Nearly four of ten Spanish teenagers drink energy beverages with caffeine loads equivalent to five colas.
En España, una generación de adolescentes ha crecido rodeada de bebidas energéticas que la industria ha convertido en símbolos de vitalidad y pertenencia cultural. Un estudio reciente revela que cuatro de cada diez jóvenes las consumen con regularidad, ingiriendo dosis de cafeína que rozan los límites recomendados por las autoridades sanitarias europeas, y con frecuencia combinándolas con alcohol. La pregunta que se abre ante la sociedad española no es solo de regulación, sino de qué valores y hábitos estamos transmitiendo a quienes apenas comienzan a construir su relación con el propio cuerpo.
- Un análisis de 123 bebidas energéticas en España revela que la gran mayoría supera los umbrales de seguridad recomendados, con hasta 160 mg de cafeína y 50 g de azúcar en un solo envase de 500 ml.
- El consumo crece con la edad: a los 18 años, más de la mitad de los jóvenes varones encuestados reporta haberlas bebido al menos una vez en el último mes.
- La mezcla con alcohol —cada vez más frecuente entre adolescentes mayores— enmascara los efectos depresores del alcohol, reduciendo la percepción de embriaguez y elevando el riesgo de accidentes y conductas agresivas.
- Las marcas han colonizado los espacios donde viven los jóvenes —deportes extremos, videojuegos, redes sociales— convirtiendo el consumo en algo que parece normal e incluso deseable.
- Algunas comunidades autónomas ya han comenzado a restringir la venta a menores, mientras el gobierno nacional debate si extender esas medidas a todo el país antes de que el patrón de consumo se consolide aún más.
En España, casi cuatro de cada diez adolescentes consumen bebidas energéticas que concentran en un solo envase la cafeína equivalente a dos tazas de café o cinco latas de refresco de cola. Un estudio de la Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios analizó 123 variedades disponibles en el mercado y encontró que muchas contienen hasta 160 miligramos de cafeína por botella —cerca del 40% del límite diario recomendado por la Autoridad Europea de Seguridad Alimentaria— y algunas superan los 50 gramos de azúcar por envase de 500 ml.
Entre las marcas evaluadas figuran Monster, Red Bull, Burn y Rockstar, junto a marcas blancas de supermercado. Solo tres productos obtuvieron una valoración aceptable. Varias variantes de Monster se situaron entre las peores opciones, mientras que El Diablo Zero, de la cadena Día, destacó entre las alternativas más razonables.
Lo que más preocupa a los especialistas en salud pública no es solo la cafeína en sí, sino la combinación con alcohol, que se vuelve más frecuente a medida que los jóvenes crecen. Esta mezcla puede enmascarar los efectos depresores del alcohol, reducir la conciencia del nivel de intoxicación y aumentar el riesgo de accidentes y comportamientos agresivos. A los 18 años, más de la mitad de los jóvenes varones encuestados afirmó haber consumido estas bebidas al menos una vez en el mes anterior.
Detrás de estos patrones hay una estrategia de marketing deliberada: las marcas han vinculado sus productos a los deportes extremos, las carreras de coches, los videojuegos y las redes sociales, los mismos espacios donde los adolescentes construyen su identidad. Algunas comunidades autónomas han comenzado a restringir su venta a menores, pero el debate sobre una regulación nacional sigue abierto, mientras el tiempo corre para una generación que ya ha normalizado su consumo.
In Spain, nearly four out of every ten teenagers are drinking energy beverages—products that pack caffeine levels equivalent to two cups of coffee, three cups of black tea, or five cans of cola, all in a single container. A study by the Organization of Consumers and Users examined 123 energy drink varieties sold across the country and found that many contain up to 160 milligrams of caffeine per bottle, with some exceeding 50 grams of sugar in a single 500-milliliter serving.
The research, reported by El País, tested familiar brands like Monster, Red Bull, Burn, and Rockstar alongside store brands. The results were stark: only three products earned a passing grade. Several Monster variants—Juiced Mango Loco, Juiced Bad Apple, and Juiced Viking Berry among them—ranked among the worst performers. By contrast, El Diablo Zero, sold by the Día supermarket chain, was among the better options available.
That 160-milligram caffeine dose represents roughly 40 percent of the daily limit recommended by the European Food Safety Authority. For a teenager, it's a significant jolt. The consumption patterns tell their own story: as adolescents age, their energy drink intake climbs. By age eighteen, more than half of the young men surveyed reported drinking these beverages at least once in the previous month. The trend becomes more troubling when alcohol enters the picture. As teenagers grow older, mixing energy drinks with alcohol becomes more common—a combination that health experts warn can mask alcohol's depressant effects, lower awareness of intoxication, and increase the risk of accidents and aggressive behavior.
Public health specialists have raised alarms about this pattern, particularly the synergy between high caffeine and alcohol consumption among minors. The marketing machinery behind these drinks has made the problem worse. Energy drink companies associate their products with extreme sports, auto racing, video games, and social media platforms—the exact spaces where teenagers spend their time and attention. The brands have become woven into youth culture in ways that make them feel normal, even aspirational.
Spain's regional governments have begun responding. Some areas have already moved to restrict sales of energy drinks to minors, while the national government continues debating whether to impose broader regulations. The question now is whether those restrictions will spread, and whether they'll come quickly enough to shift consumption patterns that have already taken root among a generation of young people.
Citações Notáveis
Health experts warn that mixing energy drinks with alcohol can mask intoxication, lower awareness of alcohol's effects, and increase risk of accidents and aggressive behavior.— Nutrition and public health specialists cited in the study
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does a study about caffeine in drinks matter enough to report on it now?
Because nearly forty percent of Spanish teenagers are consuming these products regularly, and the amounts are genuinely significant—we're talking about a single bottle containing as much caffeine as two cups of coffee. For a developing body, that's not trivial.
But teenagers have always sought out stimulants. What's different here?
The scale and the mixing. It's not just that they're drinking them. It's that half of eighteen-year-old boys are doing it monthly, and increasingly they're combining them with alcohol in ways that mask intoxication and increase aggression risk. That's a public health pattern, not just a preference.
The marketing angle—is that the real story?
It's part of it. These brands have positioned themselves inside gaming, esports, extreme sports. They're not selling caffeine; they're selling identity to people whose brains are still forming. The study just quantifies what was already happening culturally.
So what happens next?
Some regions are restricting sales to minors. But there's no national law yet. The question is whether those restrictions stick, or whether they become patchwork and ineffective. And whether the marketing simply adapts.