Don't Let Your Child Consume Energy Drinks

Do you or your children drink any of the many energy drinks on the market, either at home or when playing sports?  Did you know that one serving of some of these drinks offer the caffine equivalent of 14 sodas? These drinks offer potential dangers to anyone drinking them on a regular basis and to children drinking them, period.  I offer an excerpt from the following study:

Energy drinks pose potential health risks for children and adolescents primarily because of the stimulant content in the drinks, according to a new clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) offering guidelines for use of energy drinks and sports drinks in this age group.

The new recommendations state that energy drinks should never be consumed by children or adolescents, although they are being marketed to this age group for a wide variety of inappropriate uses.

The AAP report was published online May 29 and will appear in the June issue of Pediatrics.

"There is a lot of confusion about sports drinks and energy drinks, and adolescents are often unaware of the differences in these products," said Marcie Beth Schneider, MD, FAAP, a member of the AAP Committee on Nutrition and coauthor of the report, in a news release. "Some kids are drinking energy drinks — containing large amounts of caffeine — when their goal is simply to rehydrate after exercise. This means they are ingesting large amounts of caffeine and other stimulants, which can be dangerous."


Pediatrics. 2011;127:1182-1189

Dr. Esther
drkollars@gmail.com

<ahref=http://fixdhealthcare.com>