.png)
10 months ago
3
ARTICLE AD BOX
The results of a new study show that children and young people who consume energy drinks are most at risk of suicidal thoughts.
The researchers found that drinks high in caffeine and sugar had a "detrimental" effect on children's health and school results.
The study, published in the journal Public Health, looked at how energy drinks affect children's mental and physical health.
The researchers' findings add to a growing body of research suggesting that caffeinated drinks can cause a range of health problems for children, ranging from head and stomach pain to being a 'gateway' to alcohol consumption.
Study author Dr Shelina Visram, from Newcastle University, said: "We are very concerned about the findings suggesting that energy drinks can lead to psychological distress and mental health problems. These are important public health concerns that need to be addressed."
The researchers analyzed data from 51 studies that included 1.2 million children from around the world. Boys consumed more energy drinks than girls.
The team found that children who drink energy drinks are more likely to engage in risky behaviour, such as drug use, violence and unprotected sex.
These soft drinks also increase the chances of poor academic performance, sleep problems, anxiety, depression, and unhealthy eating habits.
A regular energy drink can contain the same amount of caffeine as a shot of espresso. It also contains other active ingredients, such as guarana and taurine.
A moderate daily caffeine intake of up to 400 mg is recommended for adults, but there is little research on tolerable levels for teens and children.
Typical cans of energy drinks also contain more than the daily limit of added sugar for a child recommended by health experts (19-24g per day, depending on age).
Amid allegations that it contains human bones, a deadly “zombie drug” is wreaking havoc in West Africa!
A new drug called kush has wreaked havoc in West Africa, especially in Sierra Leone, where it is estimated that it kills about ten people every week and puts thousands in hospitals.
This drug, which is mostly taken by men between the ages of 18 and 25, causes people to fall asleep while walking, fall, hit their heads on hard surfaces, or walk in traffic.
Kush should not be confused with the drug of the same name found in the United States, which is a mixture of “an ever-changing array of chemicals” sprayed on plant material and then smoked.
As for kush in Sierra Leone, it is completely different, and consists of a mixture of hashish, fentanyl, tramadol, formaldehyde, and, according to some, human bones are ground into it. It is mixed by local criminal gangs, but the drugs that make it up have international sources, undoubtedly facilitated by the Internet and digital communications.
As for ground human bones, there is no definitive answer as to whether or not they are present on the property, where these bones come from, or why they might be incorporated into it.
Some people say that grave robbers provide the bones, but there is no direct evidence for this.
But why incorporate bones into the drug? Some suggest that the sulfur content in the bones causes irritation. Another reason may be the drug content in the bones themselves, if the deceased was a fentanyl or tramadol user.
However, both are unlikely, as sulfur levels in bones are not high. Smoking sulfur may produce highly toxic sulfur dioxide.
The drugs are reported in both Guinea and Liberia, which share a porous land border with Sierra Leone, making drug smuggling easy.
The effects of the drug vary and depend on the user and the drug content. Cannabis causes a wide range of effects, which include euphoria, relaxation and an altered state of consciousness. Fentanyl, an extremely powerful opioid, causes euphoria and drowsiness among a wide range of other side effects.
Likewise, tramadol, which is also an opioid but less potent than fentanyl (100 mg of tramadol has the same effect as 10 mg of morphine) causes users to feel drowsy and “distanced” — disconnected from things happening around them.
Kush is another example of the polydrug mixtures that forensic scientists are becoming increasingly familiar with.
Perhaps what is needed is an integrated system of forensic health care in which legislative oversight is supported by appropriately resourced rehabilitation centers coupled with a public health and employment programme.
The report was prepared by Michael Cole, Professor of Forensic Science, from Anglia Ruskin University.
English (US)