Originally published January 15 2006
School paper warns against about the health consequences of drinking too much caffeine
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
UCLA's newspaper The Daily Bruin describes the possible side effects of excessive caffeine consumption, including nausea, diarrhea and irritability, as a warning to students looking to imbibe caffeine-rich energy drinks to cram for tests.
"It messes up my schedule terribly, but it keeps me awake during the hours when others generally sleep, so it's a lot easier to get work done," he said.
As finals approach, many students like Kayalackakom are finding that just a thirst for knowledge is not enough to get them through their studying.
Instead, many turn to a myriad of new energy-boosting products, which promise everything from giving you "wings" with Red Bull to "Unleashing the beast" with Monster energy drinks.
According to a June 2005 article in economic news magazine BusinessWeek, the energy-drink market is a "fast-growing, $2-billion a year" industry.
And the newest product hoping to cut itself a piece of this industry is Jolt Gum, a company affiliated with the popular Jolt Cola energy drink.
The company just began marketing their caffeinated gum, two pieces of which are said to contain the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee or an energy drink, to college campuses around the nation.
"Our guess is that it's not just for studying.
People also want to stay up to party or celebrate," Gass said.
Desser said side effects of the drug include upset stomach, nausea, diarrhea, rapid heartbeat and irritability.
Both Desser and Gass as well as Christina Miller, clinical psychologist at the Ashe Center Health Education Unit, said it is fine for people to drink one or two cups of coffee or energy drinks per day to wake themselves up in the morning, but all three emphasized moderation.
You should know your own body and its limits before you're uncomfortable, or put yourself at risk for side effects," Desser said.
Though he said he did not develop a dependency on caffeine, Kayalackakom became familiar with the side effects, particularly stomach problems and twitching.
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