The popularity of energy drinks and junk food might have unique risks for teenagers who consume too much of them during the later stages of brain development. These are just two of the factors potentially affecting teen brain development examined in a new special issue of Birth Defects Research: The Teenage Brain, published by the Teratology Society. The scientific journal issue released today a study conducted by a team at Northern Kentucky University.
According to the researcher, not only is the rise in energy drink consumption (often mixed with alcohol) among teens alarming but so are animal studies showing its effects on brain development. "Our review indicates that we don't know enough about the effects of high consumption of energy drinks and the ingredients found in them at this critical time in mammalian brain development," she said. "Our recent findings in adolescent and young…
