Energy drinks ‘can restrict blood flow’
▶ Experts want the drinks regulated in UAE in a similar way to tobacco or alcohol, as research reveals risk
Doctors are calling for a restriction on the advertising of energy drinks after research raised concerns that they are more harmful than thought.
American researchers found that drinking one and a half large cans of the drinks, which are high in sugar and caffeine, almost halved the diameter of blood vessels in otherwise fit and healthy young adults, restricting blood flow.
Although only a small study, the results raise fears that the drinks could increase the risk of stroke or cardiac arrest if consumed regularly.
The UAE, in line with governments across the world, has taken steps to discourage overconsumption of energy drinks, particularly among the young.
Last year a 100 per cent tax was imposed on energy drinks, with the same levy imposed on tobacco products and a 50 per cent charge on soft drinks.
But doctors said further action is needed, with the drinks still popular among the nation’s children. One called for restrictions in advertising the products to make them a social taboo similar to smoking.
“The only way to curtail it is to stop the extensive advertising, exactly like they did for cigarettes,” said Sadaf Jalil Ahmed, a doctor at Deira International School in Dubai.
“Now, you cannot go to an event sponsored by tobacco companies. [Energy drinks] need the same level of caution we use for tobacco and alcohol. Children should not have access to them.”
Despite other rules restricting purchase of energy drinks for under 16s in some areas, shops and schools, Dr Ahmed said she is concerned that parents may still be buying the products for their children.
“Now, people are sheepish or a bit embarrassed about smoking in public, it has become taboo. Energy drinks have to go through the same process, and you can speed it up by withdrawing the advertising and the positive image they are constantly promoting.”
Ruba Rizk, consultant paediatrician in adolescent medicine at Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital in Dubai, said physicians had a role to play in being more aware that energy drinks could be the cause of a range of symptoms among teenage patients. She also called for better education of children and parents about the dangers.
“It can disturb the heart, affect sleep, make blood pressure rise. They can also worsen symptoms of anxiety in kids and teens,” she said.
“Based on the patients I see there is a high prevalence of energy drink consumption among teens. Definitely more so in male patients. The issue is parents aren’t always aware that these drinks are a reason for concern.”
The latest study, by researchers from the University of Texas in Houston, looked at 44 non-smokers in their 20s who had their blood vessels tested before and after consuming one and a half 500ml cans of energy drink.
An analysis of the internal diameters of the blood vessels – which indicates their overall health – found they were considerably smaller 90 minutes after the drinks were consumed.
This means the heart would have to work harder to pump blood around the body and supply it with oxygen, particularly during exercise.
A study last year found more than four out of five Emirati college students consume energy drinks, and about one in five do so every day.
John Higgins, a professor of medicine at the university’s McGovern Medical School and the lead researcher on the study, said it was clear the drinks are “not intended for children”.
Their findings will be presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association next week.
The energy drink industry, however, maintains that the products are safe. “Mainstream energy drinks contain about half the caffeine of a similarly sized cup of coffee. Nothing in this preliminary research counters this well-established fact,” said William Dermody, a spokesman for the American Beverage Association.