A British food industry body says teenage girls are showing increasing iron deficiency because of high-caffeine energy drinks.
Rising levels of iron deficiency among teenage girls may be linked to an increase in the amount of high-caffeine energy drinks they consume, it has been claimed.
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Britain's Health Food Manufacturers' Association warns that caffeine can inhibit the body's uptake of minerals such as iron.
Recent research has shown that around two-fifths of British girls and young women aged 11 to 24 have lower-than-expected iron levels.
Other studies have indicated that one in 10 British teenagers consume as many of five cans of caffeinated energy drinks every week, the HFMA said.
A poll conducted by the association on 10,000 British adults found that most young people do not know that caffeine can restrict a person's intake of iron and other minerals.
"Micro-nutrients are essential for good health and wellbeing, and iron deficiency is a wide-scale issue which shouldn't be ignored - particularly for teenage girls," said HFMA executive director Graham Keen.
"The best solution for most people is to consume key nutrients such as vitamins and minerals via as healthy a diet as possible."
Supplements could provide insurance for those looking to safeguard their nutritional intake, he added.
Copyright AAP 2014
