Hey, I'm Kimberly Walleston and welcome to
Insiders Health where we bring you the freshest
happenings in the world of medicine without
that quack propaganda. Today we’ll be talking
about athletes that are putting themselves
in harm's way with energy drinks, as well
as the proposed new warning labels on cigarette
packs.
Every now and then you just need a little
pick-me-up. That extra cup of coffee, that
Red Bull you keep in your desk, even caffeine
pills in some extreme cases... And while for
the most part it looks harmless, it turns
out that athletes can do major damage to their
bodies by turning to energy drinks. This study
reported in the Mayo Clinic proceedings adds
weight to previous research that found such
drinks can cause heart attacks, seizures,
and in some extreme circumstances, lead to
death!
The biggest problem is that runners will use
it as hydration as well as an upper, but energy
drinks actually dehydrate you as much as some
alcohols. Weekend warriors are depending on
the pep to get them through, but water or
sports drinks would actually be healthier.
As far as researchers are concerned, you should
never have more than one energy a day, never
mix them with alcohol and drink plenty of
water after exercising. So put down the Red
Bull if you want to be truly healthy, because
all that running isn't going to help you much
if you have a seizure!
In other health news, the federal government
unveiled new proposed regulations mandating
bolder health warnings on cigarette advertisements
and packages. The proposed requirements are
the biggest change in tobacco health warnings
in twenty-five years, including new, larger
and more noticeable warning statement as well
as color, graphic images depicting the negative
health consequences of smoking.
One of these images is even person in a coffin
with the text: "Smoking can kill you." The
idea is to make it obvious to everyone who
picks up a pack of cigarettes that what you're
about to do is extremely dangerous. While
big tobacco is fighting tooth and nail, we
couldn't be happier to see any steps in making
this habit less prevalent in our society.
Here's hoping that they finally found something
that works.
That's it for this edition of Insiders Health
TV. I'm your host Kimberly Walleston and remember:
it's your health. We're just helping you think
outside the pack.
