Attention, parents! The use of energy by teenagers is fraught with brain injuries

Teenagers love everything new and modern, such is their nature. In the last decade and a half, bright aluminum cans with energy drinks (Red Bull, Rockstar, etc.) have appeared on a wide sale, which older people most often fear. These fluids are rich in caffeine and other invigorating ingredients, their consumption can increase blood pressure. Young men and girls, hoping for their strong youthful health, are not afraid of the consequences. But in vain.

How does the "Red Bull" hit the head?

In 2013, in Canada (Ontario), physicians and physiologists conducted a study, based on the results of a survey of ten thousand students in secondary and higher schools. The question was asked two:

- Do you regularly drink energy drinks?

- Have you experienced any brain trauma?

At first glance, these two facts are in no way connected. Who knows what and who drinks? Can it be argued that if a person drank some soda (and at least some Coca-Cola, for example), and then fell or got into a fight, did one become a consequence of the other?

But statistics - an inexorable thing. 22 percent of students reported that they received a brain injury this year. Another 6% said that this happened to them in the past. Most of these injuries occurred during teenagers' sports games.

Was there a connection between energy drink consumption and concussions? Yes. Scientists have found that adolescents who regularly consume them all week have five times the chance to get a head injury compared to those who do not drink them at all.

Energy and regeneration

Such beverages affect the ability of the body to post-traumatic self-repair, the researchers say.

Energy drinks, such as Red Bull and Rockstar, containing high concentrations of caffeine, are able to influence the chemical composition of body fluids (primarily blood). These changes reduce the regenerative qualities of all organs, including the brain. Especially it is dangerous for teenagers, whose physiology and nervous system are still in a state of formation. This is the opinion of Dr. Michael Kuzimano, a neurosurgeon of St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, who participated in the study.

It is also possible and very likely that consuming energy drinks can increase a person's chances of getting another head injury. Researchers refrain from direct accusations of manufacturers of tonic compounds in the manufacture of a product that is hazardous to health, but they still point to a certain risk.

What affects what?

It is possible that people who use energy drinks, are affected by other factors that cause their propensity to get head injuries. Sometimes they are drunk and in order to get rid of the consequences of previous injuries.

It is also difficult to assess the attractiveness of this product for young people prone to risky behavior in general. It remains an open question whether they drink, because they love thrill or, on the contrary, the urge to show special fervor is prompted in them by energy drinks. Some of the respondents suffered not only during sports, but also when they fell from a bicycle or during a fight.

At the present time, additional research is being done to find out the effect of energy drink consumption on the human psyche.