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High Energy Drinks
Do Kids Really Need Caffeine?
By Melissa Granberry
The big attraction for most energy drinks is caffeine. But what effect will all of this caffeine have on children? "Caffeine has a negative effect on sleeping patterns of children," says Flavia Herzog, a registered dietitian with "A Better Start" at Albert Einstein Healthcare Network in Philadelphia, Pa. "Even if the child is not having trouble falling asleep at night, they may not be getting into a deep sleep." She adds that high levels of caffeine consumption are also linked to headaches, restlessness and possibly ADHD.
"A child's body is still developing and growing and is much more vulnerable to the impact of these drinks," Herzog says. "Energy drinks can stay in a child's system for up to 12 hours. What is that doing to their kidneys and liver to clean it out?"
Herzog says there is not enough research about the products and their effects on children, but asks, "Do you really want to take that chance?" Radden explains that Red Bull is not intended for children and says, "Children are more sensitive to caffeine than adults and normally have plenty of energy. We do not recommend Red Bull to caffeine sensitive individuals, including children."
In addition to caffeine, some high-energy drinks contain ma huang (a form of ephedrine), guarana and taurine. "Taurine is a compound similar to an amino acid, but it isn't essential to human beings," says Merritt King, a high school chemistry teacher in Lamesa, Texas. "While it hasn't been proven taurine causes any diseases, it is linked to several."
King would discourage the use of any supplemental drink in children because they can train the brain to make less of the natural energy chemicals that fuel the body. "It is the same kind of dependence adults feel if they don't get their two cups of coffee a day," she says. Recent studies have shown that children and adolescents are vulnerable to caffeine withdrawal, which causes a person to feel angry and have problems thinking clearly.
