KABUL (SW) – The consumption of carbonated, non-alcoholic, and energy drinks among citizens, especially young people, has led to addiction. Several residents of Kabul city report that due to thirst, fatigue, and daily reliance on these beverages, they have developed a habit of using them.
25-year-old Samim, a resident of Kabul city, says: “Mostly in the spring because the weather is hot and to quench my thirst, I use soda three times a day. Even if I am tired, I use it because it relieves fatigue to some extent. I tried hard not to become a habit for me, but now I am used to it.”
“I use Alokozay energy drink more in a week when I feel tired. Now, I am used to it and when I enter the store, I buy it,” said Shamsuddin, another resident of Kabul city.
The growing popularity of carbonated, non-alcoholic, and energy drinks among people has correspondingly boosted the business for sellers of these beverages. Some shopkeepers in Kabul city say that they generate more than 70% of their income from the sale of carbonated and energy drinks.
Rafiullah, a shopkeeper in the Shahr-e Naw, an area in Kabul city, says: “The reality is that people buy a lot of soft drinks; Young, old, and everyone buys them, mostly the carbonated one; that is why we sell 75% soft drinks beside other things every day.”
Qadir, another shopkeeper, also says: “There are more children and young people who buy soft drinks, but there are also old people who buy every day. We also have regular customers.”
However, doctors are concerned about the normalization of the use of carbonated, non-alcoholic, and energy drinks among citizens, saying that the use of such drinks causes 35 types of diseases, including types of cancer, in the body.
Ahmad-Jawid Adib Shalizai, a doctor at Maiwand Hospital in Kabul, says that using carbonated, non-alcoholic, and energy drinks, due to the presence of artificial sweeteners, a lot of sugar, caffeine, and phosphoric acid, increases the possibility of heart and lung diseases, depression and stomach ulcers.
He adds: “Besides these diseases, it causes belly fat, obesity, kidney problems, elevated blood cholesterol, accelerated aging, blurred vision, lack of sleep, dehydration, liver diseases, hair loss, bladder cancer, colon cancer, and tumors.”
Jawهd Hazhir, the spokesperson of the National Food and Drug Administration of Afghanistan, affirms that the administration adheres to all international standards to guarantee the quality and effectiveness of domestically produced or imported non-alcoholic beverages.
“We send the produced samples of drinks to the laboratory, If the result is positive, we will give the export certificate from the food safety department,” he added.
The National Food and Drug Administration says that this year it has seized more than 540 cartons of Carabao energy drink that were smuggled into the country.
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