The popularity of taurine-based energy drinks and junk food carries particular risks for the brains of adolescents who consume too much of it in the later stages of their development.
Two new factors that may affect adolescent brain development have been discovered. A team of researchers is interested the effects of taurine, caffeine and energy drinks on the health of its greatest followers: teens.
Not only is the increase in their consumption (often mixed with alcohol) alarming, Dr. Curran says, animal studies also show negative consequences for brain development. He claims that young people exposed to high levels of taurine will have learning and memory problems. In their experiments, they also observed an increased risk of increased alcohol consumption in female mice.
Not better for junk food
The research didn’t stop there. Another part of the work concerns junk food, which is defined as “very appetizing and rewarding, but nutritionally poor”. According to lead author Amy Reichelt, junk food is not only found to be bad for the body, but also bad for the brains of adolescents. “The main neurotransmitters in the brain responsible for inhibition and reward signaling are still developing during adolescence,” explains Amy Reichelt. Junk food negatively affects decision making, increases reward-seeking behaviors and influences poor eating habits in adulthood ”.
The only good news is that exercise offers an interesting response to keep adolescents away from certain exposures because, in the long term, it protects against the deleterious effects of these products. Unfortunately, teens don’t do enough …
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