With the growing variety of energy and pre-workout drinks sporting colorful packaging and candy flavors, it’s easy for kids to be drawn to these beverages without realizing what is in them – or whether they should be drinking them at all.
Energy drinks and other high-caffeine drinks can have serious health side effects for adolescents, who may be attracted to them by social media trends or peer pressure. Staying informed about recommended caffeine levels, and sharing that insight with kids, can help you avoid larger issues down the road.
Recommended caffeine intake
OhioHealth
Caffeine stimulates the brain and nervous system, providing a short-term increase in alertness, focus and energy. Within 15 minutes of consumption, the effects can be felt as the caffeine enters the bloodstream.
For healthy adults without pre-existing medical conditions, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends a maximum of 400 milligrams of caffeine per day to avoid dangerous side effects.
Many pediatricians follow the caffeine guidelines for adolescents set by American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, which suggests absolutely no caffeine for children under 12 years old. Children between 12 and 18 are discouraged from having caffeine, but if they do, it should be less than 100 milligrams per day.
Dr. Norah Ledyard, a pediatrician at Mount Carmel Health System, recommends consuming caffeine in its natural form, such as in coffees and teas, to limit the side effects of additives.
Risks of caffeine
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Many caffeinated drinks come with warnings to the effect of “only intended for persons 18 years or older” due to potential side effects such as disrupted sleep, increased anxiety, higher heart rate and blood pressure, and caffeine dependency. Many teens – and adults – rely on caffeine to deal with tiredness, Ledyard says, though that tiredness may stem from lack of sleep caused by caffeine.
“Every single day, I see adolescents with sleep issues, anxiety and worries. Caffeine can trigger and worsen those,” she says. “Sometimes I think we don’t realize the connection to some of these drinks.”
Caffeine can have unexpected effects on different people, especially those with pre-existing medical concerns or family histories. The stimulant can also interact with other medications, causing more severe symptoms.
Adolescents’ growing bodies – which are growing physically and mentally while going through hormonal changes – are more susceptible to the effects of caffeine.
“What I always talk about with kids is that, at this age, your brain and your body are very vulnerable to a lot of changes happening,” says Dr. Misha D. Yajnik, a pediatric doctor at OhioHealth.
Staying educated
A national poll conducted by C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor found that one in three parents do not know the recommended caffeine limits for teens. Many highly-caffeinated drinks that are marketed to adolescents contain 200 milligrams of caffeine or more, well above the recommended amount.
“A lot of parents aren’t aware of what’s in these drinks,” says Ledyard. “Their adolescents may be taking their money and buying them on their own.”
Experts suggest parents help their children understand that an energy drink isn’t the same as a soda, and that these beverages are loaded with caffeine and additives. Many energy drinks and pre-workouts contain other stimulants such as guarana, taurine and L-carnitine, which can also increase blood pressure, heart rate and breathing rate.
Learning how to read the label on these drinks can help identify the caffeine content and look for other potentially harmful ingredients.
Talking with children about family medical history and any predispositions can help them be more cautious as well.
“I have a lot of young teenage athletes. They are not educated on a lot of the ingredients in some of these drinks,” says Yajnik. “They think, ‘Oh yeah, I should drink this because it’s going to help my performance,’ but they don’t realize there’s a lot of additives.”
Yajnik and Ledyard both emphasize the importance of setting a good example for kids. Modeling healthy lifestyles can make a huge difference in helping adolescents make smart choices on what they are consuming.
Korrigan Craddock is a contributing writer at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
