Nearly 60% of young people and adolescents have consumed energy drinks at some point

2023-11-29 12:02:39

Nearly 60% of young people and adolescents have consumed energy drinks at some point. This is one of the conclusions reached by a group of researchers from the University of Oviedo after analyzing almost two hundred studies on the prevalence of this type of beverage. The researchers describe “especially worrying” consumption in the younger population and propose carrying out legislative measures aimed at reducing its availability and accessibility. The research has just been published in the journal Addictionwith maximum impact in your area of knowledge.

The researchers, belonging to the Addictive Behavior Group (GCA) of the Department of Psychology of the University of Oviedo, highlight that, despite the high familiarity of these drinks in our daily lives and in practically all countries in the world, to date A study had not been carried out on the prevalence of its consumption worldwide, which also took into account other variables, such as the geographical area or the age group of the consumers. These two variables are crucial, in the opinion of the authors of the work, given that the legal regulation of these drinks varies from one country to another, and because the effects of their consumption are more harmful in certain age groups, such as children or adolescents.

This situation led this research group to carry out a meta-analysis on the prevalence of consumption of energetic drinks. This type of statistical analysis allows the results from different studies to be synthesized and conclusions to be drawn from all of them together. After searching for articles from two databases, a total of 192 studies were found that provided information on the prevalence of consumption of energy drinks. Thus, the study included a total sample of more than one million people with an average age of 18 years, just over half of them men.

The findings show that 55% of the population had consumed energy drinks at some time in their lives, 43% in the last 12 months, 32% in the last 30 days, 22% in the last seven days and 9% consumes it daily. Subgroup analyzes were performed taking into account the continental region of the studies and the age group to which the studied sample belonged.

Our study concludes that energy drink consumption rates are high worldwide

Andrea Krotter Díaz, member of the Addictive Behaviors Group

The results reveal that Africa is the continent that had the highest consumption in the last week (64%), followed by Asia (26%), Oceania (23%), North America (22%), Europe (16%) and America Central and South (11%). Regarding age groups, the results indicate that in the last week 12% of children (under 12 years of age) had consumed energy drinks, 20% of adolescents, 26% of young adults and 14 % of adults.

“Our study concludes that energy drink consumption rates are high worldwide. This consumption is especially worrying among the youngest, due to the fact that almost 60% of adolescents and young people have consumed them,” he highlights. Andrea Krotter Diaz, member of the Addictive Behavior Group of the University of Oviedo. Simultaneously, “our work highlights the importance of frequently monitoring trends in the consumption of energy drinks with the aim of preventing problematic consumption, for example, highly frequent consumption or consumption mixed with alcohol,” adds the researcher.

“We also propose various measures that could significantly reduce these prevalences of consumption, such as increasing the price, set a legal minimum agel to consume them, the promotion of transparency regarding the ingredients of the drinks and their possible adverse effects, or the restriction of advertising,” Krotter emphasizes.

150 new products every year

The authors of the work explain that, although there is no standard definition, we understand by energy drinks, or energizers, those non-alcoholic drinks that contain caffeine, taurine, vitamins and the combination of other ingredients, which offer the consumer to improve performance and increase energy. energy. Its presence in the market has grown exponentially in recent times and it is estimated that More than 150 new brands are launched on the market annually.

Behind that promise of instant energy and improved performance, studies have shown that there are significant problems for physical and mental health.

Gema Aonso Diego, doctor in Psychology from the University of Oviedo

“Also in recent years, behind that promise of instant energy and improved performance, studies have shown that there are significant problems for physical and mental health,” he says. Gema Aonso Diego, PhD in Psychology from the University of Oviedo and currently a researcher at the University of Deusto. The high caffeine content, often combined with sugars and other stimulants, such as guarana, can generate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system (hypertension, arrhythmias), digestive system (nausea), endocrine system (diabetes), and on mental health. (anxiety, depression, insomnia).