I have to admit, I’ve never quit understood the whole energy drink craze. I tried a sip of Red Bull once and it tasted like cough syrup to me. But, at lot of people swear by them. And, when people do things, their kids often follow their examples.
A new report published in the journal Pediatrics is advising against giving children and teenagers energy drinks and say that sports drinks should be avoided unless the kids are actually playing sports. The report, done by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), not only warned against giving kids energy and sports drinks, but also cautioned against soda and coffee drinks as well.
Why would the AAP caution parents against giving these drinks for children and teens? Because energy drinks contain a large amount of caffeine. Caffeine is s stimulant that not only interferes with sleep but can also raise your heartbeat, cause anxiety, and increase the chance of dehydration.
Dr. Holly Benjamin, a pediatric sports medicine specialist at the University of Chicago and one of the co-authors of the report, said, “There’s great concern about what [caffeine] does over time or in high doses to a young, growing body that’s not fully mature.” She also pointed out that the overdose of caffeine is “almost like stress to your body.”
While the sports drinks don’t contain caffeine, they do contain a lot of sugar. Too much of these sugary drinks can cause obesity and tooth decay. Sports drinks can help provide sodium lost in sweat during a workout and the sugar in them can increase the energy level, but it should only be used after an hour of an intense workout.
What do the pediatricians suggest children and teens drink instead? They recommend two glasses of low-fat milk each day, one or two glasses of juice, and good old water – and a lot of it.