French health agency warns of energy drink risks

Children and adolescents should avoid consuming energy drinks, which should not be paired with alcohol or consumed during intense physical activity, France’s Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) said in a report published on Tuesday.

Children and adolescents are at risk of sleep disorders, feeling drowsy during the day, and of developing addictions to other psychoactive substances if their caffeine intake is too high, ANSES said.

Energy drinks were also ruled dangerous for pregnant women (risk of slowing fetal growth) and women who breastfeed (milk contaminated by caffeine), as well as for those with certain cardiovascular problems, psychiatric or neurological disorders (such as epilepsy) or people suffering from renal failure or severe liver disease.

The report highlighted hundreds of cases of people who suffered from adverse reactions after consuming energy drinks; some 257 cases were reported, of which 212 could be analysed.

- AFP