The Pharmaceutical society of Zambia has called on the regulators to make sure that energy drinks are regulated like drugs and go through extensive safety.
In a statement issued to Money FM News society president Jerome Kanyika bemoaned abuse of energy drinks by the youths in the country.
Mr Kanyika says the drinks have a lot of health risks as they contain vitamin B complex, Taurine, caffeine and others ingredients.
He says energy drinks are found everywhere and are sold at a very cheap price, which should not be the case.
Mr Kanyika says studies so far done on energy drink shows that they increase heart rate, blood pressure, higher platelet aggregation, irregular heart rhythms, insomnia after consumption.
“This has resulted in some studies linking energy drinks to serious cardiovascular neurological events, including cardiac arrest to some extent death especially in young people during a strenuous physical activity”
He says the study also shows that energy drinks reduces the ability of the arteries to dilate by 50% while most people are taking energy drinks before they exercise and during exercise.
“we all know that dalitation of the arteries is critical to deliver the increased demand of oxygen to the brain, heart and muscle during exercises.”
He has further called on government to ban energy drinks from been sold in primary, secondary or High schools even colleges and universities and as a sports drink.