Healthy Eating

Back to Latest News


Please refrain from bringing high sugar drinks into school.  A letter has gone out to all families.

The following information will help you and your family to make healthy choices.

Advice from the experts

We asked Public Health England (PHE) and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) some questions about energy drinks - here are their answers.

What is the recommended amount of sugar that a teenager should have in one day?

PHE & BHF - From the age of 11 years into adulthood, it is recommended that free sugar, all sugars added to food and drink products by the cook, consumer or manufacturer, accounts for no more than 5% of your daily calories. This is around 30g of sugar or seven sugar cubes per day. At the moment sugar provides between 11 and 15% of food energy.

Could too much sugar lead to life threatening illnesses and if so what?

PHE - The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition has found that eating and drinking too much sugar can cause tooth decay and lead to weight gain and obesity, which increases your risk of life-threatening illnesses including Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and breast and bowel cancer.

BHF - We gain weight if the amount of energy we consume is not balanced out with the amount of activity we do.

Are energy drinks actually effective in reducing how tired we are?

PHE - Caffeine is a stimulant and is able to offer a temporary energy boost, similar to that of tea and coffee which also contain caffeine. However, the effects of caffeine are transitory and so cannot be used as a long-term solution to tiredness.

What would your advice to teenagers be about energy drinks?

PHE - Energy drinks are not a healthy choice, particularly for children and young people. In some people caffeine can cause increased irritability, nervousness or anxiety, particularly if you are not used to it. Public Health England has recently advised that sugary drinks have no place in a child's daily diet.

PHE - Energy drinks are not a healthy choice, particularly for children and young people. In some people caffeine can cause increased irritability, nervousness or anxiety, particularly if you are not used to it. Public Health England has recently advised that sugary drinks have no place in a child's daily diet.

Please go to the Key Information section and then visit student-wellbeing to find the link to read the full report.