Energy drinks and young people
Recently, the media in Norway has focused on young people’s addiction to energy drinks. Periodically, claims arise that consumption of energy drinks is a major problem among children and young people in Norway. The reality is more nuanced than that.
In response to articles in the media, VKM’s project manager for the Panel on Food Additives, Gro Mathisen, and the panel members Trine Husøy and Ellen Bruzell have written a debate post in Norway’s largest newspaper Aftenposten. In the article, they emphasized the results of their risk assessment, that the occasional consumption of small amounts of energy drinks by children and youths is not associated with negative health effects.
The VKM risk assessment of energy drinks and caffeine is being presented by Ellen Bruzell at the Nordic Symposium «Energy drinks and young people». This symposium, sponsored by the Nordic Council of Ministers, aims to bring together specialists in the fields of research, official control and childcare to discuss the effects of energy drinks and caffeine on young people.
