, and energy drinks: Reviewing the risks to the adolescent brain. Birth Defects Research,109(20),1640-1648. doi: 10.1002/bdr2.1177.
- Marino, J.M., Ertelt, T.E., Wonderlich, S.A., Crosby, R.D., Lancaster, K., Mitchell, J.E., Fischer, S., Doyle, P., Le Grange, D., Peterson, C.B., & Crow, S. (2009). Caffeine, artificial sweetener, and fluid intake in anorexia nervosa. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 42(6), 540-545. doi: 10.1002/eat.20633.
- Dillon, P., Kelpin, S., Kendler, K., Thacker, L., Dick, D., & Svikis, D. (2019). Gender differences in any-source caffeine and energy drink use and associated adverse health behaviors. Journal of Caffeine and Adenosine Research, 9(1), 12-19. doi: 10.1089/caff.2018.0008.
- Marczinski, C.A,. Fillmore, M.T., Stamates, A.L., & Maloney, S.F. (2016). Desire to drink alcohol is enhanced with high caffeine energy drink mixers. Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research, 40(9),1982-1990. doi: 10.1111/acer.13152.
Written by
Jessica Barth Nesbitt, MA, RD, LD, CD, CEDS-C
