South Africa's health minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, has recently proposed a regulation which state that energy drinks with a caffeine content of 150mg or higher will require a label bearing the warning that it is not recommended for pregnant women, children under 12 and people sensitive to caffeine.
South Africa's health minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, has recently proposed a regulation which state that energy drinks with a caffeine content of 150mg or higher will require a label bearing the warning that it is not recommended for pregnant women, children under 12 and people sensitive to caffeine.
The regulation suggested by the health minister is an effort to enhance awareness of the side effects of energy drinks with high caffeine content and to enable consumers to make more informed choices.
Just browsing through the websites of energy drinks such as ‘Monster’, ‘Rockstar’ and ‘Redbull’, it is clear that they are marketed as part of a lifestyle for young men – one that involves dangerous, high-impact sports such as rally-driving at the annual X-Games, listening to heavy rock music and ogling over spreads of semi-naked women.
Dubbed “speed in can”, “liquid cocaine”, and a “legal drug”, Redbull exploded onto the soft-drink market in the late ‘80s, and started the energy drink frenzy that youngsters across the world embraced.
According to a study done this year on the health effects of energy drinks in adolescents by the American Academy of Paediatrics, energy drinks are defined as containing caffeine, taurine, sugars, sweeteners and herbal supplements. Caffeine is the main ingredient in energy drinks – many of them contain 70 to 80 mg per 250ml serving.
They can contain additional amounts of caffeine through additives. Manufacturers are not required to list the caffeine content from these ingredients, so the actual caffeine content may be higher than one might think.
Mixing alcohol with energy drinks could be far more dangerous than youngsters who gulp down Vodka and Redbull on a night out may realise.
Last year the US Food and Drug Administration banned beer drinks laced with caffeine after nine college students had to be hospitalised after downing such drinks.
Caffeine and other stimulants, such as taurine and guarana tend to mask the effects of alcohol, which is what makes consuming large quantities of caffeine-laced alcoholic beverages so dangerous.
Psychologist intern at the Rhodes University Counselling Centre, Catherine Cilliers, believes that people who consume large quantities of energy drinks are typically those who work extremely hard and need the energy to achieve good results. People with “fast-paced lifestyles that function at incredibly high speeds” are also prone to drinking large amounts of these drinks, she says.
When these drinks are consumed in vast quantities, there are several psychological problems that may develop. Downing Redbull at an alarming rate does not give you wings, it gives you an increased heart rate which may result in symptoms such as anxiety; characterised by panic, trembling, hyperventilation and sweating.
“It will also disrupt healthy sleeping patterns and in some cases cause insomnia” said Cilliers.
The initial feeling experienced when drinking a Redbull is an “elevated mood and decreased fatigue” notes Cilliers. She also said that long term effects include damage to the kidneys and liver and there is a higher chance of having a heart attack.
Researchers at the American Academy of Paediatrics believe that people who suffer from obesity are particularly at risk as the added calories may increase blood pressure and blood glucose levels.
Eating disorder sufferers may also experience cardiac complications, as they rely on energy drinks to boost their energy levels and suppress their appetite.
Perhaps the regulation will encourage people to look at some alternatives, suggested dietician Hlombe Mfono. She believes that for those who do need the extra energy, healthy eating, physical exercise and drinking enough water is the best way to ensure that one's energy levels are kept high.
She condones drinking energy drinks in moderation, but notes that they "may be used ineffectively to cover up eating and sleeping problems.” She suggests drinking sports drinks, milk and fruit juice when feeling lethargic.
