happy + healthy
caffeine consumption
ARE ENERGY DRINKS
REALLY THAT BAD?
by Children’s of Alabama
Energy drinks are becoming increasingly popular
due to claims they provide a competitive edge.
Unfortunately more and more children and
teenagers are drinking them, which can lead to
some serious health concerns.
Slattery also warns parents to be on the lookout for a substance
called Kratom. Kratom is sometimes added to energy drinks but
also sold alone. Slattery cautions, “At low doses it’s a stimulant
and at high doses works like a narcotic; it can cause CNS (central
nervous system) depression so they can become drowsy or even
comatose.”
Ann Slattery with the Regional Poison Control Center at
Children’s of Alabama says that between 2014 and 2015 the
RPCC received 152 calls regarding children, mostly between the
ages of 13-19 years old, suffering toxic effects from energy drink
consumption.
Kids who participate in sports or who have a high academic load
should learn that they can improve their performance through
hard work and self care— values that will serve them well in
all aspects of life. Eating well, staying hydrated, exercising, and
getting enough sleep are always the best way to feel energized.
Encouraging kids to believe that they need something “extra” to
perform at their best is a slippery slope that may lead to the use
of other performance-enhancing substances. Remember, just
because something is sold in stores does not mean that it is safe,
and if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
“They contain caffeine, and they also contain herbals that are
like caffeine like Yerba Mate, Guarana and Kola Nut. And these
are not listed as caffeine but they add more caffeine to the drink”,
she says. Some of the negative symptoms associated with energy
drinks include:
Agitation
Tremors
Increased Heart Rate
Nausea
Vomiting
Slattery says there’s also concern because of evidence on a
national level that children as young as five years old are gaining
access to and consuming energy drinks that are in the home.
“They’re being left out, they think they’re cola, they’re drinking
them. They can have severe symptoms, cardiac problems as well
as seizures,” she says.
For more information
on the dangers of energy
drinks, watch Children’s of
Alabama’s video “Partners in
KidsHealth: Energy Drinks”
at YouTube.com.
Exposure of Young Children Can Cause:
1298 of those were
under the age of 20!
Aside from these risks, energy drinks contain a lot of sugar and
caffeine- sometimes as much caffeine as in 1 to 3 cups of coffee.
Excessive caffeine comes with its own set of problems, especially
in younger kids, as it can negatively affect attention and concentration.
Fall 2016
treated for energy drink
overdoses in 2013, and
evere Cardiac Problems
S
Seizures
Hospitalization
14 |
1685 people were
www.potentialmagazine.com
- The American Association of
Poison Control Centers