Can Monster Energy Drinks Cause Kidney Stones?

Last Updated on April 23, 2023 by admin

You’re an avid Monster drinker, consuming several cans of the energy beverage every day. You can’t get through your day without the focus and energy boost Monster gives you, but sometimes you worry about your health. For instance, a friend told you that Monster Energy can cause kidney stones. Is it true?

Monster Energy can indeed lead to kidney stones if you consume it often enough, as can other energy drink brands. All the caffeine in the energy drink causes dehydration, which could pave the way for the formation of uric acid kidney stones.

Ahead, we’ll talk more about kidney stones, including what they are and what causes them. We’ll also dissect the data out there about whether Monster Energy and other energy drinks can cause kidney stones. If you’re wondering whether you should give up energy drinks for good, then you’re not going to want to miss this!

What Are Kidney Stones? What Leads to Their Development?

Kidney stones are sometimes called urolithiasis, nephrolithiasis, and renal calculi. The stones that develop in the body are comprised of salt and minerals that the kidneys produce.

Not all kidney stones are the same. Here are the various types:

• Cystine kidney stones: Only those with cystinuria will have these stones, which are caused by excess amino acids produced by the kidneys. Cystinuria is a hereditary condition.
• Uric acid stones: If your lifestyle causes you to lose so much fluid that you have malabsorption or chronic diarrhea, you’re at risk of uric acid stones. Consuming a lot of protein can also increase the likelihood of you developing these kidney stones.
• Struvite stones: Having a urinary tract infection could lead to struvite stones. The size of these stones is often larger than other types of kidney stones.
• Calcium stones: The most common kidney stone type, calcium stones are made of calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate.

Do not miss our article: Are Energy Drinks Vegan?

Besides in just the kidneys, kidney stones can also travel to the bladder and other areas of the urinary tract. If a kidney stone stays put, then you might be asymptomatic, but the stones will move sooner than later. When they do, you’ll experience several symptoms.

When you urinate, it might burn, and it could hurt as well. You could also have pain in the groin and lower abdomen that comes and goes. Some kidney stone sufferers report strong pain under their rib cage at either their back or their side, sometimes both.

Less common kidney stone symptoms include vomiting, nausea, a feeling like you have to urinate often, and changes to your urine. The smell can be very unpleasant, the urine may look cloudy, and it can be brown, red, or pink. If you have an infection from kidney stones, you could develop chills and fever.

Kidney stones can become health complications quick, especially if the stones get stuck. A lodged kidney stone in your ureters can lead to kidney swelling as you can no longer urinate. You can often pass smaller kidney stones, but bigger ones can be very painful and may necessitate a trip to the doctor.

Can Monster Energy Drinks Cause Kidney Stones?

What causes kidney stones anyway? Medical professionals have been unable to pinpoint one cause, but it’s believed that taking some medications or supplements as well as your body weight and diet do play a role.

That brings us to Monster Energy. Remember how uric acid stones are caused by long-term dehydration? Energy drinks will dehydrate you due to the high quantities of caffeine. Why? Caffeine is a diuretic, which causes you to urinate and depletes water in the body. That’s why experts don’t recommend you consume energy drinks before or after you exercise, as you could increase your risk of dehydration as you lose even more water through physical activity.

A can of Monster Energy contains 86 milligrams of caffeine. The recommended daily baseline is 400 milligrams, so it only takes about four cans of Monster to hit that limit. By that point, you’re surely inundating your body with so much caffeine that you’ll end up dehydrated.

By doing this frequently enough, you could develop uric acid stones. To treat uric acid kidney stones, you must see your doctor. Medications like Aloprim and Zyloprim are allopurinol-based to lessen your blood uric acid. These meds can sometimes even cause the uric acid stones to dissolve, but that depends on their size.

What Other Health Issues Can Energy Drinks Cause?

Kidney stones are uncomfortable, sure, but they’re rarely life-threatening. You don’t want to quit Monster solely over the risk of some kidney stones.

If you’re still not totally convinced to discontinue drinking Monster and other energy beverages, we hope this section will change your mind. Here are some other health issues that frequent energy drinkers may have to worry about.

Bowel Cancer Risk

This 2014 study from the European Journal of Cancer Prevention found that overdoing it on junk food and beverages like fruit juices, sodas, and energy drinks can elevate your risk of developing bowel cancer.

Acute Renal Failure

It gets even scarier. In 2015, the journal Preventative Cardiology posted a harrowing report that connected overconsumption of energy drinks to renal failure, also known as kidney failure. Acute renal failure symptoms can include coma, seizures, and internal bleeding, so it’s quite serious.

Obesity

The overabundance of sugar in a can of energy drink could also contribute to obesity. Monster contains 27 grams of sugar per can when your daily limit should be 24 grams. When you continue to pile on the sugar day in and day out, you could pile on the pounds as well. Obesity increases your risk of sleep apnea, high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease.

Conclusion

Monster Energy lovers, pay attention. This energy drink and others like it can dehydrate you to the point where you may develop uric acid kidney stones. Although most kidney stones are passable, regularly ingesting energy drinks is bad for your health in a multitude of other ways. You could become obese, increasing your risk of heart disease. You’re also more likely to develop bowel cancer and, in some cases, renal failure.

If you must have an energy drink, moderation is key. Your health will be better off for it!