Prof. Lyudmila Ivanova before FACTS: The substances from the energy powder enter through the nose and go directly to the

Soon, the advertisement of an energy powder for snorting caused a sharp wave of discontent on social networks. According to the advertisement, this product is harmless, but health authorities do not yet have information about its composition. How does this powder work… Prof. Dr. Lyudmila Ivanova, specialist in nutrition and dietetics, lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine at SU “St. Kliment Ohridski“ spoke to FAKTI.

- Prof. Ivanova, how big a problem are the so-called energy powders that have been talked about lately?
- It is very difficult to answer this question, because currently it is not known how these powders are offered on the market. Unlike energy drinks, which are soft drinks with a fairly high caffeine content and a number of other ingredients. It is believed that they increase energy, work capacity - whether it is so is another topic, but they have such claims. It is not clear what the powders are. This is something that is quite serious. From a medical point of view, even energy drinks are not suitable for children, adolescents, etc., because they have an adverse effect on the cardiovascular and nervous systems.

- We are talking about energy drinks…
- Yes, and with energy powders we have many unknowns. The ingredients are unknown to them, in what proportion they are, what they are, do they have caffeine, what concentration is it, do they have psychoactive substances, etc. It is also not known how they reached the market and who authorized their use. With the powders, we do not know what effect they would have on the body. The point is that they enter through the nose and very quickly enter the blood-brain system and affect the central nervous system.

- You mean they are snorted, not drunk?
- That's exactly the problem. The drink passes through the gastrointestinal tract, through the intestines, through the liver and is excreted in the urine. The way in which substances are absorbed from the drink and enter our body is this. And when using a powder, the substances immediately enter the brain. So the clip that was circulated was completely inappropriate, and you can't draw an analogy between an energy drink – allowed, although there is a warning on the box that it is not recommended for children, adolescents, pregnant, etc., and powder. And here comes the big problem with dosage.

- When we drink a sip, we know what we have swallowed. And with the powder…
- With the powder, the dose cannot be controlled. We don't even know if his ingredients are well mixed. When we drink a can of energy drink and let's say we overdo it – we drink two, for example, we feel sick and seek a doctor, we will tell him what and how much we drank. He will have an idea of what amount of active substances our body has taken. And what can we say about the powder – I sniffed something. What amount, with what ingredients, how are they dosed… We cannot control the dose. So for me it is absolutely inappropriate both from a medical point of view and from a public health point of view for such a thing to be presented and to have such powders on the market. So the relevant authorities who control what is in the market should take a stand.

- The drink or powder – which has a faster effect?
- Absolutely the dust, if we think hypothetically. The substances from the energy powder enter the body through the nasal mucosa and directly go to the brain and affect the central nervous system, enter directly through the cerebral circulation. The drink is absorbed in the stomach, in the intestines, metabolized and neutralized through the liver and excreted in the urine. It certainly has a slower effect. With the powder, I could expect an extremely fast and quite unfavorable effect depending on what it contains. I tried on the Internet, on Bulgarian sites, to see what its content was, but I could not find it. I couldn't find an official statement anywhere on the composition issue. In order to protect public health and especially to protect the health of children, strict control is needed over the presence and unregulated advertising of unhealthy foods, drinks and other substances similar to these powders.