2019-10-01_Australian_Womens_Weekly_NZ

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