Need to ban sale of energy drinks to kids: Expert
London, Sep 20 : There is a need to ban the sale of caffeinated energy drinks to children and young people to tackle obesity and mental health problems, says an expert.
Caffeine is probably the most commonly used psychoactive drug across the world as it increases activity and heightens attention and awareness.
But caffeine also increases anxiety, reduces sleep and is linked with behavioural problems in children, said Russell Viner, Professor from the UK's Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH).
Recent studies have also showed that it may have concerning effects on the developing brain.
This is alarming because psychological distress can lead to risky behaviours like drug use and poorer academic attainment, Viner said.
"It's time to bring in laws to ban the sale of caffeinated energy drinks to children and young people to tackle the twin epidemics of obesity and mental health problems," he stated, in the new study published in the journal The BMJ.
The high sugar content in many of the energy drinks (as much as 27g of sugar per 250ml serving) "undoubtedly contributes to the overall calorie excess and resultant obesity epidemic among our children".
But perhaps most concerning are the effects on sleep, Viner said, because research has established a clear inverse association between caffeinated energy drinks and sleep duration.
Children and young people in high income countries consume more sugar and calories than required and are therefore unlikely to need additional energy.
This combined with regular caffeine consumption is causing concern as there is little evidence of the effect caffeine could potentially have on the developing body, Viner said.
Instead of binging on energy drinks, humans can get energy naturally from a "good diet, refreshing sleep, exercise and, most importantly, interaction with other people".
While government's consultation must drive a search for improved evidence, "there is now sufficient evidence to act to protect children", Viner noted.
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Shivaji statue collapse case: HC grants bail to consultant Chetan Patil
Mumbai (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Thursday granted bail to consultant Chetan Patil arrested in connection with the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj''s statue at Rajkot fort in Malvan in August.
A 35-foot statue of the iconic Maratha warrior king collapsed in Sindhudurg district on August 26, nearly nine months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled it on Navy Day.
Patil was arrested on August 30 from Kolhapur.
A single bench of Justice A S Kilor on Thursday held that no case was made out to implicate Patil in the case as he had not been appointed as the structural designer of the statue.
The bench further said Patil had only submitted a structural stability report of the pedestal of the statue and the pedestal was intact even after the collapse.
Another accused, Jaydeep Apte, who was the sculptor and contractor, was also arrested in the case. The HC said it would hear his bail plea on November 25.
The Sindhudurg police had registered an FIR under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for negligence and other offences last month against Apte and Patil for the statue's collapse.
Patil and Apte moved HC seeking bail after a sessions court rejected their pleas.
