- Decisive measures are needed to limit children's access to the so-called "Energy engineers" - the spokesman for children's rights, Mikołaj Pawlak, is alerting in his speech to the Minister of Health, Adam Niedzielski. Drinks with the addition of taurine and caffeine have a very negative effect on the development of a young body, and drinking even one can can lead to a heart attack. Many countries have age restrictions on sale. In Poland, even several-year-old children drink energy.
Ombudsman for Children: Children should limit their energy consumption
Published Oct. 17, 2022 08:50
As the spokesman points out, there is a fashion among young people to support themselves with energetics during their studies, before tests, tests or during increased effort. Research shows that in Poland, energy drinks are consumed by younger and younger children, even as young as several years old. This is a very dangerous phenomenon, especially when we look at the composition of these products.
“A can (500 ml) of an average energy drink contains about 160 mg of caffeine. This is what is the maximum daily dose for someone weighing 64 kg. So if an energetic drinker drinks a 13-year-old weighing 50 kg, he already exceeds the daily dose after one can. It should be pointed out here that the ingredients contained in energy drinks can have a very detrimental effect on the health of children. Developing young organisms can easily become addicted to the caffeine contained in beverages. A big reaction was also caused by the words of cardiologists that young people who regularly support themselves with energy, may not reach the age of 60 ", writes the spokesman in his speech.
Mikołaj Pawlak also cites the opinion of Australian scientists who warn that one can of drink is enough for a heart attack. The spokesman also notes worrying signals from American schools.
"(...) it was observed that after eating them, students experienced heart palpitations, nausea and other symptoms typical of a heart attack. Some scientists, such as Dr. Kathleen Miller of the University of Buffalo, point to yet another worrying case. She found a link between energy consumption and the increasing level of aggression in adolescents. In her opinion, a particular culprit is caffeine, the content of which in energy drinks is many times more than what the body can absorb, even 10 times more, ”reads the letter to the minister of health.
In Poland, there are no age restrictions on the sale of energy drinks. Meanwhile, in the United States, they are sold to persons over the age of 21, in Germany and Great Britain the lower limit is 16, and in Lithuania and Latvia - 18. Denmark and Norway have banned the sale completely, and in Finland and Iceland limits the caffeine content per 100 ml of the drink.
