2019-10-01_Australian_Womens_Weekly_NZ

(やまだぃちぅ) #1

102 The Australian Women’s Weekly|OCTOBER 2019


Health


M


ostofusconsumecaffeine
everyday,whetherit’sin teaor
coffee,coladrinksorchocolate.
Caffeineactsasa central
nervoussystemstimulant,
increasingalertnessandboostingyourmood.
It’salsopresentin medicationsusedtotreat
headachesorcombatdrowsiness.
Caffeinecameunderscrutinyrecentlywhen
theUKgovernmentconfirmedit wouldban
thesaleof energydrinksto childrenunderthe
ageof 16.Countdownsupermarketsin New
Zealandhavesinceput their own 16-plus
restrictionin place.

Whatisanenergydrink?
Usingtheterm“energydrink”is a marketing
ploy.Whocouldobjecttothepromiseofmore
energy?Energydrinksdon’tcontainalcohol,
buttheydocontaincaffeineandmayalso
includeadditivesfoundin healthsupplements,
suchasguarana,B vitaminsandaminoacids.
SowhywouldtheBritishgovernmentban
thesaleofthesedrinkstochildrenunder16?
Theconcerncentresoncaffeineandsugar.
Tomakea comparison,a 330mlcanofcola
contains32-42mgofcaffeine,whileanenergy
drink contains about 80mg in 250ml. UK

FOODSTANDARDS.GOVT.NZ/CONSUMER/GENERALISSUES/PAGES/CAFFEINE.ASPX.PHOTOGRAPHY BY YIANNI ASPRADAKIS (PROFESSOR PHELPS) AND GETTY IMAGES.

Thatquickpick-me-upmaybe


much lessinnocentthanyouthink.


the hit


Ta k e


Therehavebeena numberofdeathsduetocaffeinesupplements.Thisyear,youngAustralianLachlanFoote
diedfromanaccidentaloverdoseofcaffeinein a powderedsupplement.Theteaspoonheputintoa shake
wassaidtobeequivalentto 50 cupsofcoffee.Thisis enoughtosetoffa dangerousheartrhythmthatcan
leadtocardiacarrestanddeath.TheAustraliangovernmentis lookingintothesafetyofcaffeinepowders
and high-caffeine food products to see if there’s a need to strengthen regulations and warnings to consumers.

Dangers
ofcaffeine
supplements

ESPRESSO
145mg/50mlcup
ENERGYDRINKS
80mg/250mlcan
INSTANTCOFFEE
80mg/250mlcup
BLACKTEA
50mg/250mlcup
COLA
48.75mg/375mlcan
MILKCHOCOLATE
10mg/50gbar

Parentsshouldadvise
childrenunder16 notto
consumeenergydrinks.
If yousufferanxietyor
a heartcondition,high
bloodpressureor sleep
problems,avoidenergy
drinksandaskyour
doctorif youshould
avoidothersources
ofcaffeine.Reduce
caffeinegradually
to avoidwithdrawal
symptoms.

COUNTING
CAFFEINE
childrenareamongthehighestconsumers
ofenergydrinksin Europeandthishasbeen
linkedtohealthproblemssuchasobesity,
toothdecay,headaches,hyperactivity,anxiety,
irritabilityandbehaviourproblems.

Thesideeffectsofcaffeine
Caffeinehasa rangeofsideeffectswhich
dependonage,yoursensitivitytocaffeine
andhowmuchyouconsume.Theseinclude
anxiety,insomnia,highbloodpressure,fast
heartrateandirregularheartrhythms,and
digestiveproblems.Higherdosesofcaffeine
canworsenurinaryfrequencyandincontinence.
Somepeopleareparticularlysensitivetothe
effectsofcaffeine,witha singlecupofcoffee
leadingtoananxietyattackorsleeplessnight.
Childrenaremoresensitivethanadultsand
forthoseagedfiveto 12 years,anxietycan
takeholdaftertheequivalentoftwocans
ofcola(or95mgcaffeineperday).Inadults,
anxietycansetin afterlessthantwoespresso
coffees(or210mgcaffeineperday).
Strictlyspeaking,caffeineisn’ta substance
ofaddiction;howeveryoucanbecome
dependent.Withdrawalssuchas headaches,
irritabilityandreboundfatigueoftenleadto
the “need” for another energy drink.AW W

UAEHT

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WOMEN’S
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HEALTH
EXPERT
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