The combination of caffeine and sugar in energy drinks cause teenagers’ blood glucose and insulin levels to ‘spike’, new research warns.

Adolescents who consume the popular drinks may suffer subsequent problems bringing blood sugar levels down to normal, which have been linked to diabetes in later life, the study found.

Consumption of trendy caffeine-containing energy drinks has soared over the last 10 years.
Despite a warning label stating they are not recommended for ‘children’, researchers say the drinks are ‘aggressively marketed’ to, and increasingly consumed by, children, teenagers and young adults.

Figures indicate that around one in three teenagers regularly consume energy drinks, while half of university-aged athletes report using them.

While energy drinks contain a myriad of ingredients, the primary ingredient of concern in teenagers is caffeine.

Children and teenagers are smaller than adults, so they are much more likely to ingest higher amounts of caffeine per kilo of body weight, especially if it is presented in an appealing format and sweetened with sugar.

Heidi Virtanen, a graduate student at Calgary University in Canada who carried out the new research, said: ‘Results show that consumption of a caffeine-containing energy drink results in a 20 to 30 per cent increase in insulin and glucose levels in response to a glucose load.

‘Since caffeine persists in the system for four to six hours after consumption, continuous insulin resistance associated with regular caffeine-containing energy drink consumption in adolescents could contribute to increased metabolic risk in susceptible individuals later in life through persistent interference with their regular glucose metabolism.’

She said that, overall, caffeine in energy drinks results in a 20 to 30 per cent decline in our body’s ability to deal with a high sugar load.

However, relatively little is known about the effect of these drinks on teenagers’ bodies.
The researchers studied the metabolic impacts of both caffeinated and decaffeinated energy drink consumption on insulin sensitivity and the body’s glucose disposal.

Twenty participants, aged 13 to 19, arrived at the lab having abstained from caffeine and vigorous exercise for 24 hours, so that the effects of the drinks on insulin and blood sugar could be accurately assessed.

Each one underwent two randomised trials where they consumed either a common caffeinated energy drink or an equivalent volume of a decaffeinated energy drink, containing only vitamins and minerals.

Consumption of the drink was followed 40 minutes later by a standard oral glucose tolerance test. Both energy drinks were sugar-free, so the effects of the caffeine contained in the drink could be determined. Blood samples were also collected at regular intervals for up to two hours.

The results showed a 25 per cent increase in blood glucose levels over the measurement period following consumption of the caffeine containing energy drink compared to the control, decaffeinated version.

Elevations in glucose with the caffeine containing energy drink were accompanied by a ‘significant increase’ in insulin levels of 26 per cent.

Since the half-life of caffeine is in the range of four to six hours, fellow researcher Dr Jane Shearer said the results suggest that consumption of a caffeine-containing energy drink in adolescents could affect glucose regulation for hours after ingestion.

She added: ‘Elevated glucose and insulin responses may contribute to increased metabolic risk, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in susceptible individuals later in life.’

The findings were presented at the World Diabetes Congress in Vancouver, organised by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF).

Written for and published by for The Daily Mail, December 2, 2015.

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