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Most children and adolescents do not need sports drinks according to a clinical report published in the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The report also finds that energy drinks are never appropriate for children or teenagers– water should be the primary beverage choice.
"There is a lot of confusion about sports drinks and energy drinks, and adolescents are often unaware of the differences in these products," said Dr. Marcie Beth Schneider, a member of the AAP Committee on Nutrition and co-author of the report.
"Some kids are drinking energy drinks – containing large amounts of caffeine – when their goal is simply to rehydrate after exercise,” she said. “This means they are ingesting large amounts of caffeine and other stimulants, which can be dangerous.”
Sports drinks often suggest optimization of athletic performance, as well as replacement of fluid and electrolytes lost from exercise. They often contain carbohydrates, vitamins and electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium.
Energy drinks suggest enhanced concentration and mental alertness. Aside from caffeine, these often contain stimulants like guarana, ginseng, taurine, with varying amounts of carbohydrates, vitamins, proteins and amino acids.
1st, any parent that gives their kids an energy drink after exercise is dumb!
2nd, there is nothing wrong with giving your kid Gatorade, if that's the only source of sugar he/she gets other than normal amounts i mean.
I agree, @Ernest: TONS of empty calories. I was reading the label on Arizona's enery drink. 29 gms of sugar PER SERVING! and there were THREE servings in the can! 90 grams of sugar? And who's not going to drink the whole can (about 12 oz). So you get quick energy from the sugar THEN you get the fallout after the sugar high. I put it back on the shelf
Do pro athletes with energy drink endorsements present "bad" role models for children/adolescents? Does LeBron James metabolize energy drinks the same way a 12 year old does? Even if that 12 year old is in sports and plays hard and perspires a lot, losing fluids/electrolytes??
Read the labels and understand what the ingredients are. As the article said, ingredients like guarana, taurine and ginseng might sound exotic and healthy but they are stimulants just like sugar and caffeine. How many ways can you say sugar? high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, sucrose, etc? They are all sugars and all stimulants. Watering drinks down may mean that you'll get less of these per volume, but these ingredients are still there
This is good advice except fo the the milk endorsement, that is unless they are expecting cows to read this. I would recommend milk for baby cows.
Finally a post that shamelessly advertises Dr. Bill Toth's Blog. Because putting "Dr." before your name on the internet (and to a lesser extent, TV) makes you a trustworthy authority on a wide variety of subjects you should prolly consult real doctors for. Not to mention the profits from becoming a bestselling author on the side.
Even adults should limit energy drink intake, not only are these drinks high in caffeine, they are full of empty calories. Many Americans get as much as 30% of their calories by drinking them, via energy drinks, sports drinks, milk shakes, & sodas. Sports drinks & energy drinks, just like soda are high in acidity, which is hard on your teeth. I quit drinking soda, & I found out that the up and down swing between being tired & alert I would experience throughout the day due to the sugar highs & lows went away. The only time one should drink a sports drink is, when one is engaged in physical activities like sports, and one needs to replenish electrolytes. Likewise, energy drinks should only be taken occasionally, such as you asked to work late and simply need to stay alert. You however should not make them a regular part of your diet, for you will end up on the up at night, tired in the morning, yo yo. The acidity in energy drinks can also be hard on your stomach as well, which is another reason they should be used sparingly, and children shouldn't drink them.
I believe kids these days are over stimulated with drugs,technology,games,movies and energy drinks! Give them what are Parents gave us in the "Old Days" a drink from the hose or the old standby Kool-Aid!
I know everyone is different, but why should a child or Teen need an Energy drink. I had all the energy in the world until I turned 41? My daughters friend drinks them, her grandm buys them for her. I asked her why and she stated that she needed Energy. WHY????? you are 13????
The following facts from SAMHSA are enough to suggest that energy drinks be regulated. Big and I mean HUGE MONEY will try to control this issue. The chemicals in these drinks ARE DANGEROUS to youth! Come on when Pediatricians step up and
warn us that the industries are marketing poison to our children are we not going to listen! It is my rights as an American to
have the pursuit happiness, when our government doesn't regulate what could potentially make my children ill, that right is
being infringed upon. I am sadden to see so many parents who cannot see that is what is needed. I am sure though left to their own devices so many people would be still smoking in Movie Theaters. Sometimes people need guidance, and I believe that is my governments job! In 2009, 2.9 million youth (12.0 percent) received treatment or counseling for problems with emotions or behavior in a specialty mental health setting (inpatient or outpatient care). The most likely reason for receiving services was feeling depressed (46.0 percent), followed by having problems with home or family (27.8 percent), breaking rules and “acting out†(26.1 percent), and thinking about or attempting suicide (20.7 percent). The chemicals in these drinks
exasperate all of these issues, while children who were potentially having mental health issue, but may not have within healthy settings can be triggered. Children with undiagnosed heart issues, have died! Wake Up I know it's early but, lets take care of this now!
Finally a post that backs up common sense and recommends water. Live With Intention, DrBillToth.com/blog
It is easy to say the parents should be responsible and I do agree with that but!!!!!!!!!!
I have a 7 year old daughter that goes to school and came home with an energy drink that is in a vending machine at her school. I sent in money for pizza day and she came home with one . I think they should be banned from schools all together. I have no problem saying no when she asks for them but she isn't always with me.
Is this article also talking about Whey shakes post workout? It don't contain caffaine and that much sugar. I don't drink energy drinks, I just drink whey after lifting weights (not after cardio or in meals). Is it still harmful?
As a responsible parent, I know that letting my 12 year old drink caffeine-loaded crap is not healthy, so I don't. But Gatorade? When my child is training for two hours a day be it swimming or football, bikes 6 miles every single weekday, water just doesn't cut it. He eats clean and healthy but when it comes time to hydrate, that Gatorade does what water can't. If the intent is to raise awareness, then by all means, educate, but for me and mine, we're sticking with what works.
I think that it is absolutely AWESOME that the movie "Idiocracy" is becoming more of a reality on daily basis!!!
Great information, I will be passing this on to my clients and staff.
I'm failing to find anything in the article which goes along with the sensationalized headline and tweet. Quite poor journalism.
I would be far more concerned about adhd meds. I do agree kids should not be drinking energy drinks or soft drinks with a lot of stimulants. As a 35 year old i like to drink energy drinks on occasion and have had no problems with them.
Actually it has nothing to do with the government. This is a recommendation/position of the American Academy of Pediatrics, a non-government body. What you are whining about basically is, that doctors who have devoted their careers have looked into something and found that it is unhealthy for children, and they have released a statement to that effect. And you resent it. You'd really rather not know what is healthy and unhealthy. Perhaps the reason for this is that you are stupid and arrogant.
What are these drinks? Is it Gatorade, Powerade, Red Bull, Vitamin Water, etc? All of these? Some of these? None of them are any good for anything? If you dilute them can they actually do some good, or are they useless in their entirety?
Check this out. I don tknow about gatorade.
Why do kids need energy drinks when most of them sit on their whale butts without moving for hours playing video games every day. I could understand it if they were actually being useful to their families by doing chores or helping to take care of their younger brothers and sisters.
Don't let your kids drink stuff full of caffeine and sugar. Duh. If you know what's good for YOU.
If something is not good for children, it's not good for children. This is not an issue of politics.
This article is about education parents, not making anything illegal. There are lots of parents that don't realize how much sugar and caffiene are in those drinks.
Just wait, soon you'll have to be 21 to buy a Gatorade or Red bull, or maybe they should just make them change the formula like they did to Four Loko. Thank goodness I have my government to babysit me.
lol
Katy, I am gonna go out on a limb here and say the original poster was completely kidding. That would put your reaction, in the same category of ridiculous as the OP. Tsk tsk. But since we are taking everything as serious as possible, I have a bridge I'd like to sell you…. And this chopper here, it chops everything! Just four small payments of 54.99….
Are you crazy? That is illegal, a minor "drinking", i do not care if you were kidding, this is not the place to do that.
If you keep this behavior up, your child could suffer many medical problems growing up. Wait and see, then you
will look back to this and say to yourself, "wow, i really messed up my life", and if you tell your child what you did
to them as a kid, hopefully they will never forgive you. You are not a good parent at all, someone should call Child
Protective Services on you.