2023-05-15 21:11:23
Experts and specialists reported that some parents allow their children to drink energy drinks, believing that they increase their activity and help them stay up late and focus on studying, warning of their extreme danger to children, as they cause high blood sugar, caffeine addiction, insomnia and affect mental health.
Moza Al-Shoumi, Vice-President of the Emirates Society for Child Protection, said that some parents consider energy drinks to be a natural thing, but we, as activists in the field of child protection, see it as a phenomenon and an addictive behavior, because some studies announced by American and British food organizations talk about the danger of energy drinks to young people. She indicated that children from 10 to 17 years old who regularly drink energy drinks are at risk of addiction.
She added, “Many parents do not consider them drugs, and they do not worry them. First, there is no nutritional benefit for the child other than calories, and if he does not burn these calories, they accumulate in his body and destroy his sugar rate, and affect his health and psychological well-being, as he becomes nervous and suffers from insomnia, and there is no He can go to school in the morning.”
And she continued: “It is possible that the child has hyperactivity, and with the consumption of these drinks, his activity in school increases, and his behavior with his colleagues is affected,” pointing out that energy drinks contain caffeine and high sugars, and therefore whoever drinks them must be a practitioner of sports, but at the same time Same there are warnings against eating and overdoing it.
Al-Shoumi indicated that the UAE government set an age for consuming energy drinks, not less than 18 years, but some parents are not aware that energy drinks have negative effects in the long term, and if the child does not engage in any activity or eats them in front of the computer and electronic games, it affects him healthily and increases calories. heat in his body, and may lead to behavioral effects such as insulting parents.
And she said: “Parents must be aware that energy drink is dangerous and affects the behavioral health of the son, and if he is addicted to it, he may be addicted to something else, because he is used to external materials for ecstasy. Any child whose psychological, health and moral safety is at risk, so the matter is held accountable before the law,” explaining that “ Articles 35 and 36 of the Wadima Law place all responsibility on the guardian who makes his son vulnerable to dangers. Negligence leads to physical, psychological, health and moral abuse of the child, and this carries a penalty ranging between a fine and imprisonment, according to the law.
Family medicine consultant, Dr. Adel Saeed Sajwani, said that energy drinks pose a great danger to young and old, as they contain high amounts of caffeine, which is an addictive brain stimulant, and also contains a large amount of calories and sugars, and many young people and children resort to them to increase concentration. And staying up late especially for studying.
He added that the American Association of Pediatricians recommends banning energy drinks for all children, while the American Heart Association has proven that energy drinks have negative effects on the heart, such as a change in the ECG of the child and young man and its irregularity, which leads to heart failure in the future.
Sajwani pointed out that excessive consumption of energy drinks as an addictive substance leads to addiction, and when a person wants to stop, withdrawal symptoms such as epilepsy and stress appear on him, and studies have also shown that they lead to many mental illnesses for children and youth such as depression, in addition to that they do not increase concentration, they only work To increase the vigil, so whoever drinks it does not benefit from it while studying.
Sajwani warned of the dangers of energy drinks, saying, “There is no safe energy drink.”
Regarding the duration of the effect of energy drinks in the body, he said: “Most of the caffeine ends in the body within eight hours, and therefore the main component of energy drinks causes osteoporosis and an increase in heart rate and may lead to heart failure that lasts a lifetime.”
A child and adolescent psychologist, founder of the “Our Children Our Responsibility” project, Dr. Badria Al-Dhanhani, said that energy drinks are drinks that contain concentrated amounts of caffeine and sugar, and some stimulating substances in double quantities that pose a danger to children and adolescents, as energy drinks contain some other stimulating ingredients. Such as ginseng and taurine, which makes it threaten human health with many diseases.
He added, “Students and adolescents are fascinated by advertisements that promote energy drinks, and delude them with their ability to supply the body with strength, and raise their levels of mental and physical activity,” noting that a child who consumes energy drinks suffers from psychological problems such as anxiety, insomnia, headaches, and hyperactivity, in addition to health problems. Consuming a large amount of caffeine is associated with nausea, vomiting, convulsions, and high blood pressure in children.
She explained that energy drinks do not contain any nutritional value for the child, and unfortunately many parents accept to give children energy drinks in order to excel in sports, and this exposes the child to many health risks, as doctors and specialists warn that young lovers of energy drinks are more vulnerable. For headaches, sleep problems, irritability, and exclusion from school.
She said, “For children to be safe from the harms of energy drinks, parents must urge them to consume useful drinks such as fresh fruit juices and useful herbs, encourage them to consume them in a variety of preparations, and ask them about the best fruit juices they prefer, and allow them to prepare what they like.”
She added, “I noticed through my case studies that children and adolescents who are better aware of the contents of harmful products have a degree of control, and may drink less amounts, and here there must be a campaign through educational videos or cartoon versions that match the age of children that contain more warnings.” clearly visible on the packaging, it can reduce consumption.
She pointed out that «there are alternatives and healthy ways to prepare an energy drink from home, including green tea, cucumber and green apple juices, spirulina juice, red watermelon and red ginseng, because these juices provide the body with health benefits that increase the ability to focus and alertness».
A lecturer in family relations, a member of the Emirates Society for Child Protection, Dr. Hamad Abdul Rahman Al-Buqishi, said that the childhood stage is the basis for building a person, as it leaves clear imprints on the child’s present and future, and in light of the comprehensive development that we live in in all aspects of life, what is known as energy drinks among children.
He added, “The energy drink is marketed as a drink that raises levels of mental and physical activity. The first brand of it appeared in 1977 in the United States of America, and its industry flourished and expanded until it reached more than 500 different brands in 2006,” explaining that “a drink Energy in terms of composition is similar to the soft drink SOFT DRINK, as it contains caffeine, glucose, sucrose, B vitamins such as (B1, B6, B12) and some amino acids, but the concentration of caffeine in it is much higher than in soft drinks.
He explained that «despite the multiple positive effects of energy drinks, it increases the percentage of caffeine in the blood, and thus leads to an increase in blood pressure, an increase in diuresis, an increase in metabolism, an increase in fat burning, stimulation of the nervous system and an increase in peristaltic bowel movement, which leads to memory activation. However, scientific research has proven that excessive consumption of it leads to addiction and osteoporosis, as well as severe damage to the liver, and leads to an increase in blood pressure, a decrease in tissue response to the hormone insulin, a decrease in sperm count, chronic headaches, insomnia and sleep disorders.
Some studies also indicated that caffeine has a negative effect on the functions of the nervous system, the circulatory system, the digestive system, and the kidneys. Therefore, some industrialized countries have developed legislation that obliges producers to place a warning on the packaging regarding the negative effects on the general health of the body.
Al-Buqishi said: “There are also negative effects on the psychological and behavioral side. Some studies have found a close association between energy drink consumption and the emergence of behavioral problems. The results showed that increased consumption is associated with increased drug use, smoking, drinking alcohol, and increased resort to physical violence.”
And he continued: «From all of this we see that it is a harmful substance and the benefit from it is formal and momentary, like the benefit and benefit of drug pills.
• Study: Children from 10-17 years old who drink energy drinks regularly are at risk of addiction.
Dr. Badria Al-Dhanhani:
• «Energy drink causes the child anxiety, insomnia, headache and hyperactivity».
study
A study released by the American Heart Association revealed that energy drinks cause serious health problems in children.
The researchers found that 41% of the 5,000 calls to poison centers were due to children under the age of six being poisoned by an energy drink, or suffering from side effects such as an abnormally fast heart rate.
The supervisor of the study, and head of the Department of Pediatrics at Wayne State University, Dr. Stephen Lipschlitz, focused on cases of children who developed diseases as a result of consuming energy drinks, at a time when studies on the effect of caffeine are limited.
“Children’s caffeine intake of less than 100 milligrams causes negative health effects,” Lipschlitz said.
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