Participants of the survey: 296 students (full-time, part-time)
1 Which energy drinks do you know?
Red Bull 221
Monster 216
Booster 188
Rockstar 218
other / which ones
Effect, Relentless, Powerpoint, Paranoic, Black Cat, Sky Energy, Rhinos, one sexergy, Bullit, 28 black, ster, Rocket Energy, Released. Fly Host, Hello, lines, Dr. Peper Energy, Kickoff, OK, Power Horse, Kong Strong. Magic Man, Heavy One, Power G, Ultimate, Kong, Action, lion, maximal G, Power G,
2 Are you a consumer of these energy drinks or other energy drinks?
Yes 85
Sometimes 89
No 40
If no, go on with question no 7
3 If yes, what are the reasons why you drink energy drinks?
Thirst 19
Taste 77
to keep awake 75
to be mentally and physically more powerful 15
to get more endurance
it’s cheaper than other soft drinks 2
other reasons:. In combination with alcohol (9) ; to keep calm; I like it( 2) ; to push
my blood circulation
4 How much of the energy drink do you drink per week
1-2 cans 60
3-5 cans 32
5-10 cans 7
more than 10 cans 6 ( one person said 20-30 cans per week)
5 How much money do you spend on energy drinks per week.
up to 2 euros 43
3-5 euros 23
5-7 euros 4
8-10 euros 3
more 8
6 In which situations/places do you drink it?
at school 25
at work 23
at home in relaxed situations e.g. when watching TV 55
when playing computer games 29
in the disco or pub 65
Others:
When shopping, before school, before going to sleep, when driving (12), with friends (12), before doing sport, shisha ba, beim „Vorglühen“ at home
7 Do you think that energy drinks can make addictive?
Yes 192
No 29
8 What do you think is inside (ingredients)? Guess!
Name four ingredients
sugar, vitamin-B , caffeine, taurine, water, guarana, sweeteners, calcium, salt, magnesium, nicotine, coca, glucose, acelsulfam, flavour enhancers, carbonic acid, stierhoden, preservatives,
food additives, highly dosed caffein,
9 Do you think energy drinks are healthy products? 34
If no, please say why you think so.
Causes: diabetes, heart attacks, makes addictive, bad for the stomach, makes hyperactive, disturbs your
brain, too much chemical stuff in it, makes stupid, bad for your blood circulation, and for the pregnant
woman
If yes, please say why you don’t think so.
It gives me energy (1x)
10 Below there is a list of diseases that might be aroused by energy drinks. Please tick the disease that you think can be the consequence of energy drink consumption.
heart attack 177
Obesity 115
Arthrosis 31
Caries 160
Blindness 55
Sleeplessness 157
kidney failure 121
cramps 87
Nervousness 153
harm to the unborn child 127
Cancer 83
sensitivity to influenza 41
11 Where do you think ingredients come from? (country/countries)
China, USA, Germany, Japan, India, Austria, Thailand, South America, Asia, Africa, (laboratory), everywhere
12 Where do you think production of the ready product is? (country/countries)
USA, Netherlands, Germany, England, Austria, Spain, Brasil, Kasachstan, everywhere
“Energy drinks represent a multibillion dollar industry that is growing every day.
While teenagers and young adults have traditionally been the largest consumer groups, in recent years more people of all demographics have begun consuming energy drinks“ (RSNA, 2013)
Considering how dangerous energy drinks are, it is important to learn more about the side effects.
Firstly it has to be said that energy drinks are not as safe as sports drinks or coffee. A regular consumption can promote a lot of side effects, but consumers often don’t know this. Therefore, consumers of Monster have reported the following alleged side effects: Cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), Kidney failure, Heart attack, Heart failure and at worst death.
According to an editorial published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association(JAMA), a study conducted by The Mayo Clinic found that a 240-mg version
of Rockstar Energy Drink caused an
increase in stress hormone release. Especially combining alcohol and energy drinks can be very dangerous because the mixture keeps people awake for a longer period of time, allowing them
to consume more alcohol than they ordinarily would.
A study of roughly 1,100 college students in 2011 found those people whose consumption of energy drinks was very high, have an increased risk for alcohol
dependence compared to those who did not consume energy drinks. This could be due to the fact that people drink energy drinks to recover from a hangover. This has been pointed out by the results from
the study analysis of the JAMA.
According to self-report surveys, energy drinks are consumed by 30% to 50% of adolescents and young adults. Obviously young people are the target group of the product
even though Monster and similar energy drinks can have dangerous effects on younger people.
In conclusion, Energy drinks have no therapeutic benefit, and many ingredients are understudied and not regulated. In the short-term, health professionals should inform
society about the possible effects of energy drinks.
Vivien Ostrowski , HSG 15, BKO
The production of energy drinks
Make your own healthy energy drink
Video made by Ahmed Soleyman and Muhammed Özcelik (BWF 16 A)
PPT by students of HH 16 B