Energy drinks are becoming very popular very fast, and here are a few facts you may want to consider before you let your children consume them.
The information below has been taken from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_drink
Here are some of the DESIRABLE affects of energy drinks.
- A variety of physiological and psychological effects attributed to energy drinks and/or their ingredients have been investigated. Two studies reported significant improvements in mental and cognitive performances as well as increased subjective alertness.
- During repeated cycling tests in young healthy adults an energy drink significantly increased upper body muscle endurance. It was also suggested that reversal of caffeine withdrawal is a major component of the effects of caffeine on mood and performance.
- Restorative properties were shown by a combination of caffeine and CHO in an energy drink. Some degree of synergy between the cognition-modulating effects of glucose and caffeine was also suggested.
- A glucose based energy drink (containing caffeine, taurine, and glucuronolactone) was given to 11 sleepy participants being tested in a driving simulator. Lane drifting and reaction times were measured for two hours post-treatment and showed significant improvement.
- Two articles concluded that the improved information processing and other effects could not be explained in terms of the estoration of plasma caffeine levels to normal following caffeine withdrawal.
Here are some of the adverse affects of energy drinks.
- Around the USA, the drinks have been linked with reports of nausea, abnormal heart rhythms and emergency room visits.
- Energy drinks may cause seizures due to the "crash" following the energy high that occurs after consumption. France banned the popular energy drink Red Bull after the death of eighteen-year-old athlete Ross Cooney, who died after he played a basketball game after consuming four cans of the drink. The French Scientific Committee (J.D. Birkel) concluded that Red Bull has excessive amounts of caffeine. Denmark also banned Red Bull. Britain investigated the drink, but only issued a warning against its use by pregnant women.
- Here is a list of energy drinks and their contents: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_energy_drinks
As you can see although the energy drinks have some positive qualities, they do not seem apporiate for young children. In this article, Doctors have expressed their worries about the caffine levels in some and the effects on young people.
...Nutritionists warn that the drinks, laden with caffeine and sugar, can hook kids on an unhealthy jolt-and-crash cycle. The caffeine comes from multiple sources, making it hard to tell how much the drinks contain. Some have B vitamins, which when taken in megadoses can cause rapid heartbeat, and numbness and tingling in the hands and feet.
But the biggest worry is how some teens use the drinks. Some report downing several cans in a row to get a buzz, and a new study found a surprising number of poison-center calls from young people getting sick from too much caffeine.
Danger only adds to the appeal, said Bryan Greenberg, a marketing consultant and an assistant professor of marketing at Elizabethtown College.
"Young people need to break away from the bonds of adults and what society thinks is right,'' he said. They've grown up watching their parents drink Starbucks coffee, and want their own version. Heart palpitations aren't likely to scare them off......
Hopefully this will give some insight into the world of energy drinks and make you think a little more about buying you child a Red Bull, Amp, or RockStar when you go to the store.
-This article was written by Creston Radio Intern Alyssa Weis
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