Researchers found that teens who suffered from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the past year were seven times more likely to have consumed at least five energy drinks in the past week, compared to those with no history of traumatic brain injury, as reported by CTV News.
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In different phrases, teenagers who consumed the drinks have been much more more likely to have a TBI than those that didn’t.
“We’ve found a link between increased brain injuries and the consumption of energy drinks or energy drinks mixed with alcohol”, study co-author Dr. Michael Cusimano said of the new findings.
The study also cautioned that energy drink consumption could interfere with recovery efforts for teens who have sustained a TBI.
It’s attainable that individuals who eat power drinks additionally produce other underlying elements that predispose them to experiencing a TBI, the researchers stated.
Energy drinks are popular among teen and. particularly, those that enjoy an active lifestyle, are exposed to injury.
In other words, teens who consumed the drinks were far more likely to have a TBI than those who did not. The researchers say future studies are necessary in order to better understand the reason for the link between energy drink consumption and TBI, LiveScience notes, and to examine why teens are drinking these beverages.
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health collected information from 10,000 students age 11-20 in 2013.
Mild to severe traumatic brain injuries were defined as those resulting in a loss of consciousness for at least five minutes, or being hospitalized for at least one night. 22% of surveyees said they had suffered from a TBI. The researchers also pointed out the possibility of energy drinks increasing a person’s chances of experiencing another TBI.
There was a link between energy drink consumption and having experienced a TBI.
“Energy drinks are non-alcoholic beverages which, in Canada, contain approximately half the caffeine of an equivalent-sized cup of drip coffee”, the statement said. These athletes, it turns out, also have a tendency to drink energy drinks, which makes researchers wonder: Are the two somehow related?
About 6 percent of the students said that they experienced a TBI within the past year , according to Live Science. 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, the researchers said.
This isn’t the first study St. Michael’s Hospital has conducted.
According to Cusimano, understanding the connection between brain injuries and energy drinks can assist in the prevention and treatment of head injuries.
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Previous research at St. Michael’s Hospital found that TBI is associated with poor academic performance, mental health issues, violence, substance abuse and aggression in both teens and adults – factors that can interfere with rehabilitation, said Dr. Cusimano. Most of these injuries occurred while the teens were playing sports. These statistics also increased when the researchers accounted for teens who played sports. Teenagers like to drink energy drinks instead of plain water due to taste and it could be just a coincidence.
