Energy Drinks Consumption Patterns Among Young Kuwaiti Adults

Food and Nutrition Program, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait

^* Corresponding author: tahanialwaalan@gmail.com

Abstract

Energy drinks are a group of beverages that have become increasingly popular with the Kuwaiti youth consumers to provide extra energy, promote wakefulness, maintain alertness, and provide cognitive and mood enhancement. The purpose of this study is to assist in establishing whether energy drinks constitute a health risk on young Kuwaiti population. A questionnaire was distributed to assess the situation in which they use energy drinks, the most common energy drinks they used, frequency pattern per month and the side effects. Based on the response of (570) participants, a random selection group from teenagers and adult participants were given a can of their favorite energy drink to measure the parameters of this study: blood sugar level, blood pressure and heartbeats. The results showed that prevalence of energy drink consumption is 58.3% of those who consume one or more energy drink per month. Most common reason for this high prevalence is enjoying energy drink’s taste and increasing energy in general. With regards to the adverse effects, numerous volunteers reported several symptoms including increased heart rate, restlessness, heart palpitations, high blood pressure and a high chance of addiction. Additionally, energy drinks with high sugar content are a serious threat to the consumer’s health, as it may lead to obesity and severe health complications.