as children grow there is a lot to know. if you love your children you get educated to what is important to their health.
Beware of giving energy drinks to children
At age 5, our twin boys had barely sipped soda or cola as it is commonly called here in Europe. We know that they’re bound to drink that beverage at some stage but at the moment we are simply trying to delay the inevitable. However, I still cringe when I see little children sipping cola instead of juice or water. But it seems that as children grow up, cola is actually not the real enemy – it’s the so-called energy drinks.
A recent study by Johns Hopkins scientists reported that many of these energy drinks are actually caffeinated. What’s more, some could actually contain up to 10 times more caffeine than coke or coffee although the actual amount is not reflected on the label. It’s kind of strange how drink labeling regulation works. Specification of alcohol content is definitely required but not caffeine content. Yet caffeine can also have some health risks.
There were studies, for example, which reported possible adverse effects of caffeine in pregnant women, people with heart diseases, and of course – children.
Then there’s the so-called caffeine intoxication, a clinical syndrome recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases. This can occur when people consume very high amounts of caffeine and the symptoms include nervousness, anxiety, sleeplessness, agitation, insomnia, and faster than normal heartbeats. In rare cases, it can lead to death.
Poison centers in the US report that caffeine abuse can come from consumption of energy drinks especially among young people. These young people experience caffeine rushes, jolts and crash episodes as well as heart palpitations. Sometimes, they combine caffeinated drinks with alcoholic drinks, which can have potentially dangerous consequences.
US FDA requirements allow a maximum of 71 mg caffeine in a 12-ounce can of soft drink. A regular soda such as Coke and Pepsi contains about 35 mg of caffeine. In comparison, a cup of brewed coffee has bout 80 to 150 mg. Energy drinks, however, are not considered soft drinks but rather dietary supplements. They are therefore not covered by the FDA caffeine content requirements. Thus, their caffeine content could go up to 500 mg per can without consumers knowing it.
Many experts are concerned by the fact that energy drinks are actually used as performance enhancers and stimulants and can easily lead to addiction and abuse among young people.
In addition, experts also feel there is a gap in the regulation of energy drinks and their labelling. Over-the-counter drugs and other pharmacological products containing caffeine are required to have warning about the effects of caffeine in their labels. Alcohol drinks are regulated by law in terms of minimum age.
However, these so-called “dietary supplements” seem to be exempt from the laws that regulate soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, as well as medications. It’s up to us consumers and parents to pay attention to what we and our children drink.
Community Forum
Topic: As children grow... (Read 1722 times)
December 13, 2007, 06:45:59 am
