There is concern about the high consumption of energy drinks among young people in Norway

The results in the new report from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) show that it has become common to drink energy drinks from the age of 13.

“58 per cent in lower secondary school and 72 per cent in upper secondary school drink energy drinks. Caffeine can cause sleep disturbances and negative effects on the central nervous system and the cardiovascular system,” Marianne Hope Abel says.

She is a researcher at NIPH and responsible for the analyses in the report.

Hope Abel says that the numbers are concerning.

“When we see how common energy drinks have become among young people and how much some drink, we are worried. It’s an unfortunate development,” she says.

Among the youths who answered that they drank energy drinks, one in three had drunk three cans or more in a 24-hour period.

According to the youths, the main reason behind their energy drink intake is that it tastes good and quenches thirst. Especially among the older youths, many also said that it was to get more energy and to become more alert. Several also stated that they had mixed energy drinks with alcohol.

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Translated by Alette Bjordal Gjellesvik

Read the Norwegian version of this article on forskning.no

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