There’s no doubt that energy drinks have permeated our culture, becoming a common choice to get a quick boost.  Despite the popularity, are energy drinks actually safe?

The energy drink market, booming at $4.6 billion a year, sells products in a variety of forms. Though researchers have yet to definitively confirm a danger, some studies have linked energy drinks to a number of health risks.

What risks are linked to energy drinks? 

Cardiovascular Issues

Energy drinks often contain excessive amounts of caffeine, in addition to other heart rate boosters like sugar, taurine and guanine. 

Caffeine found in energy drinks is often more than double the amount in a cup of coffee. One cup of coffee contains 108 milligrams of caffeine, whereas Monster Energy and Rockstar have 240 milligrams. In fact, the amount of caffeine in Monster Energy is seven times the amount in a can of Coca-Cola.

The increased caffeine and combined ingredients put the heart at risk, especially when consumed back-to-back in a short period. Caffeine increases heart rate and blood pressure, forces cells to release calcium and throws off the natural balance of salt in the body, potentially leading to arrhythmia, heart attacks, cardiac arrest and other cardiovascular complications. 

Miscarriage

In a study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2008, researchers examined 1,000 pregnant women while they consumed caffeine. The woman ingested more than 200 mg of caffeine in the form of coffee, tea, soda or hot chocolate. The results illustrated they were twice as likely to have a miscarriage.

Caffeine “increases maternal catecholamine levels, concerns have been raised about a potential relationship between caffeine exposure and the incidence of spontaneous miscarriage,” according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist (ACOG) website. 

The ACOG limits the max amount of caffeine for pregnant woman as 200 mg per day. Though moderate caffeine consumption is acceptable, excess consumption may lead to miscarriage.

Abuse and Dependence

Studies suggest that combining alcohol and energy drinks can be dangerous as well. Mixing caffeine and alcohol could ignite receptors in the brain linked to addiction.

One study, originally published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, included 1,060 second-year students and measured how energy drink consumption could influence drug abuse later on. In the third year of college, students who used energy drinks showed an increased risk of prescription drug abuse. 

Researchers wrote that “energy drinks, like prescription drugs … might be regarded by some students as safer, more normative, or more socially acceptable than using illicit ‘street’ drugs,” according to researchers. 

Cognitive Impairment

Energy drinks have become a popular fix for procrastinating students, who use the products to stay up all night and cram for exams. However, drinking energy drinks may actually result in cognitive impairment, according to one study. 

The study, published in 2010, showed that the amount of caffeine consumed may influence the positive-negative intellectual effect. Amounts as minimal as 40 mg were showed to improve test performance, whereas increased amounts, like the 250 mg found in Red Bull, resulted in a decreased performance.

Is the government regulating energy drinks? 

Reports of death and miscarriage linked to energy drinks have prompted the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate. The FDA receives adverse event reports in the Center for Food Safety Adverse Event Reporting System (CAERS).

From 2005 to 2012, CAERS collected 92 reports of adverse reactions linked to 5-Hour Energy. The reports included 13 fatalities and one miscarriage.  

Despite the reports, which are voluntary, FDA researchers have yet to confirm a link between energy drinks and serious side effects. Further research must be carried out, leaving energy drinks generally unregulated.

“There is no certainty that a reported adverse event can be attributed to a particular product or ingredient,” according to the FDA.

The post Hidden Dangers of Energy Drinks appeared first on Citizens Report.

While testosterone therapy allows older men to reap benefits similar to a revived youth, there may be consequences associated with the drug. Men using testosterone have nearly five times the number of cardiovascular problems, including heart attacks and strokes.

In 2014, nearly one in 25 men over the age of 60 was prescribed testosterone. However, some doctors believe that it’s possible to increase testosterone naturally and without potentially dangerous prescriptions.

Holistic Alternatives To Prescription Testosterone

Doctors recommend consuming less sugar to avoid decreasing testosterone in the body.
Image: WebMd

Dr. David Samadi, Chairman of Urology, Chief of Robotic Surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital and Professor of Urology at Hofstra School of Medicine, is one of those doctors.

In an article published in the Huffington Post, Samadi described seven holistic alternatives to testosterone medication:

1. Limit alcohol intake: Even drinking moderate amounts of alcohol can cause testosterone levels to plummet.

2. Reduce stress: be mindful of factors in your life that create stress. Mental or physical stress can quickly depress your levels. The stress hormone cortisol suppresses the body’s ability to make testosterone.

3. Cardio: High-intensity exercise can cut stress in half but don’t overdo it. Injuries and fatigue are sure signs that your workout may lower testosterone.

4. Zinc: The mineral zinc is important for testosterone production. Look to protein-rich foods like meats and fish. If you decide to supplement zinc, stick to a dosage of less than 40mg per day.

5. Vitamin D: This is a big secret when it comes to healthy testosterone levels. Foods like shellfish, tuna, salmon, egg yolks, beans and others work great. You can also look into taking vitamin D supplements, 1,000-2,000 IU per day (that’s what I personally do) and monitor your levels after that. Vitamin D levels should be between 30-60.

6. Limit Sugar: When in doubt, say no to sugar. Testosterone levels decrease because sugar leads to a high insulin level.

7. Healthy fats: Foods like olive oil, raw nuts, coconut oil, grass-fed meats and avocados are essential for building testosterone — 50-70 percent of your diet should include healthy fats.

Help For Men Suffering From Testosterone Side Effects

Testosterone therapy has been linked to heart attacks, among other complications.
Image: Home Remedies Station

Studies show that testosterone therapy can increase the risk of cardiovascular issues, such as heart attack, stroke, blood clots and early death. Many men using testosterone have already experienced these complications.

If you experienced side effects while using testosterone, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit. Request a free case evaluation to learn about compensation today.

The post Natural, Drug-Free Ways To Combat Low Testosterone appeared first on Citizens Report.

Testosterone is the principal male sex hormone. Not sex as in what happens in the bedroom, but sex as in gender. During puberty and early manhood, testosterone is what gives men facial and body hair, a manly voice, and bigger muscles. Around the age of 30, the majority of men begin seeing a gradual drop in their testosterone levels.

It only seems logical that one would want to have high levels of testosterone. If testosterone is what gave them good, masculine qualities, then surely one would not want to see their t-levels drop.

Pharmaceutical companies picked up on this human emotion and found a way to profit off of it. And profit they did. From 2002 – 2012, the U.S. sales of testosterone gels, patches, injections and tablets went from merely $324 million to about $2 billion.

What pharmaceutical companies don’t want their customers knowing is that research shows that lowered levels of testosterone in older men are not necessarily due to old age, but due to the fact that most men gain extra pounds as they age due to a less healthy and physical lifestyle. Even Dr. Farid Saad, who helps make testosterone prescriptions for the pharmaceutical giant Bayer, says that “changes in weight seem to be more important than aging itself.”

Big Pharma’s advantageous marketing scheme even drew the criticism of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA only approved testosterone products for men that had a major medical condition such as testicular problems due to chemotherapy. When pharmaceutical companies started advertising testosterone products to the average aging man, the FDA boldly stated that testosterone products were not approved for men with age-associated symptoms.

Unfortunately for the many men that were charmed by promising commercials, recent research casts a shadow on the safety of testosterone replacement therapy. The results of two separate studies have forced the FDA to investigate the risk of stroke, heart attack, and death in men taking testosterone products that were previously FDA-approved.

Men, and the family who suffered from one of these side effects while taking AndroGel, Axiron, Androderm, Fortesta, Testim, Testopel, Depo Testosterone, Bio-T-Gel, Delatestryl and Strianthave have begun to seek out legal representation. Lawsuits against the manufacturers of these products are handled on an individual basis – not on a class action basis. As a result, it is imperative to reach out to an attorney who specializes in these types of cases to file your suit. Time is running out to participate in these settlements. If you are interested in participating in this settlement, you can elect to have your case reviewed by an attorney here.

And for those yet to be prescribed, but still interested in testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), here is a word of advice from Harvard University:

“Testosterone therapy is not a fountain of youth. Don’t try it in hopes of channeling your more youthful physical or sexual self, of living longer or healthier, or of improving your memory or mental sharpness. Exercising more would be a safer—and probably more effective—approach for achieving those goals.”

Click here to learn more about the side effects of prescription testosterone drugs, such as AndroGel, Axiron, and Testim, as well as the lawsuit settlements victims receive for their injuries.

Death has been a reported side effect for men taking prescription testosterone for Low-T.

The manufacturers of the testosterone drug AndroGel have been overrun by lawsuits from patients who’ve suffered side effects.

A new nasal Low-T testosterone medication has both positives and side effects.

To learn about other drug side effects, their subsequent lawsuits and settlements, as well as other personal injury cases, CLICK HERE.

The post Testosterone Therapy Warning appeared first on Citizens Report.

The ads work. Almost 3 percent of American men aged 40 and older have been prescribed testosterone replacement therapy. According to figures compiled by Bloomberg Businessweek, sales of testosterone drugs could reach $5 billion by 2017.

But a study released Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association is sure to raise questions about the wisdom behind the testosterone rush. It finds that among men with previous heart troubles and low testosterone levels, the use of ‘low-T’ therapy boosted the risk of serious problems including heart attack, stroke — and death.

Researchers at the University of Texas at Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas reviewed records from more than 8,700 men with low-T levels who underwent coronary angiography — a procedure that uses dye and X-rays to peer into heart arteries — in the Veterans Affairs system between 2005 and 2011.

If you suffered a cardiac injury while taking prescription Testosterone, click here!.

Read more of the article.

Click here to learn more about the side effects of prescription testosterone drugs, such as AndroGel, Axiron, and Testim, as well as the lawsuit settlements victims receive for their injuries.

The manufacturers of the testosterone drug AndroGel have been overrun by lawsuits from patients who’ve suffered side effects.

The FDA has issued a testosterone replacement therapy warning for men with Low-T.

A new nasal Low-T testosterone medication has both positives and side effects.

To learn about other drug side effects, their subsequent lawsuits and settlements, as well as other personal injury cases, CLICK HERE.

The post Men seeking youth may actually find death appeared first on Citizens Report.