Every fifth Polish secondary school pupil consumes energy drinks several times a week, shows research by the Mazovia Centre for Addiction Prevention.

Young Poles consume energy drinks before taking tests at school, going to clubs, practicing sport or playing computer games because caffeine, theine and other substances temporarily improve body efficiency, speed up reflex and remove fatigue.

“Children can get addicted physically and psychologically to caffeine,” pediatrician Pawel Grzesiowski from the National Medicines Institute told Gazeta Wyborcza.

Energy drink producers rarely mention side effects and ask to keep the products away from children.

“About 90 percent of parents know what their children drink but they are not aware that energy drinks can be addictive. Teenagers who overdose on energy drinks might have ischemic heart disease at the age of 20,” says Professor Mariusz Jedrzejko, head of the Mazovia Centre for Addiction Prevention. (mg)