Children And Teenagers Should Never Drink Energy Drinks, Doctors Say

Energy Drinks Put to Much Stress on Growing Bodies

Energy drinks are potent mixtures of amino acids and caffeine. A can of Red Bull, for instance, contains only a little less caffeine than a cup of espresso. The tiny can of the energy-boosting, refreshing drink also manages to pack in 27 grams of sugar along with vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and the amino acid taurine, and it's not even an especially high-carb energy drink. The manufacturers of Red Bull add a chemical called glucoronolactone to sustain the sugar high for a couple of hours—at which point the user will be ready for another can of Red Bull.

Children who drink energy drinks, however, seldom read the labels. Consider the contrast between these real product evaluations (slightly modified to protect the privacy of the children who reviewed them) of popular energy drinks and a nutritional analysis of their ingredients.

"Monster Energy XXL is, like, awesome. When you see it, it takes you a second that nobody is there to cue the angelic harp music (referring to the angels who get their wings from Red Bull in the Red Bull ads). The electric green on the black can reminds me of the Superbowl."

Monster Energy XXL is formulated with gurana, a South American herb that contains not just caffeine but other alkaloids that increase alertness without necessarily improving attention.

"Rockstar Energy drink has to be a diet drink because all rock stars are always on diets. It says you can party like a rock star and everybody knows rock stars don't get fat. I know it's OK because there's no sugar in it."

Every can of Rockstar Energy actually contains 58 grams of sugar, as much as two ice cream cones or two small jelly donuts. The product also contains taurine and eleuthero extract. This herbal extract keeps the body from breaking down testosterone, the hormone that is responsible for acne breaking out on teenage skin.

"Sobe Adrenalin Rush is like drinking the syrup from the bottom of a can of crushed pineapple. It's way to high in sugar for me. At $1.99 a can, I never buy it. But at $1.49 a can it's a real bargain."

Actually, Sobe Adrenalin Rush, at just 37 grams of sugar per can, is not quite as high in sugar as other, more popular energy drinks. Sobe Adrenalin Rush includes gurana, eleuthero, and taurine.

"XS Energy Blast is for health fans. It contains no sugar and no caffeine. And at $27 for 12 cans, it's just $1.50 a can. Way cheap!"

XS Energy Blast gets its energy blast from caffeine, although it actually is sugar-free. It is not advertised as helping people who drink it improve their math skills.

Maybe minors who drink energy drinks really don't always understand the labeling. But why do doctors think energy drinks are potentially dangerous?

Doctors Fear Energy Drinks Push Vulnerable Children Over the Edge

Dr. Holly Benjamin, pediatrician who worked on the new American Academy of Pediatrics report, told Reuter's Health that children never need energy drinks. "If you drink them on a regular basis, it stresses the body. You don't want to stress the body of anyone who is growing."

Sugar and caffeine are only part of the stress energy drinks put on the body. Part of the problem with energy drinks is that they provide a mixture of herb extracts, amino acids, and vitamins, plus substances like glucoronolactone that break down into sugars and vitamins, that may stress the liver's detoxification pathways in ways that doctors don't yet understand.

Gurana, for instance, contains caffeine and also the chemicals theobromine and theophylline. Theobromine is the component of dark chocolate that makes the skin break out. Theophylline is better known as a treatment for asthma.

Even small amounts of theophylline make the heart beat faster and harder. It increases blood flow to the kidneys, leading to more frequent need to urinate, and stimulates the respiratory centers of the brain. One way of describing theophylline's effects on the brain is to explain that it causes heavy breathing, without a teen's usual reasons for heavy breathing.

Theophylline is cleared out the bloodstream by the liver with the help of an enzyme called P450 1A2. The liver has a limited amount of this enzyme. It may have enough P450 1A2 to detoxify the theophylline in one can of a gurana-based beverage, or even two, but the third can may cause bloodstream levels of theophylline to soar. The result can be the drinker feels as if he or she is having a heart attack. The heart pounds, it is not possible to breathe fast enough to feel comfortable, and the bladder fills up over and over again.

Someone who drinks just one or two cans of this energy drink may have no ill effects at all. But someone who who drinks three or four cans of this energy drink, or who takes another drug that the liver processes with the same enzyme (such as medications for asthma or ADHD), may get very sick.

It is not unheard of for children and teens to be admitted to the hospital for detoxing after drinking too many energy drinks. The soft drink Mountain Dew combined with energy drinks is a common culprit.

Pediatricians are reporting cases of delusions, dementia, seizures, and damage to the heart, liver, and kidney in children who abuse energy drinks. The problem is not likely to show up if the child drinks just one energy drink a day. But if the child is buying 12-packs and cases of energy drinks, parents need to watch out for complications.

What should kids drink instead of energy drinks? Sugar-sweetened soft drinks really are not a good substitute. Real fruit juice in water or a standard electrolyte drink like Gatorade is OK after participating in sports in hot water. But most children should get only one energy drink a day, and if they take medication for asthma or ADHD, no energy drinks at all.