Energy drinks causing mental health issues in children, claims expert

A leading paediatrician in the UK has warned that energy drink consumption can lead to physical and mental health problems in children.

Caffeinated drinks that claim to give energy are causing obesity, anxiety, hyperactivity and sleep loss, warned Russell Viner, President of the Royal College of Paediatrics. Writing in The British Medical Journal, Viner argued that in the longterm this could cause anything from drug use to academic problems.

"Evidence is emerging that consumption of caffeinated energy drinks among children and young people is associated with anxiety, depression, sensation seeking, poorer executive function, and increased hyperactivity and inattention," he wrote "These manifest as increased psychological distress, poor behaviour, risky behaviours (such as substance use), and poorer academic attainment in maths and English. "Perhaps most concerning are the effects on sleep—a clear inverse association has been established between consumption of caffeinated energy drinks and sleep duration."

Despite widespread recommendations that under-16s avoid energy drinks, marketing is to blame for a surge in the rates at which young people consumer them, he continued. A survey in 2014 found that 14 per cent of 11 to 15-year-olds in England drink these drinks twit four times a week. Viner called for a ban on the sale of energy drinks to under-16s. It's something the UK government has said it is considering. "We all have a responsibility to protect children from products that are damaging to their health and education," public health minister Steve Brine said. Many retailers, including Boots and Aldi in Ireland, have already voluntarily banned the sale of energy drinks to under-16s.