The Effects of Energy Drink Consumption on Kidney and Liver Function: A Comparative Study

Abstract

The current study aimed to investigate the potential health impacts associated with Energy Drink (ED) consumption and its effects on general health, liver function, and kidney function among students at Jazan University. EDs contain a variety of ingredients such as taurine, arginine, caffeine, acidity regulators, B vitamins, vitamin C, herbal extracts, and sugar. Previous studies have reported that EDs contain more caffeine content more a cup of coffee. Fifty-seven volunteer female students from the same socioeconomic background were eligible for the study based on their ED consumption habits. The students were divided into four groups: the control group (1) which did not consume EDs (19 students), group (2) which consumed 2 - 3 cans per week (19 students), group (3) which consumed 4 - 7 cans per week (14 students), and group (4) which consumed more than 7 cans per week (5 students). Five milliliters of venous blood were drawn from all subjects to determine ALT, AST, and GGT levels for liver function tests and creatinine, urea, uric acid, and BUN levels for kidney function tests. The results of the kidney function analysis showed that uric acid levels significantly increased (P 0.05) in all groups compared to the control group. The liver function analysis illustrated that, compared to the control group, only AST was significantly increased (P < 0.05) in groups 1 and 2. There was no significance in ALT and GGT in all groups. Overall, the study found that long-term ED consumption had a significant relationship to increased uric acid and AST concentrations, while urea and BUN decreased significantly. Further research is needed to understand the long-term health implications of ED consumption.