Energy drinks: risky for young hearts

Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.

More posts by Christiane Fux All content is checked by medical journalists.

Wide awake, concentrated, full of energy - this is what energy drinks promise. They are particularly popular with teenagers and young adults. They slurp the candy-sweet caffeine bombs at sporting events, during night-long game sessions on the computer or in the club - then mixed with alcohol. Hardly anyone knows what undesirable effects the drinks in higher doses can have.

Palpitations and anxiety

In addition to caffeine, energy drinks usually contain other substances such as taurine, glucuronolactone or inositol. However, if you drink four cans of it too quickly, you have to reckon with unpleasant to severe side effects. These include palpitations, shortness of breath, muscle tremors, nausea, anxiety, and nervousness. Doctors also found changes in the electrocardiogram (EKG).

Exercise and alcohol increase side effects

"Many do not know that additional alcohol consumption or strenuous physical activity further intensify the undesirable effects of caffeine," says Professor Andreas Hensel, President of the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, BfR. Moderate amounts of energy drink, on the other hand, do not cause any adverse effects in young healthy adults.

Ten percent of young people drink too much

Surveys on drinking behavior show that at least ten percent of children and adolescents in Germany consume excessively high amounts of energy drinks on certain occasions.

Two doses are often too many

According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), children and adolescents should not consume more than three milligrams (mg) of caffeine per kilogram (kg) of body weight per day. In a healthy young person with a body weight of around 50 kg, this is 150 mg of caffeine. This amount is already exceeded with two commercially available energy drink cans, each with 80 mg caffeine per 250 milliliters (ml).

Not for children, pregnant women and nursing mothers

Incidentally, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers and children should completely avoid energy drinks. Energy drink products that contain more than 150 mg caffeine per liter have had a corresponding warning since 2014.

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