Field Notes
ACSM Releases New Recommendations,
Warnings on Energy Drink Safety
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has released a new official statement regarding energy drinks, published in the college’s clinical review journal, Current Sports Medicine Reports. “Energy Drinks: A Contemporary Issues Paper” provides helpful guidance and warnings regarding these beverages because of the dangers they present to at-risk populations, primarily children, who are the most vulnerable and the target of marketing efforts.
“Energy drinks are extremely popular, and concerns about their consumption are coming from every sector of society, which is why we’ve published these recommendations,” says first author of the report, John Higgins, MD, FACSM. “Our review of the available science showed that excessive levels of caffeine found in energy drinks can have adverse effects on cardiovascular, neurological, gastrointestinal, renal, and endocrine systems, as well as psychiatric symptoms. More needs to be done to protect children and adolescents, as well as adults with cardiovascular or other medical conditions.”
Energy drinks are highly caffeinated beverages that often contain a myriad of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and herbal mixtures. ACSM is focused on facilitating high performance, while protecting those who compete in athletics or engage in other forms of physical activity. By publishing the new recommendations, ACSM is helping consumers to understand the risks associated with rapid and excessive consumption of energy drinks.
“When used safely and with moderation, energy drinks may have some short-term performance-enhancing effects. However, users are generally unaware of the many potential adverse reactions that could have long-term effects, some of which are quite serious,” Higgins says. “We highly encourage consumers, parents, physicians, athletic trainers, personal trainers, and coaches to follow these recommendations.”
ACSM’s primary recommendations focus on the following four key areas:
1. Protecting children at risk: Children and adolescents appear to be at particularly high risk of complications from energy drinks due to their small body size, being relatively caffeine naïve, and potentially heavy and frequent consumption patterns, as well as the amounts of caffeine. The message that these beverages aren’t intended for children needs to be reinforced and widely disseminated.
2. Stop marketing to at-risk groups, especially children: Marketing shouldn’t appeal to vulnerable populations. Currently, manufacturers of energy drinks advertise on websites, social media, and television channels that are highly appealing to both children and adolescents. Target marketing to sporting and other events involving children and adolescents shouldn’t be permitted.
3. Don’t use energy drinks before/during/after strenuous exercise: Regardless of health and fitness level, and until such time that proper safety and efficacy data are available, energy drinks should be avoided before, during, and after strenuous activities. Some of the deaths allegedly due to energy drinks have occurred when a person consumed energy drinks before and/or after performing strenuous activities.
4. More education and data needed: Investment in awareness and educational resources highlighting the potential adverse effects and safe use of energy drinks is required. Significant efforts should be made to educate consumers regarding the clear and present differences between soda, coffee, sports drinks, and energy drinks. Energy drink education also should be a priority in school-based curricula related to nutrition, health, and wellness.
A research agenda must be developed to prioritize key questions about the acute and chronic effects of energy drink use. At a minimum, manufacturers should perform and submit standard safety and efficacy studies to the FDA. Well-designed and controlled research is required to examine the increasing frequency of adverse events being reported by emergency departments.
Health care providers must talk to their patients about energy drink use and report adverse events to watchdog agencies such as the Poison Control Centers, Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the FDA. A national registry should be set up to specifically track energy drink side effects with mandated reporting requirements.
Other specific recommendations concerning energy drinks include the following:
• they shouldn’t be consumed by children or adolescents;
• they shouldn’t be consumed by other vulnerable populations, including pregnant or breast-feeding women, caffeine-naïve individuals, or individuals with cardiovascular or medical conditions;
• they shouldn’t be used for sports hydration;
• they shouldn’t be mixed with alcohol; and
• they should bear a label such as “High Source of Caffeine” or “Do Not Mix with Alcohol.”
— Source: American College of Sports Medicine
Research to Investigate Broccoli Sprouts’ Role
in Colon Cancer Prevention
Husson University in Maine announced that two of their faculty members and a University of Michigan faculty member have received a $500,000 research award from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The research funded by this award will be looking at the interactions between the natural chemical compounds found in broccoli sprouts and gut bacteria to determine whether broccoli sprout consumption could help reduce the development of cancerous tumors in the colon.
“We’re very excited to receive this award,” says Yanyan Li, PhD, an assistant professor in the College of Science and Humanities at Husson University and the principal investigator. “Our hope is that our findings could help prevent some of the more than 50,000 deaths that occur each year as a result of colon and rectal cancer.”
In 2017, it's estimated there will be 135,430 new cases and 50,260 deaths from colon and rectal cancers. One in 20 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and approximately 23 million people haven’t been screened for it.
The goal of Li’s research, expected to be completed in 2022, is to understand the health benefits, in particular cancer prevention properties and mechanisms, of natural food and its components. Li’s previous research on the effects of active compounds found in certain vegetables on cancer stem cells has generated national and international interest.
— Source: Husson University