January 2015
SanTan
FAMILY FUN
1
Kids and energy drinks: A potentially dangerous combination
“An award-winning publication” A publication of the
SanTan Sun News
By Alison Stanton
What’s inside Pages 2, 3, 5 SanTan Family Fun Calendar
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Page 7 Friday Night Franks celebrates western lifestyle
Page 12 Sponsored by City of Chandler Recreation Division
Like many parents, Renee Gerber shuttles her three kids between various sports-related activities. To prep for the athletic events, Gerber’s 16-year-old son Brady, and daughters, Regan, 12, and Reese, 9, munch on healthy snacks or down bottles of water. She doesn’t allow them, however, to consume energy drinks. “My kids never even ask for them because I have made it very clear to them that they do not need them and that I do not think that they are good for your body,” Gerber says. The National Institutes of Health quotes a study that found 28 percent of 12- to 14-year-old kids, 31 percent of 12- to 17-year-old students, and 34 percent of 18- to 24-year-old young adults reported regularly consuming energy drinks. A few studies have been also conducted that focus on deaths directly related to energy drinks, according to the NIH. Dr. Rick Singh, area medical director for the East Valley NextCare urgent care clinics, says he applauds parents like Gerber. Singh, who practices in Chandler, says the risks of energy drinks far outweigh any potential benefits. He says the combination of high doses of caffeine plus herbal ingredients can cause kids and teenagers to suffer from cardiovascular-related side effects like heart palpitations. Singh says he recently read a study that found that in a three-year period, more than 40 percent of poison control centers across the country got calls about kids younger than age 6 having a negative reaction to energy drinks that they found in the home and unintentionally consumed. “The calls were about caffeine and its side effects, as well as possible neurological symptoms like seizures,” he says. Cardiovascular issues could potentially lead to death, Singh adds. “Parents of kids who are less than 6 years old should keep energy drinks away from them and store them up high on a shelf like they would bleach or medications,” he says.
The herbal ingredients found in most energy drinks are also a concern, Singh says. “They contain herbal products that were not really well-studied either, and when incorporating these ingredients along with caffeine, you can get even more side effects.” In addition to cardiovascular symptoms, Singh says teens who consume an excessive amount of caffeine can have problems with sleeping, acid reflux and gastritis. These issues are so commonplace that Singh asks the parents of patients with sleeping issues if they are consuming energy drinks. Singh is also concerned about the dangers of caffeine powder products, which he says, has the equivalent of 20 cups of coffee. They have been linked to death, too.
had a negative impact on her adult son. Like Gerber, she will not allow her younger children to drink them. “It’s just way too much caffeine ingested in a short amount of time. Then their heart rates get too fast, their hands get shaky and they get nauseous, and then they have a caffeine crash,” she says. In addition to healthy snacks, Gerber says if her kids complain about being low on energy before a game or competition, she suggests that they take a short “power nap.” “Brady and Regan also listen to music prior to anything. They usually listen to something upbeat that gets them motivated and that picks them up.” Alison Stanton is a freelance writer who lives in the East Valley. She can be reached at alison@santansun.com.
Singh says he recently read a study that found that in a three-year period, more than 40 percent of poison control centers across the country got calls about kids younger than age 6 having a negative reaction to energy drinks that they found in the home and unintentionally consumed. Old-fashioned hydration is the healthiest and most effective way to boost energy levels. Water and Gatorade are ideal choices, he says. “Being hydrated will give them more of an energy boost, so we have to teach kids how to replenish their fluids after a workout,” he says. Proper nutrition and sleep are also extremely important. Debi Duvall, a group leader at Weight Watchers Kiowa Village in Gilbert, says she has seen for herself how energy drinks as well as caffeine have
Resources • www.kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_center/ healthy_eating/power_drinks.html • www.cbsnews.com/news/kids-and-energydrinks-a-dangerous-mix/ • www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC3065144/