The matter in summary A new report from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) shows a significant increase in the use of energy drinks among children and young people in the 10-18 age group. Almost half of children and young people who use energy drinks have experienced negative health effects such as tremors, restlessness and sleep difficulties. The report shows that both the proportion of young people who drink energy drinks and how often they drink them has increased in the period 2017–2022. FHI has been commissioned by the Ministry of Health and Care to outline how the authorities can follow the development in the consumption of foods with caffeine, including energy drinks among children and young people. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – We think the report is worrying, says Marianne Hope Abel at the Institute of Public Health. She points out that caffeine is a central stimulant and addictive substance. This can affect sleep in children and young people, but also cause other negative health effects. In a new report from FHI, it appears that almost half of children and young people who use energy drinks have experienced tremors, restlessness and sleep difficulties. Some also report symptoms of addiction. – It only takes one can of energy drink, then children and young people are over the tolerance limit for caffeine, says Abel. Children and young people drink more The report shows that both the proportion of young people who drink energy drinks and how often they drink them has increased in the period 2017–2022. The increase has particularly accelerated from 2019. Marianne Hope Abel at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health is concerned. Photo: Monica Ruiz Biern / news 55 per cent of students at secondary and upper secondary level drank energy drinks in 2019. In 2022, the figure has increased to 64 per cent. – A can of five deciliters of energy drink is the most common portion size. It contains a quantity of caffeine that exceeds the tolerance limit for sleep disturbances in children and young people, and the tolerance limit for general negative health effects in those who weigh less than 53 kilos, says Abel. Don’t care too much Tuva Hemstad Jensen is in third grade at Porsgrunn upper secondary school. She says she drinks energy drinks at least three times a week. If she works alongside the school, it might be more. Tuva Hemstad Jensen drinks energy drinks quite often. Photo: Veronica Westhrin / news – It’s not good to drink this, but I understand why young people do it. It tastes like you. I feel like I struggle to sleep now and then, but I don’t know if energy drinks are the reason. She reads the table of contents on the back of the can she drinks from. – It’s a bit scary, because I don’t know what everything is. Nevertheless, I drink energy drinks every day, and that probably shows that I may not care so much about what I get in, she says. Establishing a monitoring program In the spring of 2023, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health was commissioned by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to outline how the authorities can appropriately monitor the development in the consumption of foods with caffeine, including energy drinks among children and young people. – This will be important work. Especially if measures are to be introduced to limit the intake of caffeine in children and young people, says Marianne Hope Abel at the Institute of Public Health. Among young people who answered that they drank energy drinks in 2022, the average frequency was 2.4 times per week in secondary school and 3.1 times per week in upper secondary school. Oliver Øvald and Victor Oxum both go to Idrettslinja at Porsgrunn upper secondary school. They say they drink energy drinks three to four times a week. – We drink it because it’s cool, but we mostly drink it at school. – Have you read the table of contents on the back of the box? – Yes, but we are not going to stop drinking energy drinks, they say. Oliver Øvald and Victor Oxum will continue to drink energy drinks. Mikkel Tobiassen chooses to drink water. Photo: Veronica Westhrin / news Hello, Thank you for reading. Do you have tips or input for this matter or other things we should write about? Feel free to send me an email!
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FHI sounds the alarm about children and young people’s use of energy drinks – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
