If You Think Energy Drinks Are Good for You, Watch Out — Scientists Say They Can Lead to Cancer
Energy drinks are all the rage in the 21st century. Every fitness enthusiast and major sports event is powered by or endorses energy drinks. This has resulted in a 73% growth in the industry from 2018 to 2023, per MINTEL. While it is marketed as the healthiest drink to boost your energy levels, new studies indicate otherwise. Researchers from the University of Rochester published a new study in the journal Nature in May that reveals information about a common ingredient used in energy drinks and its potential cancer risks.
Taurine, an amino acid that is used for energy production, was studied, and the scientists published the findings that deduced a link between the energy drink ingredient and leukemia. The amino acid plays a role in driving the growth of aggressive forms of the cancer. Blood cancers like leukemia are essentially a small number of damaged cells in the bone marrow. The cancerous cells grow uncontrollably and interfere with the body’s metabolism and obstruct its red and white blood cells. Hence, taurine further aids this cancerous growth by nourishing the damaged cells in the bone marrow.
When a person consumes an energy drink, the taurine in it does not get digested but encourages certain cells in our brain, bones, heart, and muscles to actively produce it. Therefore, people with leukemia are susceptible to the multiplication of cancer cells due to the stimulation caused by taurine consumption, the study explained. "We are very excited about these studies because they demonstrate that targeting uptake by myeloid leukemia cells may be a possible new avenue for treatment of these aggressive diseases,” said lead author of the study, Jeevisha Bajaj, an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Genetics at the university, in an official report.
In leukemia, the cells in the bone marrow begin producing more taurine absorbed by the cancer cells using a specific protein called TauT (taurine transporter). So, taurine does create more energy in the body, but in this case, for leukemia patients, it is life-threatening. The taurine in the bone marrow will cause the cancerous growth to flourish and grow at a faster rate than before. This theory was experimented on mice with leukemia and found that when either the taurine production or cancer cells’ ability to absorb it was blocked, the mice lived longer as the leukemia growth slowed. While this indicates a scary effect of consuming energy drinks, the new study could also lead to a potential cure for blood cancer.
In conclusion, the authors of the study wrote, "Since taurine is a common ingredient in energy drinks and is often provided as a supplement to mitigate the side effects of chemotherapy, our work suggests that it may be of interest to carefully consider the benefits of supplemental taurine in leukemia patients." However, people undergoing chemotherapy do benefit from taurine, which is used to relieve patients from nausea and other side effects. Besides that, a report by UC Davis Health states that energy drinks also contain high levels of caffeine and sugar. This increases the heart rate and blood pressure, and consuming an unhealthy amount of energy drinks could lead to rhythmic disturbances. While the high sugar content may pose health risks like diabetes and weight gain.