Highlights
- Energy drinks may harm your physical and mental health
- New study suggests that children and teenagers should totally avoid them
- The study was published in Journal Frontiers in Public Health
A new study, published in Frontiers in Public Health, indicates that your love for drinking energy drinks for an instant boost may prove to be harmful for the health. A team of researchers reviewed the current scientific knowledge on energy drinks and found that they may cause several problems for your physical and mental health such as obesity, heart trouble, increased blood pressure, anxiety and kidney problems.
According to the, the short-term benefits of drinking energy drinks easily outweighs the long-term risks it poses to your health and children should, especially avoid them. The study also highlights the dangers of mixing alcohol with energy drinks. People who mix both tend to drink more because energy drinks may mask the effects of alcohol inebriation which leads to increased consumption.
Based, on their study, the researchers advise that energy drinks should be totally avoided by young children and teenagers. They suggest that, in order to do so, the sale of energy drinks should be limited and also an upper limit for the amount of caffeine used in these drinks should be set.
Energy drinks are primarily made with water, sugar, caffeine, certain vitamins, minerals and stimulants such as guarana, taurine and ginseng. The amount of caffeine varies considerably. Some of them contain 100 mg of caffeine per fluid ounce which is almost 12 times more than a regular cup of coffee. The scientists share that a moderate daily consumption of 400 mg of caffeine is recommended for adults but no such limits have been set for children.
The health risks of drinking energy drinks are mainly due to the caffeine and sugar content. It can cause other health problems too such as shortness of breath, stress, stomach aches and irritation.