Energy Drinks Hurt Youth Health: Causes Negative Side Effects

More than half of teens and young adults that have slaked their thirst with energy drinks report consequently suffering negative health consequences, reports a new study from Canada’s University of Waterloo. Of 2,055 Canadian participants between ages 12 and 24, 55.4 percent said they had negative health events afterwards. Of these, 26.5 percent trembled and felt jittery, 24.7 percent had faster heartbeats and 22.5 percent noted “jolt and crash” episodes—a spell of alertness followed by a sudden drop in energy. Another 5.1 percent experienced nausea or diarrhea and 0.2 percent, seizures. Most respondents said they drank only one or two energy drinks at a time.

This article appears in the June 2018 issue of Natural Awakenings.