A recent study revealed that energy drinks are highly acidic and cause the enamel protecting your teeth to deteriorate within a number of days. “Teenagers think they are healthier than other sodas, and are astonished to find out that they are actually a bath of acid,” according to researchers.
Before you take a sip of an energy drink, you might want to be cautious: dentists warn that energy drinks are extremely acidic and can cause irreversible damage to the exterior layer of enamel on the tooth.
This warning followed new American research that showed teenagers consuming such energy drinks suffered from severe damage to their teeth.
The effect of soda on teeth was observed in many past research studies. One classic experiment that demonstrates the catastrophic effects that soda has on teeth is the one in which a tooth was placed into a full glass of cola, and upon removing it, finding it completely decayed because of the soda’s acidity.
Other studies showed a higher level of caries and cavities among children that regularly consume sweetened carbonated drinks compared to children who drink water regularly.
This time, researchers at the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine analyzed the level of acidity in 13 different sports drinks and 9 energy drinks, and found that the level of acidity varied considerably between the different types and flavors.
In a study recently published in the US Journal of General Dentistry, researchers examined the effects of acidity on teeth. They took enamel from human teeth and dipped it in the energy drinks for 14 minutes. After that they dipped the enamel samples in synthetic saliva for 2 hours. The researchers repeated this process four times a day for five days.
The researchers found that the enamel damage was evident after only five days of being exposed to the energy and sports drinks. The energy drinks caused twice the damage to the teeth in comparison to the sports drinks. It is important to note that damage caused to the enamel is permanent, and without its protection, the teeth become sensitive and exposed to decay and cavities.
“Young people consume energy drinks thinking that is the way to improve their performances in sports, and that it is healthier than just any soda”, says the leading researcher, Dr. Poonam Jain from South Illinois University. “Most of them are astonished to find out that energy drinks are an acid bath for their teeth.”
Energy drinks contain large amounts of caffeine and taurine acid – both improving levels of awareness – and sometimes even alcohol. Alcohol causes an increase in blood pressure and pulse, and sometimes arrhythmias, breathing disorders, aggravation, convulsions and on rare occasion, psychotic attacks.