Parents are worried because they see their children having "unlimited access" to energy drinks as a serious problem.Continue reading
The government is drawing young people’s attention to the dangers of overconsumption of energy drinks through programs to raise awareness, Bence Rétvári, State Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, told M1 news channel.
About 10 percent of secondary school and upper secondary school students consume energy drinks on a daily basis. These young people can easily become addicted, which in the long term can have serious consequences, causing cardiovascular diseases and nervous system problems, Rétvári warned.
He said that energy drinks are very fashionable, but it is dangerous to consume them as soft drinks.
In recent years, there have been hundreds of cases of young people requiring medical attention for energy drink overconsumption.
In 23 percent of such cases, students overdosed on energy drinks at school, 40 percent of them sought medical help at home and 7.5 percent from bars, Rétvári said.
Young people who are careful to cut down on energy drinks and sugary drinks over the next 20-30 years are more likely to avoid heart disease,
less likely to need medication or hospital treatment when they are 50-60 years old, and therefore will have a better quality of life, he added.
In order to encourage youngsters to have healthier habits, school buffets are not allowed to sell energy drinks and the government has multiplied the funds for the school milk program. The public health tax on unhealthy products, known as the chip tax, has also been extended to energy drinks.
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