Experts at major health organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) agree: ENERGY DRINKS ARE BAD FOR KIDS.
Brand names like Red Bull, Monster Energy, Bang, Rockstar, and 5-Hour Energy are the market leaders in this realm. While all of these companies claim to offer boosted momentum and vigor, some, like Celsius, Alani Nu, Guayaki Yerba Mate, and ZOA, claim to be “healthy” and provide “natural energy” since their ingredient lists include lower sugar content, caffeine sources like green tea, coffee beans, yerba mate tree leaf extract, and they contain added vitamins and electrolytes. Don’t be fooled by this marketing campaign.
Regardless of how they are advertised, energy drinks tend to contain high levels of caffeine, sugar, and stimulants. Caffeine is a known trigger for anxiety, jitters, insomnia, heart disease (arrhythmias, elevated blood pressure), appetite suppression, and chemical dependence. High sugar in the diet contributes to weight gain, dental cavities, and Type 2 Diabetes risk. Some of these drinks also contain stimulants like taurine (which can cause GI upset), guarana (a stimulant banned for NCAA athletes), and L-carnitine (whose side-effects include diarrhea and heartburn). Some studies even link long-term consumption of these substances with severe outcomes including aggressive behavior, mood swings, and suicidal thoughts.
Experts advise children under 12 years of age to avoid caffeine entirely and teens (aged 12-18) should limit intake to under 100mg daily. The recommended upper limit for caffeine intake for adults is 400 mg a day. For reference, an 8-ounce cup of coffee has 95mg of caffeine, green tea has 50mg, and matcha (a standard 2gm serving) has 70gm. Energy drinks can have more than three times the caffeine of a standard cup of coffee in one serving. Bang contains 300mg of caffeine, 5-Hour Energy has 200mg, Rockstar has 160mg with 63grams of sugar, Monster has 160mg of caffeine plus 54 grams of sugar, and Mt. Dew Rise has 180mg of caffeine with 3 grams of sugar.
Energy drinks are widely available and heavily marketed– to the tune of over $50 billion in profits annually– especially toward teens and young adults, touting benefits like increased concentration, endurance, and hydration. In fact, caffeine’s effects often last 4-6 hours, but in some people can persist for up to 10 hours, interrupting natural circadian rhythms and causing sleep difficulties. And energy drinks are not a substitute for water and should never be used for hydration.
Sleepiness is the body’s way of signaling that more rest is needed. For children, consuming caffeine masks that natural indicator, leading to fewer sleep hours, which can interrupt executive functioning, slow cognitive processing, and disrupt normal growth. The benefits don’t outweigh the risks when it comes to energy drinks. The short-term and long-term consequences of exposure to the chemicals in these products can be severe and damaging.
