Dr Jason O’Rourke is a multi-award winning, internationally recognised food education and school food policy expert with a proven track record of positively impacting on children’s health and wellbeing. Jason passionately promotes the impact food education can have on learning outcomes and social inequality and has received acclaim for his ground-breaking work in schools on educating and inspiring pupils to embrace a healthy lifestyle through positive engagement with food. He works as part of a government committee to shape the food education agenda on a national scale, including the All Party Parliamentary Group on School Food, and has previously worked with a range of EU, national and international partnerships in the fields of food education, school meals, food sustainability, biodiversity, commensality, sensory food education and the development of whole school food approaches to improve children's health and wellbeing.
See more from Dr Jason O'RourkeWhat Parents and Educators Need to Know about Energy Drinks
This free information guide looks at high-caffeine energy drinks; their possible health risks; and how to address these potential issues.
While the short-term benefits of energy drinks can be attractive, it's not wise to ignore the potential health risks. Consuming these beverages regularly can have negative effects on the heart and blood pressure, and even cause dependency on these products to keep users’ energy at a ‘normal’ level. Factoring in that many shops have issued a voluntary ban on selling these drinks to under-16s, the rise in children and young people using energy drinks is a cause for concern.
This marked increase in young people using highly caffeinated drinks to supplement their energy has heightened the risk of these health issues arising in children – at a time in their lives where such impacts can have greater, longer-lasting consequences. Our guide addresses these possible hazards, letting you know how to minimise them for children and young people who like the occasional can.
Sources
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Kaur, S, Christian, H, Cooper, M N, Francis, J, Allen, K and Trapp, G (2020); ‘Consumption of energy drinks is associated with depression, anxiety, and stress in young adult males: evidence from a longitudinal cohort study’; Depression and anxiety, 37(11), 1089–98
Khouja, C, Kneale, D, Brunton, G, Raine, G, Stansfield, C, Sowden, A and Thomas, J (2022); ‘Consumption and effects of caffeinated energy drinks in young people: an overview of systematic reviews and secondary analysis of UK data to inform policy’: BMJ Open, 12(2), e047746
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Veselska, Z D, Husarova, D and Kosticova, M (2021); ‘Energy drinks consumption associated with emotional and behavioural problems via lack of sleep and skipped breakfast among adolescents’; International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(11), 6055
Yasuma, N, Imamura, K, Watanabe, K, Nishi, D, Kawakami, N and Takano, A (2021); ‘Association between energy drink consumption and substance use in adolescence: a systematic review of prospective cohort studies’; Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 219, 108470