Thu, Aug-30-18, 00:58
|
 |
|
|
Plan: Muscle Centric
Stats: 238/153/160
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: UK
|
|
Energy drinks: why it is high time their wings should be clipped
Quote:
From The Guardian
London, UK
29 August, 2018
Energy drinks: why it is high time their wings should be clipped
The caffeinated, sugary drinks point to health issues such as obesity and type 2 diabetes
Energy drinks are marketed at active and sporty young people. Red Bull “vitalises body and mind” and “gives you wings”, its advertising has claimed, picturing sports personalities and extreme achievements. Yet energy drinks – loaded with caffeine and sugar – far from healthy, are implicated in overstimulation of the nervous system as well as obesity.
The caffeine content represents the biggest health issue. A study in BMJ Open last year found the average caffeine content was about 30mg per 100ml. Red Bull has said caffeine was “naturally present in more than 60 plants”. But most supermarkets have already banned the sale of energy drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre.
Earlier this year the MP Maria Caulfield called for a ban on sales of high caffeine drinks to under-16s after the suicide of Justin Bartholomew, a 25-year-old with a 15-can-a-day habit. His family believed the drinks increased his anxiety levels, contributing to the frame of mind that led to him killing himself.
Caffeine can be toxic in rare cases, but it is hard to reach a lethal dose of about 10g by drinking either energy drinks or coffee. The bigger concern has been the stimulant effect, which can produce jitteriness and palpitations. Teachers have complained of children unable to settle down and focus in school.
A study in 2014 by a team of nutrition experts from the World Health Organisation’s regional office in Europe who were concerned about the increasing popularity of energy drinks said there were “proven negative consequences of caffeine consumption among children and adolescents, including effects on the neurological and cardiovascular systems, which can cause physical dependence and addiction”.
Coffee can contain just as much caffeine and sometimes more, but it “is typically consumed hot and consequently more slowly”, said the study. The drinks industry is aware there is an issue and has its own guidelines on the labelling of energy drinks, which must read: “High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breastfeeding women or persons sensitive to caffeine.”
Many young people mix energy drinks with alcohol, which can produce a state of “wide-awake drunkenness” in which they can carry on drinking.
Energy drinks also contain a lot of sugar – 27g in 250ml. The 2017 BMJ Open study found the average sugar content was high – “more than the entire maximum daily recommendation for sugar intake in the UK for an adult (30g).”
“This study illustrates the huge contribution of energy drinks to sugar intake, which is linked to the development of obesity and various types of cancer, as well as type 2 diabetes and rotting our children’s teeth,” said Graham MacGregor, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at Queen Mary University of London, who is chair of the campaigning group Action on Sugar, when the study was published.
“They are completely inappropriate for children to consume, form no part of a healthy balanced diet, and should be banned for under-16s.”
|
https://www.theguardian.com/society...ould-be-clipped
Quote:
Government to ban energy drink sales to children in England
Move follows health concerns about heavily caffeinated and sugared drinks
Ministers will ban the sale of Red Bull, Monster Energy and other energy drinks to children in England amid growing concern about the impact that the high-caffeine, high-sugar drinks are having on young people’s health.
A consultation on how to implement the proposed ban will be unveiled on Thursday, with Downing Street indicating that the principal question to be determined is whether the purchasing restrictions will apply at the age of 16 or 18.
Theresa May said the consultation was linked to the government’s childhood obesity strategy and said it was necessary to examine the consumption of energy drinks “often because they are sold at cheaper prices than soft drinks”.
The principal justification for the ban is the high level of caffeine in the energy drinks, which has been linked to a string of health problems for children, including head and stomach aches, as well as hyperactivity and sleep problems.
A 250ml can of Red Bull contains about 80mg of caffeine, roughly the same as a similarly sized cup of coffee, but three times the level of Coca-Cola. Monster Energy, which is often sold in larger cans of 500ml, contains 160mg of caffeine.
Energy drinks often also have higher levels of sugar than soft drinks. According to government figures, sugared energy drinks have 60% more calories and 65% more sugar than normal soft drinks and sugar is one of the largest causes of obesity.
Jamie Oliver, the celebrity chef and food health campaigner, said he welcomed the prospect of a ban on energy drink sales because “too many children are regularly using them to replace breakfast” and “teachers from across the country have told me how their lessons are disrupted because of these drinks, packed with stimulants”.
Advertisement
Some major retailers already ban sales of energy drinks to youngsters, but cheap prices in other outlets mean that consumption by children in the UK is estimated by ministers to be 50% ahead of other countries in Europe.
Two-thirds of children aged 10 to 17 and a quarter of six to nine-year-olds consume energy drinks, according to the government announcement.
Steve Brine, the public health minister, complained that “in some outlets it is possible to buy four 250ml cans of energy drink for £1”. The 12-week consultation proposes that a ban would apply to drinks that contain more than 150mg of caffeine per litre.
A Downing Street source added that introducing a ban was all but certain, saying: “It’s a question not of whether we do it, but how.”
The move is the latest step in an increasingly interventionist approach being pursued by the Conservatives in relation to childhood obesity and health. When he was the chancellor, George Osborne introduced a tax on sugary drinks.
Jamie Oliver, the celebrity chef and food health campaigner, said he welcomed the prospect of a ban on energy drink sales because “too many children are regularly using them to replace breakfast” and “teachers from across the country have told me how their lessons are disrupted because of these drinks, packed with stimulants”.
Some major retailers already ban sales of energy drinks to youngsters, but cheap prices in other outlets mean that consumption by children in the UK is estimated by ministers to be 50% ahead of other countries in Europe.
Two-thirds of children aged 10 to 17 and a quarter of six to nine-year-olds consume energy drinks, according to the government announcement.
Steve Brine, the public health minister, complained that “in some outlets it is possible to buy four 250ml cans of energy drink for £1”. The 12-week consultation proposes that a ban would apply to drinks that contain more than 150mg of caffeine per litre.
A Downing Street source added that introducing a ban was all but certain, saying: “It’s a question not of whether we do it, but how.”
The move is the latest step in an increasingly interventionist approach being pursued by the Conservatives in relation to childhood obesity and health. When he was the chancellor, George Osborne introduced a tax on sugary drinks.
Drink brands such as Red Bull, Relentless, Monster Energy and Rockstar have become increasingly popular. Children and teenagers drink them more than adults, even though industry labelling guidelines state that any soft drink with more than 150mg of caffeine per litre must carry a warning about its content and state that it is not recommended for children.
The compulsory health warnings read: “High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breastfeeding women or persons sensitive to caffeine.”
Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: “There is no evidence that energy drinks have any nutritional value or place in the diet of children and young people. That’s why we’re pleased to see the government take action on this and other measures to tackle childhood obesity and improve children’s health.”
The proposed ban only applies to England, but Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can all follow suit if their administrations wish. In March, several major supermarket chains announced that they would ban the sale of energy drinks to children under 16.
The teachers’ union NASUWT called last year for the sale of the drinks to under-16s to be banned by all retailers. Its national official for education, Darren Northcott, described the beverages as “legal highs” that helped to fuel bad behaviour in schools.
Mintel consumer data starts at the age of 16, with the biggest official UK market for energy drinks being boys aged 16 to 24, with 63% consuming them compared with 58% of girls.
But, according to European Food Safety Authority research, two-thirds of 10 to 16-year-olds regularly consume energy drinks, along with 18% of three to 10-years-olds.
|
https://www.theguardian.com/busines...-combat-obesity
Last edited by Demi : Thu, Aug-30-18 at 01:07.
|
|
Linear Mode
