Members of the Federal House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a vote of no confidence on regulatory agencies responsible for production and importation of energy drinks into the country.
During the plenary session, the lower chamber mandated its joint Committees on Health and Commerce to conduct an investigation into the importation, distribution, sales and health implications of caffeinated energy drinks in the country and submit a report within four weeks.
Yacoob Alebiosu, sponsor of the motion, expressed concern over consequences of consuming caffeinated energy drinks, saying the trend, if not checked, can lead to canine-induced health disorders and high mortality rate for the country.
Alebiosu further noted that energy drinks’ concoctions, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, herbs and other substances are now found all over campuses, including bars, dance clubs and social functions across the nation.
“Several brands of energy drinks such as Red Bull, Power Horse, Vault, Red Alert, Burn etc contain high levels of ingredients and stimulants that pose dangerous health risks such as kidney damages, seizure and strike, even life-threatening effects on blood presure, heart and brain functions,” he said.
“The House is worried that heart diseases caused by consumption of these energy drinks such as Vodka, Hennessy and so on become more deadly as they tend to mask the level of intoxication already settled in the bodies of the consumers of this mixture, thereby allowing young adults to consume more alcohol than normal, which oftentimes leads to young people passing out after such in-take while also increasing road accidents involving such people.”
According to him, a research conducted at the Cardiovascular Reasearch Centre at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Adelaide University in Southern Australia revealed shocking similarities between the cardiovascular profiles of heart patients and students who drink Red bull.
“Other studies have revealed that the consumption of energy drinks causes the heart to stop functioning at intervals and the consumption of a 250mlmcan of energy drink can lead to blood clotting, which is highly fatal,” he added.
“As a result of the high health risk caused by the consumption of these drinks, including reported cases of deaths, the governments of Denmark, Germany, Norway and France among many others have placed outright ban on the sale of these energy drinks in their jurisdiction.”
He expressed worries despite the ban in several European countries, Africa, particularly Nigeria, because of the large population of young adults and teenagers who are unaware of the dangers of the effect of these drinks, has become a dumping ground.
