Energy drinks are absolutely NOT required for children under 18 years of age.
This is a warning released by Dr. Nkosinathi Shabalala, in a special interview he had withOf this country on Friday.
This comes after a student died after drinking an energy drink at D, KwaMashu, on Tuesday.
Mpilo Siyamthanda Shezi (13) who was studying Grade 7 at Zamokuhle Primary, right at D, is said to have drunk it, collapsed and died after drinking a 300ml bottle of reboost which he bought at an immigration store. It is a country she found out from her mother that her friends told her that this was the second bottle of the day, as the first one she drank at breakfast.
Dr. Shabalala said that there are many health risks in the ingredients of energy drinks, he said that they are not good for the elderly, and he warned that there is a high risk of them being consumed by children.
Analyzing the intoxication of energy drinks, he said that those who make them add too much caffeine and sugar.
“If you look at a can of energy drink, which is usually 500ml, it has 500ml of caffeine. The amount of caffeine that is allowed for a person to put in the body is 100mg. This means that a person who drinks the whole can is putting in four (4) more caffeine than is allowed,” said Shabalala.
He went on to analyze the amount of sugar added to energy drinks, and said that it exceeded the permissible limit. He revealed that between 15 and 20 teaspoons of sugar are added to a 500ml can of energy drink.
“This scale has repeatedly exceeded that allowed for medical reasons,” he said.
Talking about the damage that can be caused by the consumption of energy drinks by children, he said that they are divided into two, in some cases, the damage can be seen immediately after the child finishes drinking, and he said that the other can appear after a while, depending on how the body takes the energy drink.
“In what happens quickly, the arteries can be affected and the heart rate increases, in other cases it beats in an unusual way, and the blood pressure becomes high. This can cause you to have a stroke quickly, convulsions or fall, and faint.”
He said that the damage that occurs after a while for those who use energy drinks, they suffer from mental stress, they suffer from fear – they are afraid, in some cases they even tremble, and they are also tired.
“A young person can end up not being able to sit well with other children. If he plays with toys, he will find that he throws them. When it comes to bedtime, a child who drinks energy drinks does not sleep. This contributes to tiredness because he becomes energetic, and then becomes restless.”
He continues to explain about other damage that can appear after a long time, he said it could be obesity of the child, and putting him at risk of diabetes as well as high blood pressure – BP.
Commenting on the incident of Mpilo’s death, he said it is difficult to guess whether he died from an energy drink or not, he said there are two possibilities. It is possible that he found something in his body or that was the cause.
“What will clarify what was the cause, will be the doctor’s autopsy report,” he said.
He said there are three things he can equip parents to do to protect their children that can help them to be energetic without having to drink energy drinks. The first one he said is that they should make sure that the children sleep between eight and ten hours, which he said is enough time to sleep. He said the second thing is to eat healthy food, with salt, good sugar and the right fat. The last one said they should drink water, it is something that is necessary for life.
He said that children between the ages of 12 and 18 allow themselves to drink sports drinks such as energade and powerade.
“These are the best because they do not contain caffeine and have little sugar,” said Shabalala.
“Energy drinks are not allowed for children under the age of 18, we do not encourage them, they are a problem, they cause many problems when it comes to children’s health, I have no better way to explain the importance of this warning,” said Shabalala.