In Good Health: The Effect of Energy Drinks On Children And Adolescents

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🗓️ 30 August 2024

⏱️ 37 minutes

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Summary

It's back to school season, which means America's students are back to studying. And some kids are turning to energy drinks to handle their workload.

But energy drinks aren't the same as your morning cup of coffee. In one serving, there's way more caffeine and other ingredients to enhance the "energizing" effect. But that's nothing new. They've been around for years, with flashy branding and the promise of a quick jolt of activity. But they might not be the healthiest option for those of us whose bodies are just beginning to develop.

Doctors advise against children drinking them, yet between 30 and 50 percent of adolescents do.

For this installment of our "In Good Health" series, we break down down what exactly an energy drink is and how they interact with the bodies of young people.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Christian nationalists want to turn America into a theocracy, a government under biblical rule.
0:07.0	If they gain more power, it could mean fewer rights for you.
0:12.0	I'm Heath Drusen and on the new season of Extremely
0:15.0	American I'll take you inside the movement. Listen to Extremely American
0:19.8	from Boise State Public Radio, part of the NPR Network. It's back to school season, which means studying and after school activities.
0:36.0	Some young people are turning to energy drinks to get through the workload.
0:40.0	But energy drinks aren't the same as your morning cup of coffee.
0:43.6	Sometimes they have greater amounts of caffeine in one can.
0:47.0	Doctors advise against children drinking them,
0:50.0	yet between 30 and 50 percent of adolescents do, that's according to one study published in the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
0:58.0	This isn't a new concern. In fact, it's been around for years.
1:01.0	It even got the attention of the 2013 Senate Committee on Commerce,
1:04.8	Science and Transportation. More than 10 years later, the energy drink industry is abundant.
1:11.2	Monsters, Red Bulls, and rock stars aren't the only drinks on the market.
1:15.1	Last year, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called on the Food and Drug Administration
1:19.2	to investigate the Prime Energy Drink brand for its marketing practices and high levels of caffeine.
1:25.2	You shared your own energy drink experiences with us too.
1:28.0	My name is Heidi and I heard the statistics today regarding youth and their energy drink consumption and was shocked.
1:35.0	When I was in my 20s I remember trying out Red Bull and I had two cans in one day and my heart literally skipped beats for three days straight.
1:47.3	It was honestly so concerning that I would now as a parent I badly don't want my children to consume those drinks.
1:57.0	I have 15 and 12 year old sons and we never allow them to have those drinks as a result of the experience I had.
2:05.0	Thanks for that message.
	...

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