Energy drinks hurt the heart and kidneys

Students should avoid using excessive energy drinks to stimulate their body and brain during examination as this could hurt the heart and kidney and eventually lead to addiction, doctors in the UAE have warned.

Students have been misled into believing such drinks will help them concentrate more and perform better in class as they contain much caffeine and amino acids, which could also lead to diabetes and high blood pressure, they said.

The doctors, speaking to the Dubai-based Arabic language daily Emirat Alyoum, were commenting on reports that many students consume more energy drinks during examination periods to stimulate their body and brain.

The paper also quoted school teachers as confirming that a large number of students tend to increase energy drinks consumption during that periods, mistakenly believing they are similar to other soft drinks.

“The idea that such drinks give strength to the body and brain is just an illusion because the effect of these drinks is only temporary and lasts for a few hours, after which the body will suffer some problems,” said Dr Abdul Wahab Al Sayyid, brain and neurology specialist at the Ministry of Health.

“These drinks could eventually lead to such diseases as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart and nerves problems, and obesity….excessive use of these drinks could also affect the liver and kidneys.”

Another specialist said amino acids have been proved to have harmful effects on the kidneys especially in persons suffering from blood circulation problems.

“This may lead to kidney failure and the impact could be much worse on persons suffering from liver problems,” said Dr Ahmed Al Chadli, a specialist in the digestive system at the Ministry.

“Consuming energy drinks must be in accordance with established medical norms, which is that a type of medicine or food which causes problems only to a few number of people must be stopped immediately…consuming energy drinks for long periods of time will lead to addiction and this will eventually cause a lot of health problems…it is better not to use them at all.”