Unhealthy but energy drinks soon only with age restriction?

Enormous amounts of sugar: sale of energy drinks only to adults

In the UK, some retailers have stopped selling energy drinks to under-16s. In addition, the citizens of the country are currently being asked if and from what age teenagers are allowed to buy such drinks. German health experts are now advocating that the stimulating drinks may only be sold to adults.

More than one in three young people drink energy drinks

Energy drinks have been enjoying increasing popularity for years. According to the Consumer Council of North Rhine-Westphalia, almost 70 percent of all adolescents drink such drinks, and one in four of them drink more than is healthy. In fact, the uplifting drinks can especially harm the health of children and teenagers. Therefore, an age limit for energy drinks is again required.

Energy drinks are mainly due to the high sugar content as hazardous to health. German physicians therefore demand that such drinks should no longer be sold to young people. (Image: mix3r / fotolia.com)

Health hazards through stimulating drinks

Health experts have been advising caution on energy drinks for years. What dangers threaten, you can look at, inter alia, on a website that shows what happens after a can of Red Bull in the body.

So it can come to higher consumption, inter alia, to tachycardia or high blood pressure. In particular, adolescents consume too much caffeine via such drinks.

For years, a ban on energy drinks for teenagers has been considered. In this country little has happened so far in this regard.

Other countries are doing more in this area.

No energy drinks for teens

In the UK, for example, some retail chains have stopped selling energy drinks to young people under the age of 16.

And the government of the country is currently asking the citizens whether and from what age young people are allowed to buy such drinks.

It's all about the large amounts of sugar in the drinks. According to experts, a can can contain up to 13 sugar cubes. Such drinks damage the teeth, lead to obesity and promote diseases such as diabetes.

Death from caffeinated drinks

In the US, a 16-year-old died of an overdose of caffeine last year. The teen had drunk a coffee, a big bottle of caffeinated lemonade, and an energy drink in two hours.

"The fact that a child or a teenager dies of caffeine is luckily rare," said the spokesman of the Professional Association of Pediatricians (BVKJ), Dr. med. Josef Kahl, in a press release.

"Like the British government, we see above all the excess sugar in energy drinks as a health hazard and advocate that energy drinks may only be sold to adolescents over the age of 18."

German pediatricians demand sugar tax

According to the experts, childhood obesity is one of the biggest health problems in this country. In particular, the consumption of sweetened drinks contributes to this.

"Affected by obesity are mainly children and adolescents from socially precarious conditions. Often, their parents can not tell what harm soft drinks and energy drinks are doing, "Dr. Bald.

"Therefore, we demand from the policy a sugar tax, as in many countries, u. a. Britain, already exists, and a ban on selling energy drinks to minors, "said the doctor.

"And we advise parents: from the beginning, get your children used to drinking nothing but water to quench their thirst." (Ad)