Use of Caffeine-Containing Energy Drinks by Japanese Middle School Students: A Cross-Sectional Study of Related Factors

Abstract

Excessive consumption of caffeine negatively affects individuals’ health. Therefore, we studied the use of energy drinks and the conditions associated with it among Japanese secondary school students. Participants were 236 students in grades 7–9 who completed anonymous questionnaires at home in July 2018. We measured the basic attributes and dietary, sleeping, and exercise habits. We used Chi-squared tests to compare differences between users and non-users of energy drinks. Logistic regression analyses were used to elucidate the complex association between the variables. The results showed that boys were more willing to consume energy drinks than girls. The reasons were ‘feeling fatigued’, ‘needing to stay awake’, ‘for curiosity’, and ‘to quench one’s thirst’. Among boys, the following were associated with the use of EDs. Buying their own snacks , not understanding nutritional labels on foods, high caffeinated beverage intake, late bed-times on weekdays, always waking up at about the same time, and weight. Health guidance is needed to prevent overconsumption and dependence on energy drinks. The cooperation of parents and teachers is needed to achieve these goals.

Frequent intake of cakes attenuates the effect of energy drinks on activity of medial prefrontal cortex during calculation task

“…In this study, we found that energy drink intake mainly shortened the calculation time during the task but did not decrease the number of errors, which is consistent with previous studies ( , 2020). Energy drinks actually affect some aspects of performance (calculation time) but not all (decrease the number of errors during calculation), which is felt as a positive effect of energy drinks for some people, such as adolescent males, and they frequently drink them (Yamasaki et al, 2023). As shown in Fig.…”

“…It has been reported that energy drinks improve the performance during reaction-time, tapping, executive function (reaction time plus tapping) tasks, and cognitive performance (Pomportes et al, 2019, Lassiter et al, 2012, Oliver et al, 2021. It has also been reported that adolescent males feel that energy drinks are effective (Temple et al, 2011) and they consume more than adolescent female (Yamasaki et al, 2023). However, excessive consumption of energy drinks induces arrhythmia and cardiovascular diseases, which may cause sudden death, sleep disorders and anxiety, hepatitis, and acute kidney injury (Costantino et al, 2023).…”

Lifestyle Factors and Health Awareness for Improving Bone Density Acquisition in Adolescent Girls: A Pilot Study With Secondary Data

“…In this study, as well as in previous studies, participation in sports was associated with increased consumption of junk food (sugar-sweetened beverages) [44], suggesting that specific adverse effects associated with extracurricular activities exist. High school students should understand which appropriate snacks and beverages can improve bone density [45].…”