Okay, so the other evening, my son and I drop into our local CVS store for ice cream. Gathered around the entrance is a group of eight to ten middle-school-aged boys on their bikes. While in the store, I notice that the boys are streaming into the store in pairs and buying very tall cans of energy drinks. I think it is amusing that several of them have to ask the store clerk to help them remove the twist tops from the cans. I wonder if the cans have a child-proof safety cap to keep youngsters away from the contents. It is striking to me that at about 7:30 p.m., these boys are filling their stomachs with huge amounts of drink that promises to keep them going, primarily, I now know, with caffeine. Energyfiend.com’s caffeine database says that the drink I saw the boys buy (and they all bought the same drink) has between 135 to 240 milligrams of caffeine per can. How in the world are these kids going to ever get a good night’s sleep after downing a monster-sized 24 ounce energy drink in the wee hours of the night?
As it turns out, energy drinks probably should, according to experts, have child-proof safety locks, because they are unfit for the children and teens who seem to love them so much. According to a recent study reported in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, 30 to 50% of teens and young adults surveyed said that they regularly consumed energy drinks. And this Montana teen, who suffered a seizure from his consumption of energy drinks, says lots of kids are drinking as much as 4 and 5 cans a day. Yikes, this is very scary considering the pediatrician and dietitian warnings that these drinks can have serious side effects, especially for children, teens and young adults with seizures, diabetes, cardiac abnormalities, mood and behavioral disorders, or those who take certain medications. The Journal study says the high caffeine content of some of these drinks is associated with heart palpitations, seizures, strokes and even sudden death.
Sudden Death! Last December, Anais Fournier drank two 24-ounce energy drinks at the mall. She had a mild heart condition. And the next day, Anais went into cardiac arrest. When she downed the two 24-ounce Monster drinks (and all 480 milligrams of caffeine contained therein), she had consumed as much caffeine as about 14 cans of coke. According to MSNBC’s Today.com, that amount of caffeine is nearly five times the limit recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Though Anais had a heart condition and the Monster Company denies that their drink was solely responsible for her death, her’s is a cautionary tale for parents and kids everywhere. Just as the consumption of energy drinks has spiked in the last few years, so, according the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, have emergency room visits due to caffeine overdoses. There has been a more than 1,000 percent increase in ERs visits across the country involving energy drinks since 2005–from 1,128 visits in 2005 to 16,055 in 2008 and 13,114 in 2009. For kids, say pediatricians, energy drinks should not be consumed casually, constantly or in large amounts. The authors of the Journal study believe that energy drinks pose a big enough risk to be regulated like tobacco and alcohol.
What parents need to know is that:
- Manufacturers are not required to list the caffeine content in their drinks, so we consumers don’t really know the true amount in the cans we buy. This makes it difficult for parents to monitor and for kids to self-regulate.
- Energy drinks have no therapeutic benefit. And since little is known about the pharmacology of their contents—what effects they may have on children and how they interact with other pharmaceuticals (prescription meds)– they pose a danger especially for kids who buy them without their parent’s knowledge.
- In addition to the large amounts of caffeine in these drinks, other added ingredients (like taurine and guarana) also have stimulant properties of their own.
- The marketing of these drinks, which suggests that they are nutritional and beneficial, adds to the risk of over-consumption and overdose by children and teens.
So, as always…buyer beware!
And as if this is not enough bad news about energy drinks…there’s more. Another energy drink trend that poses health risks for young adults and teens is what medical experts are calling AMED (alcohol-mixed-with-energy-drinks) or energy drink cocktails. This is a very popular practice among tired college students who often either drink energy drinks for an extra energy pick-up before they go out to bars, or increasingly popular, they combine energy drinks and alcohol, like Red Bull and Vodka.
According to WebMed.com, University of Florida researchers say, “consumers of energy drinks may drink more [alcohol] and misjudge their capabilities because caffeine reduces drowsiness felt by more intoxicated people.” They describe the condition as “wide awake and drunk.” The Florida study showed that college drinkers who drank energy drinks along with alcohol: had higher breath alcohol concentrations; drank for longer periods of time; and left the bar later than students who only consumed alcohol. They warn that students combine energy drinks and alcohol often with the mistaken belief that the energy drinks will counteract the depressant effect of the alcohol. But, experts say, this is not true. “Stimulants actually aggravate intoxication.”
So students should be aware that they are putting themselves at risk when they consume energy drink cocktails. Because they believe they are less intoxicated, they are more likely to drink more, increasing the risk of alcohol poisoning. And they are more likely to believe that they are capable of driving, because they feel more alert.
Parents might want to encourage their children and teens to limit their consumption of energy drinks by informing them of the risks. Tell them to pay attention to the advertising of these beverages and not just mindlessly absorb the marketing that often misleads kids into believing energy drinks are a healthful, wholesome choice.