 | Perhaps Energy Drinks are serving up far more than parents are bargaining for. |
Are your kids drinking energy drinks? If so, this may change what you're putting in your grocery cart. A recent article in Times shared an alarming finding about the effect of "energy drinks" on children. A new study by the Yale School of Public Health found a link between consumption of energy drinks and hyperactivity and inattention, stating that middle-schoolers who consume sweetened energy drinks are 66% more at risk for hyperactivity than other kids.
While the researchers could not state that the energy drinks caused the hyperactivity and inattentiveness in the kids, they did find correlation. “Despite considering numerous types of beverages in our analyses (eg, soda, fruit drinks), only energy drinks were associated with greater risk of hyperactivity/inattention,” the authors write in the study published in the journal Academic Pediatrics.
"Unlike soda and juice, energy drinks often contain ingredients like guarana and taurine. The researchers say it could be the effect of these ingredients mixed with caffeine that causes problems. “Energy drinks contain large amounts of caffeine, sugar and other ingredients that work synergistically with caffeine. Caffeine may be contributing to this association because the caffeine content of energy drinks is far greater on average than that of soda,” the authors write.
It's a difficult battle for parents, as kids are exposed to extremely strong marketing, despite guidelines by the American Beverage Association recommending energy drink companies not market their products to children. As a parent, you may want to hold firm on this point, and follow the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation limiting your kid's consumption of sweetened beverages and avoiding energy drinks entirely. .
For the complete article, click here
While the researchers could not state that the energy drinks caused the hyperactivity and inattentiveness in the kids, they did find correlation. “Despite considering numerous types of beverages in our analyses (eg, soda, fruit drinks), only energy drinks were associated with greater risk of hyperactivity/inattention,” the authors write in the study published in the journal Academic Pediatrics.
"Unlike soda and juice, energy drinks often contain ingredients like guarana and taurine. The researchers say it could be the effect of these ingredients mixed with caffeine that causes problems. “Energy drinks contain large amounts of caffeine, sugar and other ingredients that work synergistically with caffeine. Caffeine may be contributing to this association because the caffeine content of energy drinks is far greater on average than that of soda,” the authors write.
It's a difficult battle for parents, as kids are exposed to extremely strong marketing, despite guidelines by the American Beverage Association recommending energy drink companies not market their products to children. As a parent, you may want to hold firm on this point, and follow the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation limiting your kid's consumption of sweetened beverages and avoiding energy drinks entirely. .
For the complete article, click here
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