Energy drink and ginseng consumption by Italian university students: a cross sectional study

INTRODUCTION: The consumption of energy drinks (ED) and ginseng by young people to enhance their mental and physical performance has become widespread. Reported side-effects of ED have raised doubts regarding their safety. This cross-sectional study investigates the phenomenon. METHODS: An anonymous questionnaire was administered to a representative sample of Verona university students. The resulting data were analyzed with Excel 2013, STATA 13 software. RESULTS: ED and ginseng consumption was reported by 38.6% and 37.4% of the students, respectively. More than 70% of ED and ginseng users were 18 to 22 years old. Excluding non-responders, ED consumers were mostly males (51.8% vs 33.0%), contrary to ginseng consumers (females 40.4% vs 30.9%). Being a working student was significantly positively associated both to EDs (OR 1.5) and ginseng use (OR 1.4). The most frequently reported academic and other reasons for ED use were: "to study longer" (47.5%), and "to socialize" (29.1%). The most often used combinations were ED containing alcohol (65.6%) and ginseng-coffee beverages (71.8%). CONCLUSIONS: The diffusion of ED and ginseng consumption warrants prevention and monitoring measures, and deserves further analysis.