17/01/2018
PARENTS !! Please be aware of the health risks regarding popular energy/health drinks!
This article gives insight into the risks:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2018/01/16/more-evidence-that-energy-drinks-may-pose-health-risks-to-young-people/
The University of Waterloo researchers queried just over 2,000 participants aged 12-24, and asked them about their coffee and energy drink consumption, along with any adverse effects that resulted. Of the people who had ever consumed coffee, about 36% had experienced side effects—among those who’d consumed energy drinks, more than half (55%) reported having experienced adverse effects from the drinks.
About a quarter of the latter group of participants reported experiencing tachycardia (fast heart rate), and the same number reported having trouble sleeping. About a fifth said they’d had headaches associated with the drinks, and smaller percentages said they’d had nausea, vomiting or diarrhea (5%); chest pains (4%); or seizure (0.2%). Just 5% said they’d sought medical attention for the adverse effects.
The study was small, and more work will certainly be needed, but it generally supports what we know about the relative risks of energy drinks compared to plain old coffee.
The concern with energy drinks is not just that they contain high levels of caffeine and sugar, but that they contain other stimulants, which may work separately or in conjunction with caffeine. The most common additions are taurine and guarana, two "natural" stimulants. Therefore, the authors say, we shouldn’t assume that we understand the health risks of energy drinks just because we understand the health risks of caffeine.
“Common stimulants in energy drinks, such as taurine and guarana extracts,” the authors write, “may have independent effects—for example, taurine can have deleterious effects on sodium channels and can cause arrhythmias—and may also potentiate the effects of caffeine. For this reason, some have suggested that the adverse effects of energy drinks should not simply be generalized from caffeine, and energy drinks should be considered a ‘novel’ exposure.”
This study certainly isn’t the first to look at the adverse effects of energy drinks in kids. In 2011, Pediatrics published research finding that consumption of drinks high in caffeine and taurine is linked to heart problems, seizure and diabetes, among others. The authors of that study also pointed out the loophole through which manufacturers are able to produce and market these drinks without acknowledging the safety issues: “manufacturers claim that energy drinks are nutritional supplements, which shields them from the caffeine limits imposed on sodas and the safety testing and labeling required of pharmaceuticals.”
A study last month reviewed the literature on taurine and caffeine consumption, both singly and together, noting that the combination may have especially exaggerated effects in the developing (adolescent) brain over time.
The new study comes at a time when there's been a lot of talk about banning the drinks for people under a certain age. A grocery store chain in England has just announced that it will stop selling them to kids under the age of 16. Some advocates have pushed the government to tackle the problem in a larger way, especially after recent reports of deaths or su***de.
The authors of the new study agree that something may finally need to be done, after many years of debating the possibility. “Public health authorities may be warranted in considering additional regulations on energy drinks," they write, "including minimum age restrictions and enhanced health warnings.”
In the meantime, if you’re a parent, talk to your kids about the risks of high levels of caffeine, and especially of combining caffeine with other substances, however “natural” they may sound. Just because compounds occur in nature certainly doesn’t mean they’re risk-free, especially when taken in high doses over time.
