The Canadian Medical Journal States Energy Drinks are a Dangerous to Children

Highly caffeinated beverages such as energy drinks have grown increasingly popular in the past few years. An editorial that was recently published in the leading medical journal in Canada states that energy drinks are dangerous for children and unhealthy for adults. They supply a dangerously high level of caffeine in a short amount of time and small amount of consumption.

One example provided in the editorial compared a 250ml bottle of soda and a 75ml energy shot. An energy shot is a small dose of liquid caffeine that claims to wake you up for hours when you need it most. The bottle of soda contains 56mg of caffeine while the energy shot contains 200mg. Drinking one energy shot is roughly equivalent 25 sodas.

It is being asked that any energy drink that contains more than 100mg of caffeine have a warning label. Caffeine pills have a label stating they are dangerous to kids and they should not be taken as it may result in irritability, loss of sleep, and increased heart rate. Some pills carry less caffeine than one energy drink so the market should be monitored much more than it is now.

These companies know that in order to sell their product they have to have a target market of consumers. The market most energy drinks are geared to are children and young adults. These campaigns are very successful but say nothing of the risks of consuming the product. In a rapidly growing industry it will be difficult or maybe impossible to stop production but it is still possible to educate the public and hope they make better decisions. By adding a warning label to these energy drinks is will decrease the amount responsible parents will purchase for their children. Consumers aren’t doing anything wrong by purchasing this product they believe to be safe but soon they will know the facts and have to make the choice whether to endanger themselves or not.