NOT JUST AN ENERGY BOOSTER: A SURVEY ON THE UNSEEN CONSEQUENCES OF CAFFEINE OVERUSE IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

BACKGROUND: Caffeine is the most common alkaloid that is being used by most of the younger population. It is present most commonly in coffee, tea, chocolate and cola drinks. In recent years, the use of caffeine has increased dramatically due to the influence of social media. Caffeine has therapeutic effects if used in safe limits, but if consumed in higher quantities it may lead to serious side effects. OBJECTIVES: To monitor the consumption of caffeinated products (coffee, tea, chocolate and cola drinks), reason for their use and its side effects among young students of Karachi. METHODOLGY: A survey-based study was conducted among the university students of Karachi in which 214 students participated. A self-design questionnaire was developed to determine the type of drink, reason for intaking, its quantity and side effects if appeared due to caffeinated products. The data was analyzed by SPSS 20 with statistics used, chi-square(x2) test, having level of significance as 5% (α ≤0.05). RESULTS: Among all the caffeinated drinks, tea was the most common drink being used by students. The younger students (15-20 years) prefer to consume more caffeine than the older students (25-30 years), therefore getting more side effects. More than half (57.9%) of students prefer tea, 10.3% use coffee, 9.8% combination of tea and coffee, 6.1% black coffee, 3.3% black tea, 4.7% green tea, 4.2% cola drinks and 1.9% intake combination of energy drinks and tea/coffee. Between gender, there was a significant difference in the reason for use of caffeine, majority males prefer for mood lightening and majority females are habitual drinkers. The results showed that younger students have more caffeine-related side effects and among them nausea and headache are most common along with restlessness, irritation and gastrointestinal disorders. CONLCUSION: The study says that there is a need to aware the younger population about the side effects of caffeinated products and their useable safe limit. The monitoring should also be done in households by parents.