Energy drinks

About energy drinks

Energy drinks are a part and parcel of the day for a lot of people – not only for athletes that need to give their best performance as someone might think. Even consumers who are below average with their daily exercise reach out for them when they feel even mild fatigue. What is sad about this though is that this is currently trending with teenagers who would much rather drink an energy drink than get some quality sleep or proper nutrition.

Studies and facts

The U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health states that: „A growing body of scientific evidence shows that energy drinks can have serious health effects, particularly in children, teenagers, and young adults.“ A scientific report from the Palacký University in Olomouc describes how energy drinks are consumed by approximately 30,000 children between the age of 13-15 in the Czech Republic. However, regulations following the example of other countries are non-existent. Caffeine causes dehydration and it is also proven that after its stimulating effects subside, the human organism is greatly attenuated (weakened). Adolescents, even adults may have trouble concentrating and falling asleep. Caffeine goes hand in hand with sugar. It is not what an adolescent body would need in large quantities. The American CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends restricting sugar intake to a maximum of 10% of the daily energy income. A similar report has been released by WHO (World Health Organization). According to whom the daily sugar income for adolescents should be a maximum of 50 grams (approx. 17 sugar cubes). Some energy drinks however contain up to 60 grams of sugar. High consumption of monosaccharides carries risks of type 2 diabetes, which is nowadays, unfortunately, not uncommon even in teenagers. Excessive amount of sugar also „pushes out“ important substances from the body - like B vitamins, or mineral substances - like calcium and magnesium.

What can we do about it

The only feasible solution to this is to teach children the correct habits and leading by example. Kids learn by mimicking their parents‘ behavior. Therefore, parents should implicate the right means of nutrition.