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I'm Gabe Garza with today's health news. According to a press release issued by Elsevier Health
Sciences, adolescents are the fastest growing population of caffeine users. Researchers
from Brescia University College conducted a study to determine why. Caffeine is the
most accessible and widely used psychoactive drug in the world. It is also the only legally
and socially acceptable drug for teens to consume. To conduct the study, researchers
enrolled 166 participants between the ages of 13 and 18 at two high schools in Canada.
Researchers divided the teens into 20 focus groups and asked them to answer a series of
short, open-ended questions, as well as a questionnaire. The study found that about
half of the participants drank caffeinated beverages one to six times per week. Many
adults may not think that caffeine consumption is a big deal. However, according to the US
Food and Drug Administration, consuming caffeine can pose serious health threats, including
high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat and dehydration. It’s also highly addictive.
Researchers believe that by further educating adolescents on the potential risks of caffeine,
educators can help limit their caffeine intake. For dailyRx, I'm Gabe Garza