‘Cocktail of chemicals’
Czechia’s energy drinks market and consumption has been booming for years, a fast-growing popularity that has sparked concerns and repeated warnings from health experts in Czechia and across Europe.
“The evidence is clear that energy drinks are harmful to the mental and physical health of children and young people as well as their behaviour and education,” reads an extensive study from the University of Teesside, in England, published in January.
“It is definitely a possible concern for [Czech] public health, as excess consumption is linked to multiple health-adverse effects in multiple areas,” says Petr Badura from Palacky University in Olomouc and a researcher for the international youth-focused HBSC study, citing issues ranging from cardiovascular complications to poor dental health, higher risks of becoming overweight or obese, and sleep disorders.
“The rates of ‘risky’ consumption (two or more such drinks per week) increased from 16 to 22 per cent in boys and from 7 to 15 per cent in girls” among ninth graders, he tells BIRN, data that also suggests that drinking habits are still under control for many others.
The exact composition varies from one brand to another, but energy drinks are commonly understood as being largely composed of water, caffeine, sugar or possibly sweeteners, topped with stimulants like taurine, flavour additives and, in some cases, vitamins.
“We feel it is necessary to warn that these drinks are definitely not beneficial and if the consumption limits are exceeded, can literally harm children’s health,” State Institute of Health (SZU) director Barbora Mackova advised.
Based on World Health Organisation guidelines, a daily intake of 25 grams of sugar is a tolerable level, yet some energy drinks can contain up to twice that, according to Jana Hajslova, head of the Institute of Food Analysis and Nutrition at the Czech University of Chemistry and Technology.
Another problem is the high level of caffeine – on average between 80 and 150 mg per drink, while the safe daily consumption for children is conditional to their weight, set at about 3 mg/kg. “It’s a cocktail of chemicals that are definitely not healthy for a child,” Hajslova says.
But it’s not just about eating too much sugar, with energy drinks associated with a higher incidence of mental health problems, including “anxiety, nervousness, or aggressive behaviour”, Petr Badura tells BIRN, and linked to a higher probability of indulging in other addictive substances like alcohol or nicotine.
By disrupting sleep patterns, high consumption of energy drinks can put children in a vicious circle of addiction towards the short-term boosting effect it might provide and increase the brain’s neurological dependence on caffeine or taurine, medical experts highlight.
What’s more, experience also appears to point to the drinks’ noxious effects impacting on children’s social behaviour. According to Libuse Triskalova, chairwoman of the Association of Education Counsellors, otherwise healthy children who consume the beverages on a regular basis show symptoms commonly associated with ADHD or hyperactive teenagers.
A study from last year also found that less than half of regular young drinkers have a positive attitude towards school and classes, nearly 30 percentage points less than non-drinkers, hinting at a dangerous spillover that can also affect children’s desire and/or ability to learn in the classroom.
The journalist Tuna, who is also the co-author of an online petition calling for a ban and signed by more than 6,000 people to date, is confident that “common sense, scientific arguments, and interest in the health and lives of children and adolescents will prevail, not lobbyist pressures”.
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