Your 11-year-old snags a can of Red Bull from the grocery store display, tossing it into the cart as you go past. Monster, Vault, Red Bull and others are just the “cool” beverage of choice for the tween/teen population right now. No problem, right? Wrong!
“Energy drinks are not safe for children under 18,” says Shelly Summar, MSEd, RD, LD, Weight Management Program Coordinator for Children’s Mercy Hospital. “The biggest concern about these beverages is the large amount of caffeine they contain, the addition of other natural stimulants, and the marketing toward children.”
That doesn’t necessarily mean she approves of the drinks at any age. “Caffeine is a quantifiable ingredient, whereas ginseng, Guarana and the combination of other stimulants typically found in these drinks are not.”
Surprised? Don’t be. “A person almost has to be a food scientist to decipher what’s in the products they consume today,” Summar adds.
So let’s look more closely at some common myths surrounding energy drinks:
Myth: “Energy drinks help my performance as an athlete.”
Fact: Actually, the caffeine in energy drinks acts as a diuretic, causing an increase in urination as well as the potential for mild dehydration. “In general, most (people) don’t drink enough fluids daily and compounding this with excessive caffeine (intake) . . . and activity could be detrimental to performance,” Summar says.
Myth: “It’s only one can a day. That’s not too much caffeine, is it?”
Fact: Doctors recommend that adults should not consume more than 100mg of caffeine per day. For a 50 pound child, that same 100mg is the equivalent of four times the caffeine in an adult! A can of AMP contains two servings, at 80mg of caffeine each. That’s 160mg of caffeine in one can!
Myth: “It’s not like caffeine is a drug or anything!”
Fact: Caffeine is classified as a drug because it stimulates the central nervous system, causing an increase in alertness and heart rate. That increase in heart rate could be dangerous for an individual with cardiac issues or someone with caffeine sensitivity.
Myth: “Well, at least it’s not addictive like other drugs.”
Fact: Caffeine is addictive and can cause withdrawal symptoms if consumption is stopped abruptly. These symptoms include irritability, temporary depression, muscle ache and severe headache.
“Help! My child is getting too much caffeine in their diet! What can I do?”
First, begin to eliminate caffeinated items from their diet, slowly. Replace one caffeinated beverage per week with a non-caffeinated one, such as water or milk, until eventually they are completely caffeine free.
It may be a slow process, but it will surely be a healthy one!
-Sandy Brooks and her husband live in Lee’s Summit with their two children.