Why health education isn’t stopping young adults from consuming energy drinks

By Dr. Liji Thomas, MDReviewed by Lauren HardakerNov 6 2025

Despite higher awareness of caffeine’s dangers, new research shows that university students, including future doctors, keep reaching for energy drinks to power through their studies.

Study: Energy Drink Knowledge, Consumption, and Regulation Support Among Polish Medical and Non-Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study. Image credit: New Africa/Shutterstock.com

Young adults commonly consume energy drinks (ED), despite the association with high-risk behaviors. A recent study published in Nutrients explores the effect of health education on knowledge about EDs, their consumption, and their attitudes towards them, as well as towards ED sales regulation for minors.

Marketing masks the health risks

EDs comprise an expanding segment of the global beverage market, particularly among teenagers and young adults. Not only are they widely available, but they are also heavily marketed, making them extremely attractive to this age group. In addition, EDs are most frequently consumed by males and physically active people.

If ingestion starts in youth, ED use may persist and has been associated with poor dietary patterns and the use of other substances, including smoking and alcohol. ED consumption is also associated with palpitations. These effects are often overlooked by marketers, who focus instead on improvements in cognitive and physical performance.

Unmarried people and non-medical students are also at a higher risk for ED consumption. Heavy academic workloads also play a role, with students preferring to use EDs to fight fatigue and maintain alertness. Most university students have mixed feelings about energy drinks and a limited understanding of their potential risks. 

Polish studies indicate high public awareness of these dangers, and public demand for ED sales to be prohibited for minors. Poland has therefore enacted the 2023 amendment to the Public Health Act, which regulates the sale and distribution of ED at the national level. It became operational on January 1, 2024.

This amendment makes it illegal to sell EDs to minors and to distribute EDs in schools or through vending machines. It officially defines EDs and requires that they be clearly labeled. This aims to promote consumer awareness and promote effective enforcement of the amendment.

The current study aimed to evaluate the consumption of EDs and attitudes towards them among Mazovian students in Poland.

Surveying students

The study included 871 students, approximately 42% of whom were medical students. They were asked to fill out an online survey on ED consumption, their knowledge of ED, and their attitudes towards regulation. The students were primarily female, with an average age of 22 years.

Students drink despite awareness

About 75% of students consumed EDs once in a while, while the rest were never-users. Approximately 14% each had EDs two or three times a week, once a month, or less than once every three months, respectively. About 9% consumed EDs almost every day. There was no statistically significant difference in consumption frequency between medical and non-medical students.

Knowledge

Only a third of students knew the recommended daily limit of caffeine consumption, with 35% stating they had no idea. Medical students were more likely to answer this correctly.

Knowledge of what goes into EDs was greater among medical students. This group was aware that EDs contained simple sugars, B vitamins, L-carnitine, and electrolytes. Even so, they were no more likely than nonmedical students to identify the presence of caffeine, ginseng, artificial colorants, and taurine in EDs.

Medical students were better informed about the ill effects of ED, including nausea, dizziness, and irritability.

Use and adverse effects of EDs

Both medical and non-medical students had the same frequency of ED consumption, despite the former group having superior knowledge. Medical students were more likely to use coffee as well as EDs.

Males were more likely to consume EDs than females, reflecting a broader societal pattern. Almost all ED consumers self-reported disrupted sleep, and 95% said they experienced self-reported elevated blood pressure, while over 90% reported anxiety and irritability. Between 40% and 60% self-reported feeling dizzy or nauseous, vomiting, or decreased coordination.

Both groups had similar patterns of use for alcohol, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or psychoactive drugs, as well as taking dietary supplements. Adverse effects were also similarly reported in both groups.

Age of initiation and triggers

The most common age of first trying EDs was between 15 and 18 years, but 30% said they had their first ED before the age of 15 years. Among medical students, 41% and 42% had their first ED at 15-18 years, and before 15 years, respectively.  Conversely, 59% and 58% of non-medical students showed this pattern, respectively.

Factors prompting ED use included the need for more energy, which was relevant for 63% of students. The need for more concentration accounted for 37%; a similar proportion drank it for the taste; and 32% used EDs as a substitute for coffee. The use of EDs for energy and concentration was more pronounced among medical students. A smaller proportion drank them as part of a social group.

This marks medical and associated professionals as high-risk groups for ED consumption and could underline the need for stronger regulation of the advertising of EDs and other caffeinated beverages. This step may reduce their exposure to these advertisements. Coupled with their heightened awareness of the negative aspects of these drinks, this could lead to a decrease in their consumption among young people.

Attitude towards regulation of EDs

Both groups supported the legal prohibition protecting minors from EDs. Female students were more often in favor of not selling ED to minors, and supported restrictions on ED advertising, but most students did not believe a ban could be enforced in the real world.

Education and enforcement are needed

Medical students knew more about the composition and adverse effects of EDs, but did not reduce their use of EDs compared to non-medical students. Health education on the importance of avoiding unsafe caffeine consumption is crucial in preventing excessive caffeine use by medical students, who often seek to overcome fatigue associated with shift work.

Medical students are likely to become responsible for counseling patients with lifestyle disorders and advising them to cease behaviors such as consuming caffeinated drinks. These results highlight the significance of this issue in the field of education.

Combining targeted education with stronger enforcement could enhance the impact of regulatory policies and reduce risky consumption among young adults.