At a student party, during a match or in front of a console, cans of energy drinks have taken the place of simple soda. These drinks promise an immediate “boost,” with flashy colors and performance-focused marketing. They have been on sale over the counter in France since 2008, stored in the soda aisle, which often gives the impression of harmlessness.
However, behind this playful decor, health authorities see warning signals accumulating. In France, these drinks are consumed in a festive context (32%), during physical activity (41%) and mixed with alcohol (16%). Adolescents are the heaviest drinkers, in high doses and repeatedly. What dangers are we talking about exactly?
Energy drinks: what’s really in a can?
Legally, the term “energy drink” is mainly commercial: it refers to sodas enriched with caffeine, taurine, D-glucuronolactone, vitamins and plant extracts. A 250 ml can provides on average 80 mg of caffeine, sometimes up to 160 mg, the equivalent of one to two espressos, and around 30 g of sugar, or around five pieces. It is therefore not a simple refreshing drink.
Added to this are high doses of taurine and D-glucuronolactone. One can often contains 300 to 1,000 mg of taurine; two cans reach almost 2,000 mg, or about ten times the usual intake. The European Food Safety Authority sets a ceiling of 400 mg of caffeine per day for an adult, 200 mg for a pregnant woman and 120 mg for a child or adolescent.
Energy drinks: dangers for the heart and brain?
In the short term, the high caffeine content can give the impression of increased alertness, but it also promotes palpitations, racing heart, increased blood pressure, tremors, nausea, anxiety attacks or sleep problems. The French nutrivigilance system analyzed 257 reports of adverse effects after consumption of these products; in 25 cases, the link with the drink was judged to be very likely or likely, with mainly cardiovascular and neuropsychological symptoms.
Cardiac arrests have been described in young people with unknown genetic heart fragility, a situation which would affect approximately 1 in 1,000 people. The risk increases when these drinks are taken with alcohol or during sport: 32% of drinks take place on festive evenings, 16% mixed with alcohol and 41% during physical activity.
Energy drinks: is there a safer way to consume them?
For a healthy adult, a single can remains less risky than repeated use, without being completely harmless. Experts set the caffeine limit for an adult at 400 mg per day, counting all sources; It is therefore better to stick to one can, far from sport and without alcohol. For children, adolescents, pregnant women or people with heart problems, the recommendation is simple: avoid these drinks.