Abstract
A considerable amount of research suggests that breakfast omission and the frequent use of caffeinated energy drinks may be associated with undesirable effects, and particularly so in children and adolescents. The current paper presents cross-sectional and longitudinal data from the Cornish Academies Project to investigate the effects of consuming energy drinks and missing breakfast on stress, anxiety, and depression in a cohort of secondary school children from the South West of England. Questionnaires were administered at two time-points (spaced 6 months apart) to collect information relating to diet and lifestyle over the previous 6 months. Demographic and school data were acquired through the School Information Management System, and single-item measures of stress, anxiety, and depression were administered at the second time-point only. Associations between breakfast and energy drink consumption and stress, anxiety, and depression were investigated, and a multivariate approach was taken so that additional variance from diet, demography, and lifestyle could be controlled for statistically. Cross-sectional analyses showed that breakfast omission was consistently associated with negative outcomes, and that this was largely observed for both those who frequently consumed energy drinks and those who did not. However, cross-lag analyses showed that neither breakfast omission or energy drink consumption, alone or in combination, was predictive of stress, anxiety, or depression at 6-month follow-up. This suggests that associations between breakfast and mental health may be bi-directional rather than breakfast being the causal factor.
Highlights
Energy drinks are highly caffeinated soft drinks that are purported to increase performance and endurance (MeadowsOliver and Ryan-Krause, 2007)
Frequency data for stress, anxiety, and depression are available in Richards and Smith (2015b)
Due to reports in the literature associating breakfast omission and energy drink consumption with undesirable outcomes, the current study aimed to investigate these dietary variables in relation to self-reported stress, anxiety, and depression in a large cohort of secondary school children from the South West of England
Summary
Energy drinks are highly caffeinated soft drinks that are purported to increase performance and endurance (MeadowsOliver and Ryan-Krause, 2007). As caffeine appears to be the main active ingredient in energy drinks (McLellan and Lieberman, 2012), it is important to consider its effects on mood and behavior. It appears not to induce serious adverse health effects in adults (Nawrot et al, 2003) or children (Mandel, 2002; Higdon and Frei, 2006), though it has been advised for those highly sensitive not to consume >400 mg/d (Nawrot et al, 2003). Caffeine use does appear to have important implications in the school environment. When investigating energy drinks it may be beneficial to take caffeine consumption into account, otherwise the effects could be wrongly ascribed
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