WATANZANIA TUJIFUNZE TABIA YA KUSOMA CONTENTS(YALIYOMO) KWA VITU TUTUMIAVYO- part 1

ENERGY DRINKS

Constantine Ntanguligwa(MD student Muhimbili university of health and allied sciences)
 1230hrs 10th August 2016

Karibu tuzungumze:

Azam kateka sana soko la vinywaji na sekta nyingine za vyakula nchini. Na ni kweli kabisa, vinywaji vyake ni vitamu mno na vya kupendeza.

Lakini kuna hiki kinywaji hapa:

Wengi tumezoea kukiita energy drink kama jina lake linavyojieleza. Ni kweli kabisa kinatuongezea nguvu au pengine ni imani tu tuliyo nayo. Lakini, ni wangapi tumeshawahi kusoma maelekezo yaliyoandikwa kwenye kopo la kinywaji hiki?

Na hivi je?

Moja ya maelekezo ya muhimu yaliyoandikwa kwenye label za vinywaji hivi ni:

1. Usinywe zaidi ya mbili ndani ya masaa 24 kwa energy drink ya Azam juu.
2. Usinywe karibu na mda wa kulala.
3. Red bull yenyewe imeandikwa, wasipewe watoto na wajawazito.
4. Zimeandikwa pia zina "caffeine".

Pamoja na vinywaji vya aina hiyo vingine vyote.

Shirika la Afya duniani(WHO), liliandika katika makala iliyoandikwa tarehe 14 Oct 2014:

"Increased consumption of energy drinks may pose danger to public health, especially among young people, warns a team of researchers from the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe in the open-access journal Frontiers in Public Health.

Energy drinks are non-alcoholic beverages that contain caffeine, vitamins, and other ingredients for example, taurine, ginseng, and guarana. They are typically marketed as boosting energy and increasing physical and mental performance.

Researchers reviewed the literature on the health risks, consequences and policies related to energy drink consumption and found reason for concern and basis for further research. The authors conclude that “As energy drink sales are rarely regulated by age, unlike alcohol and tobacco, and there is a proven potential negative effect on children, there is the potential for a significant public health problem in the future”. European Food Safety Authority estimates that 30% of adults, 68% of adolescents, and 18% of children below 10 years consume energy drinks.

The authors suggest several actions to minimize the potential for harm from energy drinks:

• Establishing an upper limit for the amount of caffeine allowed in a single serving of this type of drinks in line with available scientific evidence;
• Regulations to enforce restriction of labelling and sales of energy drinks to children and adolescents;
• Enforcing standards for responsible marketing to young people by the energy drink industry;
• Training health care practitioners to be aware of the risks and symptoms of energy drinks consumption;
• Patients with a history of diet problems and substance abuse, both alone and combined with alcohol, should be screened for the heavy consumption of energy drinks;
• Educating the public about the risks of mixing alcohol with energy drinks  consumption;
• Further research on the potential adverse effects of energy drinks, particularly on young people.

Energy drinks can be sold in all EU countries, but some countries have introduced regulations, including setting rules for sales to children. Hungary introduced a public health tax that includes energy drinks in 2012. In Sweden, sales of some types of energy drinks are restricted to pharmacies and sales to children are banned."

(retrived 10th Aug 2016 at http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/disease-prevention/nutrition/news/news/2014/10/energy-drinks-cause-concern-for-health-of-young-people)

 Katika mapendekezo yaliyoafikiwa katika kusaidia kupunguza madhara ya vinywaji hivi mengi ni ya kiutawala kwamba viwanda na kampuni vifanye nini. Lakini, sisi tunamchango gani?

Tutachambua mapendekezo yao na kuona nafasi yetu kama watumiaji na wahanga wa vinywaji hivi.

Kwanza, wameelekeza kuandika kwenye vinywaji vyote kuwa haviruhusiwi kwa watoto. Je ni wangapi tunafuata hili? hasa kama hatusomi maelekezo haya, wamemuandikia nani sasa? Wapo watu wengi wanaonunua kinywaji hiki na kuwanywesha watoto wao. Mimi nimekua nikiambiwa na wazazi wangu Red bull ni ya wakubwa(wazazi wajifunze hili pia). Ni mara mia uache kabisa kununua kinywaji hiki uwapo na watoto na kwa wajawazito pia kwani ukinywa wewe ni kama umemnywesha mtoto wako tumboni tayari.

Pili, Kuelimisha watu kuhusu madhara ya kiafya vinywaji hivi vinaweza kusababisha. Kama ninavyokuelimisha sasa, inakupasa uelimishe na wengine pia ili tusaidiane kupunguza madhara kwenye jamii zetu. Pia pale inapobidi kubadilisha mwenendo wa maisha yako(life styles) kuwa tayari kubadilika hasa kwenye kuwapa watoto vinywaji hivi.

MADHARA YA VINYWAJI HIVI NI NINI HASA?

• Matatizo ya moyo- Premature cardiac contraction. Inaweza kusababisha pia matatizo ya moyo(cardiac arrest-mshtuko wa moyo). Mfano Azam anapokwambia usinywe kabla ya kwenda kulala ni kukusaidia usije kupata mshtuko huo ukiwa usingizini ukakosa msaada ukapoteza maisha.
• Kukosa usingizi(insomnia) sababu ya kinywaji hiki kukufanya uwe active sana hasa ukinywa zaidi ya kiasi kilichoelekezwa.
• Baadhi ya dawa unazokunywa haziendani na unywaji wa energy drinks hivyo ni vema kuwa makini unapokuwa kwenye dose na kusababisha vitu kama allergy.
• Addiction- sababu vinywaji hivi vina caffeine ambapo ukizidisha utakuwa kama mtumiaji wa madawa ya kulevya kwa ku-develop addiction na dependence hasa utakapozidisha kiasi.
• Kwa watoto huweza kusababisha ukuaji mbovu wa mifupa na kuanza kuwatengenezea matatizo ya moyo taratibu.
• Inasababisha mishipa ya fahamu(neurones) kuongezeka kusisimka (increase excitability of neurones) huweza kupelekea kutetemeka na kuonekena kama una woga.

Kuna kautamaduni ka kunywa energy drinks kuchanganya na kilevi. Wakiamini kwamba, kwa vile energy drink inaleta nguvu na kukufanya uwe macho(active mda mrefu zaidi) hivyo itakusaidia nguvu ya kunywa pombe nyingi zaidi bila kuchoka na kusikia usingizi.

Hii si kweli hata kidogo, infact ,"In November 2009, the FDA in USA asked manufacturers of alcoholic energy drinks to prove their safety"Seifert S.M et al,(2011). Matokeo yake inasababishia watu wengi kuwa alcohol addicts kwasababu ya imani hiyo.

Seifert S.M et al(2011) pia wanatueleza ,"Energy drinks have no therapeutic benefit, and many ingredients are understudied and not regulated. The known and unknown pharmacology of agents included in such drinks, combined with reports of toxicity, raises concern for potentially serious adverse effects in association with energy drink use (http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/127/3/511)

Wanasema kuwa ,vitu ambavyo vipo kwenye energy drinks vimefanyiwa utafiti mdogo sana na haviko regulated kwa kiasi kikubwa hivyo ni vema kuchukua tahadhari.

TUSHIRIKIANE, TUELIMISHANE, TUHAMASISHANE. AFYA YETU PAMOJA.

Until next time.