Too much caffeine in energy drinks can not only cause your heart to race or sweat, but can also endanger your heart health. The Lower Saxony Consumer Center tested how quickly the recommended maximum amount of caffeine in energy drinks is exceeded in children and young people in a sample of 12 products.

The sample revealed that many products exceed the recommended caffeine content for children and adolescents, and the warning label is too small and the total caffeine information per drink is missing. The consumer advice center is calling for a ban on the sale of energy drinks to minors.

“Our research shows that for all manufacturers, consuming just one standard 500 ml can exceeds the tolerable amount of caffeine for children up to and including 12 years of age.”

Constanze Rubach, nutrition expert at the Lower Saxony Consumer Center

Children and adolescents are better off consuming no more than 3 mg of caffeine per kilogram of body weight throughout the day. In this age group, the average caffeine intake should not be more than 150 mg per day. However, a 500 ml can alone contains between 151 mg and 160 mg of caffeine.

This caffeine content can also be a concern for young people up to 16 years of age, with a recommended maximum limit of an average of 195 mg of caffeine per day. Because it often doesn't stop at just one can.

"When consuming two 500 ml cans per day, the caffeine intake is far above the maximum health-safe amount for children and young people - regardless of age."

Constanze Rubach

However, if a smaller can of around 250 to 350 ml is drunk, this does not exceed the recommended amount of caffeine per day for children and adolescents.

“However, the majority of energy drinks are only available in 500 ml cans and opening them once usually means drinking them - after all, beverage cans cannot be resealable.”

Constanze Rubach

Also under scrutiny: warning and total caffeine information per drink

The warning “Increased caffeine content: Not recommended for children and pregnant or breastfeeding women” is properly affixed to the products. However, this can only be found on the back of the packaging and in the small print, which the nutrition expert believes is not enough.

If you want to know the exact caffeine content per can, you have to do the conversion. For all drinks examined, the information is only given in milligrams per 100 ml.

“A warning should be clearly visible on the front of the packaging. It would be desirable to have additional information about the caffeine content per can and when a maximum dose is reached.”

Constanze Rubach

Powder and shots: The maximum amount of caffeine can easily be exceeded

Retailers also make the popular stimulants available in powder form that you can mix yourself or as quick-to-consume shots. Since they fall into the category of dietary supplements, there are no legally regulated maximum amounts for caffeine. However, a consumption recommendation based on the day is mandatory. This applies to products with 32 mg of caffeine per 100 ml or more. Such a recommendation is also present for all products in the sample. However, for beverage powders it is given in the single-digit gram range.

This is not very suitable for everyday use without precise dosing aids. Consumers would therefore have to dose using a kitchen scale so as not to run the risk of using more powder than recommended. Otherwise, an amount of caffeine can quickly be absorbed that is also dangerous for adults. The energy shot examined can also be classified as critical. Because a single bottle contains 200 mg of caffeine, which exceeds the average amount of caffeine a 16-year-old can tolerate.

Prohibition of sales to minors called for

Children and young people often drink large amounts of energy drinks in a short period of time. This means that the maximum tolerated dose of caffeine is quickly exceeded.

“We are therefore calling for a ban on the sale to minors of all soft drinks with an increased caffeine content, such as energy drinks.”

Constanze Rubach

In addition, the products must be better labeled: on beverage cans that are not resealable, the exact caffeine content must be stated per sales unit and not just per 100 ml. The warning should be clearly visible on the front of the beverage can.

Source:

Lower Saxony Consumer Center , further information on the sample

Already read?
Fake News – How do we explain it to a child?
Children in crisis discussions: Navigating through turbulent times
“Cell phone parents”: Emotional intelligence suffers


If you enjoyed this post and value the importance of well-founded information, become part of the exclusive Mimikama Club! Support our work and help us promote awareness and combat misinformation. As a club member you receive:

📬 Special Weekly Newsletter: Get exclusive content straight to your inbox.
🎥 Exclusive video* “Fact Checker Basic Course”: Learn from Andre Wolf how to recognize and combat misinformation.
📅 Early access to in-depth articles and fact checks: always be one step ahead.
📄 Bonus articles, just for you: Discover content you won't find anywhere else.
📝 Participation in webinars and workshops : Join us live or watch the recordings.
✔️ Quality exchange: Discuss safely in our comment function without trolls and bots.

Join us and become part of a community that stands for truth and clarity. Together we can make the world a little better!

* In this special course, Andre Wolf will teach you how to recognize and effectively combat misinformation. After completing the video, you have the opportunity to join our research team and actively participate in the education - an opportunity that is exclusively reserved for our club members!


Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )