Effects of Energy Drinks on the Central Nervous System (Literature Review)

The literature review covers the prevalence of energy drink consumption and their effects on the central nervous system and other body systems. An energy drink is a product that stimulates and excites the human central nervous system, thereby causing a feeling of vivacity, increased performance and motor activity. They were created by mankind recently, although the ingredients that make up their composition have long been used to stimulate the nervous system. Energy drinks have become widely used by students preparing for exams, office workers who do not have time to submit their work on time, fitness trainers trying to set a sports record, tired drivers. Today, the opinions of scientists and experts are divided: some consider "energy drinks" to be quite harmless, like regular soda; others, on the contrary, argue that they can act like drugs, and are certainly addictive and dependent. Many energy drinks on sale contain caffeine, taurine, plant extracts and synthetic vitamins. Taking psychostimulants containing large amounts of caffeine or synthetic compounds has a number of limitations due to the fact that their intake into the body can cause not only stimulation of performance, but also a paradoxical decrease in it, even to the point of depression. It has been shown that the central nervous system is most affected. Based on the analysis of literary data, it can be concluded that energy drinks remain one of the most pressing problems in health care today. Despite the fact that there are already more than enough preliminary observations about the potential and real danger of systematic use of legal neurostimulants in energy drinks, to obtain a clear evidence base to justify practical recommendations for regulating the sale (volumes and dosages) of energy drinks, it is necessary to conduct an experimental, fundamental study on animals.