In our sleep-deprived culture, energy drinks are in high demand. They have become an enticing option, specifically for people who frequently feel sluggish during their day and want to charge themselves up. These drinks claim to give you quick energy and boost your cognitive functionalities.
While it may be alluring to consume these portable beverages, there are some things you need to consider when reaching out for a colorful energy drink.
Moreover, recent scientific studies have arisen multiple questions about the excessive intake of these beverages, including their link with kidney stones.
Read further to know how these energy-boosting drinks can exert harmful effects on your health and lead to the formation of kidney stones.
Do Energy Drinks Cause Kidney Stones?
Though the characteristics of energy drinks vary from brand to brand, still, they all have some basic ingredients, such as sugar, taurine, caffeine, and sodium.
Excessive consumption of all these ingredients can lead to various health complications, including the development of kidney stones.
Kidney stones can form due to the build-up of certain chemicals in our body, such as oxalate, uric acid, calcium, and cysteine.
However, most kidney stones develop in the form of calcium oxalate. Energy drinks and other caffeinated beverages contain high amounts of oxalate; hence they can lead to various kidney-related problems.
Kidney stone disease is a global health problem and has a high recurrence rate even after stone removal treatments. Therefore, it is necessary to develop effective strategies to prevent the formation of new or recurrent stones.
What Are the Symptoms of Kidney Stones?
Kidney stones are deposits of minerals and salts inside our kidneys. If this problem is not addressed at the right time and stones become lodged in the ureters, it can block the urine flow.
In addition to that, it can also cause cramps in the ureter and swelling in the affected kidney, which proves to be extremely painful.
At this point, patients most commonly experience the following symptoms:
- Throbbing and sharp pain in the side and back of the ribs
- Pain that travels to the groin and lower abdomen
- Pain that consistently fluctuates in intensity
- A severe burning sensation while urinating
- Pink or brown and foul-smelling urine
- Nausea and vomiting
- Fever and chills
Kidney stones are painful diseases caused due to change or shift to a different area. Therefore, in-time treatment is required to prevent the risk of severe complications.
How to Prevent Kidney Stones from Energy Drinks?
Energy drinks are dripping in caffeine, so their high intake could dehydrate you and increase your risk of kidney stones.
Therefore, you need to limit their consumption. Even if you want to drink these beverages, opt for the ones that contain relatively low amounts of sodium, sugar, and caffeine.
However, the best way to prevent kidney stones is to make sure you drink plenty of water during the entire day. To prevent these stones’ formation or minimize their recurrence, one should drink at least 3 liters of water daily.
What Are Alternatives to These Energy Drinks?
Energy drinks aren’t good for you, but there’s no need to worry as you can still enjoy a diverse range of other healthy alternatives:
- Coconut water
- Green tea
- Fresh juices
- Protein shakes
- Iced coffee
- Smoothies
- Matcha latte
All these drinks can benefit our overall health and are considered the most suitable options for people who are hankered toward beverages.
Final Thoughts
Excessive intake of energy drinks is never a good idea. Therefore, you need to start cutting down on their intake by switching to the above-mentioned healthy alternatives.
But, having these drinks occasionally will probably not cause any significant damage or cause stones, especially if you drink plenty of water.
However, in case you experience sharp kidney pain, contact your nearest healthcare provider immediately. In such cases, doctors usually run a few tests and make a proper diagnosis to initiate the best treatment possible.
FAQs
Can Red Bull Cause Kidney Problems?
Drinking Red Bull once in a while is unlikely to have any serious effects on kidney health. But a scientific study has found that a chronic intake of Red Bull is linked with a sudden decline in kidney function and might lead to the formation of kidney stones.
Is Caffeine Ok for Kidney Stones?
Caffeine is one of the main components of beverages. Various studies have demonstrated that habitual coffee and caffeine consumption do not contribute to any serious kidney problems.
However, if these drinks are consumed in relatively large amounts, they can cause various health problems, including kidney stones. Moreover, excessive intake of these beverages can stress out the kidneys, resulting in increased levels of calcium in the urine.
Are Sports Drinks Good for Kidney Stones?
In extremely high temperatures, people often opt for a variety of sports drinks in order to feel refreshed. But these fluids can work against your health and result in the formation of kidney stones.
Most sports drinks have high amounts of sodium, so they’re basically the main culprits behind the sudden decline of kidney health.
