Energy Drinks May Put Teenagers At Risk

health & fitness

Energy drinks may put teenagers at risk
Regular consumption of highly caffeinated drinks may be a red flag
By Tara Parker-Pope updated 9:36 p.m. ET May 26, 2008

Health researchers have identified a surprising new predictor for risky behavior among teenagers and young adults: the energy drink.
Super-caffeinated energy drinks, with names like Red Bull, Monster, Full Throttle and Amp, have surged in popularity in the past decade. About a third of 12-to 24-year-olds say they regularly down energy drinks, which account for more than $3 billion in annual sales in the United States.

The trend has been the source of growing concern among health researchers and school officials. Around the country, the drinks have been linked with reports of nausea, abnormal heart rhythms and emergency room visits.

In Colorado Springs, several high school students last year became ill after drinking Spike Shooter, a high-caffeine drink, prompting the principal to ban the beverages. In March, four middle school students in Broward County, Fla., went to the emergency room with heart palpitations and sweating after drinking the energy beverage Redline. In Tigard, Ore., teachers this month sent parents e-mail alerting them that students who brought energy drinks to school were “literally drunk on a caffeine buzz or falling off a caffeine crash.”
New research suggests the drinks are associated with a health issue far more worrisome than the jittery effects of caffeine — risk taking.

‘Toxic jock’ behaviour.

In March, The Journal of American College Health published a report on the link between energy drinks, athletics and risky behavior. The study’s author, Kathleen Miller, an addiction researcher at the University of Buffalo, says it suggests that high consumption of energy drinks is associated with “toxic jock” behavior, a constellation of risky and aggressive behaviors including unprotected sex, substance abuse and violence.

The finding doesn’t mean the drinks cause bad behavior. But the data suggest that regular consumption of energy drinks may be a red flag for parents that their children are more likely to take risks with their health and safety.

“It appears the kids who are heavily into drinking energy drinks are more likely to be the ones who are inclined toward taking risks,” Dr. Miller says. The American Beverage Association says its members don’t market energy drinks to teenagers. “The intended audience is adults,” says Craig Stevens, a spokesman for the group. He says the marketing is meant for “people who can actually afford the two or three bucks to buy the products.”

Range of caffeine content.

The drinks include a variety of ingredients in different combinations: plant-based stimulants like guarana, herbs like ginkgo and ginseng, sugar, amino acids including taurine as well as vitamins. But the main active ingredient is caffeine.

Caffeine content varies. A 12-ounce serving of Amp contains 107 milligrams of caffeine, compared with 34 to 38 milligrams for the same amount of Coca-Cola or Pepsi. Monster has 120 milligrams and Red Bull has 116. Even higher on the spectrum, Spike Shooter contains 428 milligrams of caffeine in 12 ounces, and Wired X344 contains 258.

Mr. Stevens points out that “mainstream” energy drinks often have less caffeine than a cup of coffee. At Starbucks, the caffeine content varies depending on the drink, from 75 milligrams in a 12-ounce cappuccino or latte to as much as 250 milligrams in a 12-ounce brewed coffee.
One concern about the drinks is that because they are served cold, they may be consumed in larger amounts and more quickly than hot coffee drinks, which are sipped. Another worry is the increasing popularity of mixing energy drinks with alcohol. The addition of caffeine can make alcohol users feel less drunk, but motor coordination and visual reaction time are just as impaired as when they drink alcohol by itself, according to an April 2006 study in the medical journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

“You’re every bit as drunk, you’re just an awake drunk,” said Dr. Mary Claire O’Brien, associate professor in the departments of emergency medicine and public health services at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Dr. O’Brien surveyed energy drink and alcohol use among college students at 10 universities in North Carolina. The study, published this month in Academic Emergency Medicine, showed that students who mixed energy drinks with alcohol got drunk twice as often as those who consumed alcohol by itself and were far more likely to be injured or require medical treatment while drinking. Energy drink mixers were more likely to be victims or perpetrators of aggressive sexual behavior. The effect remained even after researchers controlled for the amount of alcohol consumed.

Energy drink marketers say they don’t encourage consumers to mix the drinks with alcohol. Michelle Naughton, a spokeswoman for PepsiCo, which markets Amp, said, “We expect consumers to enjoy our products responsibly.”

NEW STRAITS TIMES, Tuesday May 27, 2008
“But recent research has shown that the chemical can deactivate parts of DNA, the genetic code in the cells of living creatures.”


Soft Drinks (One can)
Calories 97
Carbohydrates (g) 27
Sodium (mg) 33
Caffeine (mg)
Refer Below

RESULTS
Obesity (WHO, 2000; Bray et al., 2004)
- Hypertension (WHO, 2000)
- Cardiovascular Diseases (WHO, 2000)
- Cancer (WHO, 2000)

- Diabetes Mellitus (WHO, 2000)

- Heart Diseases (ADA, 2006)

- Stroke (ADA, 2006)

- Blindness (ADA, 2006)

- Decreased Renal Function (S&M, 1995)

- Renal System Damage (ADA, 2006)

- Nervous System Damage (ADA, 2006)

- Stroke (WHO, 2000)

- Alzheimer (Storey and Masters, 1995)

- Anxiety (M&W, 1985; Watson et al., 2000)

- Insomnia (M&W, 1985; Watson et al., 2000)

- Paranoid (M&W, 1985; Watson et al., 2000)

- Frank Psychosis (Parker 1986)

- Dyslipidemia (WHO, 2000)

- Enamel Erosion (Jandt, 2006)

- Osteoarthritis (WHO, 2000)

- Dental Disorders - Caries (Tahmassebi et al., 2006)

- Cancer - Breast (Vandelooet al., 2007); - Pancreas (Larsson et al., 2006)

- Wrist & Forearm Fracture (Ma & Jones, 2004)

- Urinary Stone (Shuster et al., 1992)

- Asthma (Steinman and Weinberg, 1986)

- Human sperm motility (Nwoha, 1992)

- Urinary Calcium Excretion ((Trinchieri et al., 2002)

- Headache (Mattson, 2001; Selr & Kom, 2005)

- Miscarriage (Oei et al., 1989)

- Toxic Symptoms ((Riesselmann et al.,1999)

- Bone Disorders & Hypocalcemia

- Real Stones (Benabe & Maldonado, 1994)

- Seizures (Carey, 1968) - Subnormal Intelligence (Carey, 1968)

- Intestinal Mal Absorption (Carey, 1968)

- Congestive Heart Failure ((Carey, 1968)

Ujicha (One cup)

Vitamin C 100% RDA

Polyphenol (mg) 72

Vit. A, E, K & B Complex ** Phosphorus (mg) 41 Amino Acids ** Minerals **

RESULTS

- High Potent Antioxidants (Dr. Carrie Ruxton, UK)

- Inhibit Oral Carcinoma (Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, US)

- Protect Fr Alzheimer (J. Neuroscience 21.9.05 25 (38): 8807-8814
- Suppress Rheumatoid Arthritis (Univ. Michigan Health System)
- Boost Endurance & Burn Fat (Medical News Today 27/1/2005)
- Prolong Live (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in Boston)
- Help Diabetes (Karolinska Institute, Sweden)
- Inhibit HIV (Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas)
- Fight Autoimmune Disorders (Medical College of Georgia's)
- Fight Dementia (Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan)

- Promote Weight Loss (American J. of Clinical Nutrition;70:1040-1045
- Help Prostate Cancer (Mayo Clinic Cancer Center)
- Reduce “Dry Mouth” (Sjogren’s) (Medical Col of Georgia Apr.18, 2007)
- Fight Spread Of Cancer Cell (Metastatic) (EurekAlert Dec. 1, 2004)
- Improves Blood Lipid Levels (Nutrition Research Vol. 26, Iss. 11 , Nov. 2006)
- Fight Allergies (Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan)
- Fight Skin Cancer (Archives of Dermatology 2000;136:989-994,1051)
- Reduce Breast Cancer Risk (Journal Carcinogenesis (doi: 10.1093/carcin)
- Fight Parkinson’s (Baylor College of Medicine in Houston)
- Protects Fatty Livers (Liver Transplantation Feb. 17, 2005)
- Anti-Cancer (University of Rochester Medical Center)
- Improve Learning Ability (Journal of Nutrition (Vol. 136, pp. 1043-1047)
- Double Cholesterol Excretion (Uni. of Tokushima, Jp. & Providence Uni, Tw)
- Stop Bad Breath (University of Illinois at Chicago)
- Lower Ovarian Cancer (Swedish Mammography Cohort)
- Lower Bile Duct Cancer (Int. J. of Cancer (Vol. 118, pp. 3089-3094)
- Lower Gallbladder Cancer Int. J. of Cancer (Vol. 118, pp. 3089-3094)
- Fight Colon Cancer (Oregon State University)
- Block Non-Melanoma Skin Tumours (University of Minnesota)
- Protect Dying Nerve Cells (Douglas Hospital Research Centre, Quebec)
- Protect Cartilage (University of Sheffield, England)
- Reduce Hypertension (Archives of Internal Medicine)


12-ounce beverage Milligrams
(Caffeine)
Red Bull (8.2 oz) 80.0
Pepsi One 55.5
Diet Coke 45.6
8-ounce beverage Milligrams
(Caffeine)
Coffee, Drip 115-175
Coffee, Brewed 80-135
Coffee, Espresso (2 ounces) 100
Coffee, Instant 65-100
Tea, iced 47
Tea, brewed, imported brands (avg.) 60
Tea, brewed, U.S. brands (avg.) 40
Tea, instant 30
Tea, green 15

SOURCES: National Soft Drink Association, US Food and Drug Administration, Bunker and McWilliams, Pepsi, Slim-Fast.

WARNING
Parents should be aware that their eating behaviours, including their choice of beverage, may impact their children’s eating habits. It is important that parents serve as positive role models, and their influence should be considered in designing interventions to promote healthful beverage choices by children.
------- upm.edu.my

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