My teenager uses energy drinks — should I be concerned?

To better understand

So what are energy drinks anyways?

Energy drinks are sweetened beverages that contain a large amount of sugar and caffeine. These beverages may also contain vitamins, minerals or “natural” ingredients or stimulants. This may give the impression that they are a good choice to improve health. However, they can pose health risks, especially for teens. And the risk increases when they are mixed with alcohol.

A regular 473 ml energy drink may contain:

• 14 teaspoons of sugar
• 180 mg of caffeine, the equivalent of 2 cups of filtered coffee

A few examples of energy drink brands: Red Bull, Guru, Prime, Monster and Rockstar.

Why should I be concerned about my teen drinking energy drinks?

1. Energy drinks contain a lot of sugar.

Energy drinks are sweetened beverages, like juice, fruit cocktails and flavoured milk, soft drinks and sports drinks. Consuming a large amount of sweetened beverages can have several negative effects on your teen’s health:

• Type 2 diabetes;
• Heart disease;
• Dental cavities.

To learn more about sweetened beverages, watch this En mode ado video.

2. Teens are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine contained in energy drinks.

Possible effects of drinking a large amount of caffeine include:

• Difficulty sleeping;
• Agitation, irritability and nervousness;
• A rapid or abnormal heart rate;
• Dehydration.

Regular caffeine consumption can also cause a dependency. When you stop consuming it, you may feel symptoms such as drowsiness, depressed mood and headaches.

Calculation of maximum caffeine intake:

For young people 18 years of age and under, it is recommended not to exceed 2.5 mg of caffeine per kilogram of body weight per day. For a teen weighing 55 kg, that means 138 mg of caffeine. The amount of caffeine in just one energy drink may therefore exceed the daily limit for young people. It is also important to know that other foods contain caffeine, for example, chocolate, cola soft drinks and, of course, coffee and tea.

Practical resources and tools

1. For support :

You are dealing with a situation that worries you? Ask for help:

• Info-Santé/Info-Social 811
• Tel-Jeunes Parents
• CLSC
• Community organizations: family centre, youth centre, etc.
  Some community organizations offer support programs for parents of teenagers. Call your local organization for information.
• School staff members

2. Specialized resources

• Certain addiction prevention organizations in the Montérégie (OPDM) offer workshops related to youth and energy drink consumption. See the map of the territory to identify which OPDM is located in your sector.

3. For more information :

• See this file developed by the Collectif Vital on energy drink marketing targeting youth to help you start a conversation about this with your teen.

4. References :

• Association pour la santé publique du Québec. (s.d). Boissons énergisantes et sucrées.
• Collectif vital (s.d.). Boissons dites énergisantes.
• Dubé, P.-A., Plamondon, L. et Tremblay, P.-Y. (2010). Boissons énergisantes : risques liés à la santé et perspectives de santé publique (publication no 1167). Institut national de santé publique du Québec.
• Institut national de santé publique du Québec. (2017, avril). Boissons sucrées : tendances des achats au Québec, impacts sur la santé et pistes d’action. TOPO no 14.
• Pound, C. M. et Blair, B. (2017). Les boissons pour sportifs et les boissons énergisantes chez les enfants et les adolescents. Document de principes de la Société canadienne de pédiatrie. Paediatrics and Child Health, 22(7), 411-415.