Study: Teens who consume energy drinks more likely to get head injuries

A new study in Canada published in the journal PLOS ONE suggests that there is a link between drinking energy beverages and getting head injuries among teenagers. In the analysis, the researchers found that teens who consume energy drinks are five times more likely to experience a traumatic brain injury, or TBI, compared with those who do not consume energy drinks at all. The researchers also pointed out the possibility of energy drinks increasing a person's chances of experiencing another TBI.

To establish the association of energy drink consumption and TBI, the researchers analysed information from a 2013 survey of more than 10,000 middle and high school Ontario students who are 11 to 20 years old. In the survey, students were asked about their energy drink consumption and whether they had sustained a blow to the head that left them unconscious for at least five minutes or resulted in an overnight hospital stay.

About 22 percent of students said they had suffered from TBI in their lifetimes, with six percent claiming they had a TBI in the last year. Most participants said their injuries occurred while playing sports.

The findings are concerning, the researchers say, because energy drinks might interfere with the body’s ability to heal from a TBI.

“Energy drinks, such as Red Bull and Rockstar, contain high levels of caffeine and change the chemical state of the body, which can prevent people from getting back on track after a TBI. Brain injuries among adolescents are particularly concerning because their brains are still developing,” explains the study’s co-author Dr Michael Cusimano, a neurosurgeon at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.

According to the researchers, the new findings may not be surprising since previous studies have found that young athletes who often consume energy drinks are at risk of TBI. However, the team stressed that the study found only an association between energy drinks and TBI, and the study cannot prove that drinking energy drinks increases teens’ risk for the said injury.

They say it is possible that people who consume energy drinks also have other underlying factors that predispose them to experiencing a TBI. For example, these individuals could have a personality type that tends to take risks, or it could be that teens who have experienced a TBI start consuming energy drinks as a way to cope with the effects of their injuries.

Given this, future studies are needed to better understand the reason for the link between energy drink consumption and TBI and to determine why teens are drinking these beverages, the researchers noted in the study.

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