Energy drinks - the underestimated danger

07-Nov-2024

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The AOK Children's Health Atlas shows: Almost a quarter of all young people regularly drink energy drinks. There is a connection with obesity, lack of exercise and too little sleep.

Energy drinks can be found in every kiosk, discount store and supermarket. The "stimulants" usually end up on the checkout belts with young people. However, consumption is associated with risks: Especially when large quantities are drunk, there is a risk of tachycardia and high blood pressure. Due to the high sugar and calorie content, frequent consumption is also reflected on the scales. The AOK Rheinland/Hamburg children's health atlas shows that young schoolchildren are already consuming energy drinks and that these health-threatening drinks have now overtaken alcohol and tobacco in terms of popularity among young people.

What about the health and well-being of children and young people in the Rhineland and Hamburg? AOK Rheinland/Hamburg investigated this question with its Child Health Atlas, for which 5,000 parents were surveyed. In addition to topics such as chronic and acute illnesses, questions were also asked about general well-being, the living environment and the consumption of harmful substances. The answers provide a good overview of the living situation of children and young people.

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Energy drinks outperform cigarettes and alcohol

Among the potentially harmful substances, the consumption of energy drinks is particularly high, with only 42% of parents of 14 to 17-year-olds stating that their child has never consumed them. According to parents, 22 percent of 14 to 17-year-olds drink energy drinks regularly (almost every week or more often). Among 11 to 13-year-olds, 5 percent of children still consume energy drinks at least almost weekly, while the figure for 7 to 10-year-olds is 2 percent. "Children of this age would probably not drink an espresso or filter coffee, which contain a similar amount of caffeine. But sugary energy drinks are also appealing to young children and therefore pose a potential risk to their health. It is very clear how important it is to inform parents at an early age about the dangers of over-the-counter energy drinks through health education," explains Sabine Deutscher, Member of the Board of AOK Rheinland/Hamburg.

Overweight and lack of exercise

The Children's Health Atlas shows a clear correlation between the regular consumption of energy drinks, obesity and a lack of exercise. The results show that 14 to 17-year-olds who drink energy drinks at least almost every week have a higher body mass index (BMI) than others (p. 200, Table 8.1). For example, 10 percent of these young people are overweight and 7 percent are obese (4 percent are even extremely obese), whereas 71 percent are of normal weight. In comparison: 75 percent of 14 to 17-year-olds who only consume energy drinks once a month or less are of normal weight; in the group who have not consumed energy drinks in the last six months, the proportion of normal weight is as high as 81 percent.

There are also other correlations with the consumption of energy drinks that have a negative impact on health. If we compare 14 to 17-year-olds who consume energy drinks at least almost every week with those who consume energy drinks less frequently, the following picture emerges: young people who drink energy drinks at least almost every week are less likely to exercise regularly (64 percent vs. 73 percent), are less likely to sleep at least 8 hours a night (74 percent vs. 82 percent ), play video/computer games more frequently (71 percent vs. 59 percent) and use television, video films or streaming services more (81 percent vs. 70 percent ). "Leisure behavior and the consumption of energy drinks appear to be linked. This shows us once again the need to sensitize families - but also the social environment of children and adolescents - to the dangers they pose at an early age. Daycare centers and schools reach families and especially children from an early age and can promote healthy behavior, even if the necessary knowledge is lacking or insufficiently available at home. As a health insurance company, we make a major contribution to providing people with reliable health information and support them in making health-promoting decisions for themselves and their families," says Sabine Deutscher.

Boys consume harmful substances more frequently

For the AOK Rheinland/Hamburg Children's Health Atlas, the consumption of other potentially harmful substances was also surveyed. The result: according to their parents, 7 percent of 14 to 17-year-olds use e-cigarettes/e-shishas and 7 percent also use tobacco products. According to their parents, 5 percent of 14 to 17-year-olds drink alcohol every week or more frequently; among 11 to 13-year-olds, the figure is 2 percent and among children aged between 7 and 10, 1 percent. Boys consume harmful substances more frequently than girls. "Differences in health risks between the sexes are already apparent in childhood and adolescence. Gender aspects in medicine must therefore be taken into account at an early stage. It is important to consider boys and girls with their different medical and social backgrounds right from the start," says Sabine Deutscher.

Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.

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