Just as popular as coffee or soda, energy drinks are making a huge impact on sales of beverage stimulants. With sales of more than two billion dollars, energy drinks have developed a very loyal following. Many of the energy drinks on the market contain large amounts of caffeine which has been a major concern for parents, since teenagers are a big market segment for the energy drink category.

By now most people know that caffeine is an addictive stimulant. Most people can not properly start their day without a cup (or two or three) of coffee or soda. As can be seen by the number of coffee shops on every corner, caffeine is a popular stimulant for many people.

The caffeine addiction is not limited to the adult population; many teenagers are also addicted to the stimulating properties of caffeine. This addiction has many teenagers hooked on energy drinks such as Red Bull and Monster to name a few. For most that look to energy drinks for a second wind, the true data on the beverage they are consuming may be staggering.

According to a clinical toxicologist with Children's Hospital in Birmingham, it is recommended that teenagers limit their caffeine intake to 100 or 200 milligrams per day. Adults should limit intake to 200 or 300 milligrams per day. With this in mind, it should be surprising to people to learn that one serving of some of these drinks has about 3,000 milligrams of caffeine. Even more shocking is the fact that some of these beverages are sold in cans that are equivalent to 3 servings!

It is even harder for consumers to truly regulate the amount of caffeine they are consuming as many energy drink manufacturers do not label ingredients as being caffeine. These ingredients are labeled with their herbal name such as guarana.

Another marketing ploy that appeals to teenagers is the addition of alcohol in some energy drinks. Cleverly disguised in an ordinary can, these energy drinks contain more alcohol content than a can of beer! Other drinks are marketed as healthy since they have ingredients that are natural and healthy such as hoodia and ingredients that are in the best diet pills.