More than half of Canadian youth and young adults who have consumed energy drinks have experienced negative effects on their health, according to results of a study published in the medical journal CMAJ.
Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada conducted a study with 2,055 young Canadians aged 12 to 24. Of those who reported consuming energy drinks at some point in their life, 55.4% reported experiencing an adverse effect on their health.
Among participants who reported health problems, 24.7% reported having had a cardiac fast, 24.1% experienced difficulty sleeping and 18.3% experienced headache. A total of 5.1% reported nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, 5% saw a doctor, 3.6% reported experiencing chest pain, and 0.2% reported having had an attack.epilepsy.
“The number of health effects observed in our study suggests that everything should be done to limit consumption by children and young people,” said David Hammond, professor at the University of Waterloo. “At this time, there are no restrictions for children who buy energy drinks that are marketed in grocery stores, nor for advertising aimed at children.”
Legislation against energy drinks?
Currently, Canadian law aims to prohibit the marketing of energy drinks to children and it is recommended that energy drinks be used only by people who participate in sports.
“Most risk assessments to date have used coffee as a benchmark to estimate the health effects of energy drinks, but it’s clear that these products are more dangerous,” said David Hammond, professor at the University of Waterloo. “The health effects could be due to different ingredients in coffee or the way they are consumed, with alcohol or depending on physical activity.”
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