A study by the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Europe has noted that consumption of energy drinks will have dangerous health consequences in children.

These non-alcoholic beverages contain caffeine, vitamins and other ingredients such as taurine, ginseng, and guarana, which are marketed as energy boosting agents.

The study says: "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."

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.

According to researchers from WHO, 30% of adults, 68% of adolescents and 18% of children below ten years consume energy drinks.

The authors suggested actions to minimize the potential for harm from energy drink.

They are: setting an upper limit for the amount of caffeine allowed in a single serving of energy drinks, regulations to enforce restriction of labelling and sales of energy drinks to children and adolescents and enforcing standards for responsible marketing to young people by the energy drink industry.

It has also suggested training health care practitioners to be aware of the risks and symptoms of energy drinks consumption.

While energy drinks can be sold in all EU countries, some countries have introduced regulations, including setting rules for sales to children.

Hungary has introduced energy drinks in a public health tax that that was introduced in 2012. Sweden has restricted the sales of some types of energy drinks to pharmacies and sales to children.