In recent years, the functional beverage market has developed rapidly. Many young people like to drink functional drinks to refresh themselves, but some also say that drinking too many functional drinks can cause anxiety and insomnia. Why can functional drinks refresh the mind? Can everyone drink it? Can drinking functional drinks invigorate and combat fatigue? According to the GB/T 10789-2015 General Principles for Beverages, functional beverages are a type of special purpose beverage. Functional drinks do not contain alcohol, but contain caffeine, vitamins, as well as a series of "functional ingredients" such as taurine, ginseng, guarana, etc. Caffeine can excite the sympathetic nervous system, stimulate the brain to awaken, promote blood circulation, improve attention, enhance alertness, and thus achieve the effect of relieving fatigue; Taurine can quickly eliminate free radicals, regulate calcium ion transport, and also have anti fatigue effects; Other ingredients also help alleviate the effects of fatigue. Animal experiments have shown that drinking functional beverages to mice can improve exercise endurance, increase liver glycogen content, reduce post exercise lactate and urea nitrogen levels, and have anti fatigue effects on the body. And the larger the amount of functional drinks consumed, the more significant the effect. So, if we only look at it from the perspective of refreshing and anti fatigue, drinking functional drinks while staying up late may indeed have a certain anti fatigue effect. Do functional drinks have any side effects? Functional drinks generally have a good taste, which can easily make people drink too much. Some people even treat them as regular drinks, leading to excessive intake of caffeine and sugar. Firstly, excessive intake of caffeine can be harmful to health, causing symptoms such as insomnia, palpitations, anxiety, and may also lead to dependence. Studies have shown that drinking 250 milliliters of functional drinks per day increases the risk of anxiety and depression in young adults. For teenagers, their ability to metabolize caffeine is weaker than that of adults. Drinking functional drinks regularly not only increases the risk of depression, but also reduces their sleep time, leading to sleep disorders. In addition, excessive intake of functional beverages can lead to changes in endothelial function, causing acute endothelial dysfunction. The "Scientific Consensus on Coffee and Health" released by five institutions, including the Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center, the Institute of Nutrition and Health of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food Hygiene Branch of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association, recommends that the daily caffeine intake of ordinary adults should be controlled within 400 milligrams. The caffeine content of typical functional drinks is 50-504 milligrams per can or bottle, and if the drinking amount is not controlled properly, excessive intake of caffeine may occur. Although some brands of functional drinks do not label the caffeine content on the bottle, it does not mean that there is no caffeine, and the content may be very high. Secondly, excessive intake of functional beverages can also lead to excessive sugar intake. The "Chinese Dietary Guidelines for Residents" recommend that the daily sugar intake of each person should be controlled within 25 grams, and functional beverages generally have a high sugar content. A study evaluated multiple functional beverages on the market and found that the lowest sugar content was 1.32 grams per can, while the highest was 37.62 grams per can. Excessive intake of sugar not only increases the risk of dental caries, but also increases the risk of obesity and chronic diseases. So, don't just think that functional drinks can refresh your mind and have some nutritional content and drink them recklessly. Only by controlling the amount can you better utilize them. Can everyone drink functional drinks? Although drinking functional drinks can make people feel refreshed, it is not something that everyone can drink. The following five groups of people should especially control their dosage: pregnant and breastfeeding people. Most functional drinks are labeled as not suitable for consumption during pregnancy and lactation to avoid affecting the health of the fetus and baby. Children and adolescents have lower metabolic capacity for caffeine, and excessive consumption can cause greater harm. Caffeine can stimulate gastric acid secretion in patients with gastrointestinal diseases, which may cause discomfort. People who are taking certain medications should not drink functional drinks without authorization. It is recommended to consult a doctor to avoid affecting the efficacy of the medication. Do not consume functional drinks while drinking alcohol. This type of beverage can make people feel excited and unaware that they are drunk, leading to drinking more alcohol and increasing the harm to the body. (New Society)