Pre-reading questions
Do you drink energy drinks? What is your opinion about them?
Do you think they can be harmful? Why?
Researchers in Australia called for health warnings on high caffeine energy drinks following a spike in the number of people reporting medical problems after drinking them.
Doctors and health workers from the University of Sydney's Medical School and the New South Wales Poisons Information Center said reports of adverse reactions to drinks like Red Bull and V jumped from just 12 in 2004 to 65 in 2010.
Over the seven years to 2010, 297 calls for assistance were recorded with at least 128 people having to stay in hospitals with symptoms including heart palpitations (dangerous heart increasing and decreasing rate), agitation (getting angry easily or mood changes) and stomach pain.
Of these, 20 people had more serious problems, such as seizures (the heart stops) and hallucinations (seeing strange things).
The study, published in the Medical Journal of Australia on Monday, said the average person affected was 17 years old and that they often mixed energy drinks with alcohol.
"Our study demonstrates how much this is a growing problem in Australia with energy drink consumption and toxicity, particularly among adolescents," the study's authors wrote.
"Given the clear evidence of toxicity and the growing number of people having to go to hospital associated with consumption of energy drinks... health authorities should increase awareness of the problem, improve package label information and make laws about how much caffeine a drink has."
They recommended that "labelling and any marketing of these products should include appropriate health warnings and the national poisons hotline number". A can of energy drink may contain up to 300 milligrams of caffeine -- compared to an average 65-120mg for a cup of drip coffee -- and Poisons Center medical director Naren Gunja called for more strong regulation.
"Things to think about would be... how much caffeine do these drinks contain, how many can you buy at one time, what age should you be when you buy them, should there be an age limit to being sold the drinks," he said.
Guessing meaning from context
Try to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest meaning from the choices in the right. The answers are below the table.
|
spike |
A |
1 |
A sudden increase |
|
adverse |
B |
2 |
To show to present |
|
symptoms |
C |
3 |
Poison, harmful |
|
demonstrates |
D |
4 |
To use |
|
consumption |
E |
5 |
Young people, teenagers |
|
toxicity |
F |
6 |
Some things that show some evidence of something |
|
adolescents |
G |
7 |
Cause people to know more about something |
|
increase awareness |
H |
8 |
Opposite, difficult conditions or results |
A=1, B=8, C=7, D=2, E=4, F=3, G=5, H=7
Some example sentences using the new words to help you to better understand their meaning.
1.1. Our company has seen a spike in the sales of our new flat screen televisions.
2. The company had to make some big decisions after adverse market conditions meant they had a huge profit drop.
3. A symptom of owing too much money is not being able to pay bills ontime.
4. The driver demonstrates how the new car can go faster and stop quicker than the previous model.
5. Last night I consumed too much alcohol and today I feel sick because my body is full of alcohol toxins.
6. The adolescent years are difficult for teenagers as they often feel confused.
7. Companies are able to increase awareness of their products through advertising.
Some discussion questions using the new words to help you better understand the word meaning and how to use them correctly. Try to use the words in your answer.
1. From the reading, why has there been a spike in the consumption of energy drinks?
2. Why has there been a large increase in the adverse effects from drinking energy drinks?
3. What are the symptoms of drinking too much caffeine?
4. Do you believe that this report in Australia demonstrates that energy drinks are harmful by themselves?
5. Are there some other food or drink products that are toxic that we should worry about?
6. Why do you think adolescents consume these energy drinks so much?
7. How would you increase awareness of the dangers of consuming too many energy drinks?
ECK Education
