Parents beware
Health professionals concerned about caffeine in popular energy drinks
They are marketed as energy-boosting beverages but health and nutrition experts warn they could do far more harm than good.
These products are available almost everywhere and are sold next to soft drinks, juices and sports drinks. You may be familiar with some of these brands which include Red Bull, Impulse, Dark Dog, Hype, and SoBe Adrenaline Rush, to name a few.
Consulting dietitian Catherine McCain says she would like to see a ban on all of these high-calorie, high-sugar drinks.
"We need increased awareness about the problems with these beverages.
"The amount of caffeine you get in them is not as much as what you get in a cup of coffee but it's the caffeine in combination with all of the sugar and taurine, an amino acid, added to the mix that's an issue."
Provincial public health nurse Margaret Milburn says these energy drinks can be extremely dangerous when consumed in combination with alcohol.
"Because you are adding a stimulant to a depressant. This can be dangerous because you don't know how drunk you really are and are possibly drinking more because you don't feel the effects of the alcohol. There's a worry people could die when they are mixing the alcohol with the energy drink."
Milburn is disappointed Health Canada hasn't followed the example set by many European countries in banning these kinds of beverages.
"I wish Health Canada would have banned them like in some countries in Europe because of the potential health risks and because they don't know enough about them."
Milburn has sent a letter to the federal health department encouraging it to consider placing a ban on these drinks but she says she has received no reply to date. She says she hopes it doesn't take the death of someone in this country associated with drinking these these kinds of products before the federal government will take stronger action.
Most of these energy drinks contain 80 mg. of caffeine per 250 ml can. Health Canada suggests no more than 45 mg. of caffeine per day for children between the ages of four and six. Children between the ages of seven and nine should consume no more than 62.5 mg. per day and kids aged 10 to 12 shouldn't have any more than 85 mg. of caffeine per day.
These energy drinks have been around since the early 1990s with the start-up of all-night rave dance parties.
Since then it's made its way into mainstream use and is being consumed by young teens.
"We certainly know kids in middle school are drinking them. We want parents to be aware of the problems and potential dangers associated with these energy drinks."
Parents, Milburn says, may be buying them for their children because they are unaware of the problems associated with them.
These energy drinks shouldn't be confused with sports beverages, Milburn and McCain warn.
While energy drinks such as Red Bull are not available in vending machines on school property, kids are able to buy them as easily as going to the nearest corner store. Milburn says she and others within the public health department in this province would like to see retailers refusing to sell them to children.
The problem, she says, is that when kids drink these beverages they can experience dehydration, have increased heart rates and blood pressure as well as irritability and sleeplessness.
Because children are drinking these instead of water, milk and fruit juices, they are not getting their proper nutrients, she says.
Although Health Canada hasn't placed any age restriction advisories on these energy drinks, Milburn and McCain say no one under age 12 should drink them. Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers should avoid them too, they say.
These beverages contain herbs such as gingko biloba and ginseng which haven't been proven to improve one's mental or physical performance according to the federal health department.
These herbs are added to most energy drinks in very low amounts but they can interact with drugs such as warfarin and affect blood clotting, advises Health Canada.
People also drink them to keep up their energy levels during periods of intense physical activity or drink them after exercising to quench their thirst.
"Ironically athletes drink these before their workout but this compromises their workout because there is too much sugar which can actually trigger water loss rather than hydrate them," says McCain.
Health Canada has received reports of adverse health reactions involving energy drinks.
All of these incidents involved the improper use of these beverages, including drinking them in combination with alcohol or drinking them on their own in greater than recommended quantities.
Some of the reactions people have to drinking these kinds of energy drinks involve stomach upset, vomiting, diarrhea, and even heart arrhythmias.
Due to the effects they can have on the body, Health Canada is considering regulating how and where they are sold, putting restrictions on marketing claims and forcing the producers of these products to place health and safety cautions on packaging.
To date only Red Bull Energy Drink has been evaluated by Health Canada. The health department considers it to be a health product and warns it should be used according to the label instructions.
People who choose to drink it, Health Canada advises, shouldn't consume more than 500 ml or two cans of it per day and never in combination with alcohol.
Anyone who's experienced a physical reaction to any of these energy drinks should contact Health Canada by going to its website: www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hpfb-dgpsa/tpd-dpt/index_adverse_report_e.html
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