Dr. Albert Ze, President of the Consortium for CSU in Africa, has addressed an open letter to the Minister of Public Health of Cameroon, Manaouda Malachie, to raise awareness about the increasing risks associated with the consumption of energy drinks. He considers these drinks a major threat to public health, pointing to the increase in cases of high blood pressure and kidney failure, which he links to the trivialization and accessibility of these products, especially among young people.
In his letter, Dr. Ze insists on the need to prioritize prevention rather than simply managing the medical consequences. He argues for stricter regulations, including limiting access to minors, strengthened advertising controls, and specific taxation to finance prevention policies for non-communicable diseases.
"Our society is going through a silent but devastating health crisis," writes Dr. Ze, stressing that high blood pressure now affects nearly half of the Cameroonian population, while care services are overwhelmed by the rise in kidney failure cases. He denounces the authorities' passivity in the face of what he calls a "nutritional disorder," considering it comparable to an "unspoken complicity".
Dr. Ze criticizes the current approach focused on managing the consequences rather than eliminating the causes. He questions the priority given to acquiring hemodialysis kits at the expense of regulating harmful products sold freely. He warns against the mixture of massive caffeine, taurine, and sweeteners present in energy drinks, calling it a "time bomb" for young people, with proven cardiac, neurological, and metabolic risks.
Dr. Ze calls for immediate action, demanding a limitation of access to energy drinks for minors, dissuasive taxation to finance prevention, and rigorous advertising control. He concludes by challenging the minister on the responsibility to protect the health of citizens in the face of commercial interests. Similar concerns regarding the harmful effects of excessive energy drink consumption, especially among young people, have led several countries to adopt stricter regulations. These measures include age restrictions, clearer labeling requirements, and limitations on caffeine content.
In Cameroon, studies have shown that hypertension is a major cause of chronic kidney disease. A study conducted in Garoua revealed that 32.3% of hypertensive patients also suffered from chronic kidney disease. Another study in Yaoundé found that nearly half of hypertensive patients had chronic kidney disease. These figures underscore the importance of prevention and regulation of risk factors, such as excessive consumption of energy drinks, to combat these public health problems.
