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Energy drinks appeal to the young, not such a good thing
Filed under: Teens, Health & Safety: Babies, Nutrition: Health, Media, Gadgets
Last winter my son returned home from a day of snowboarding with more random energy than I had ever seen in him. Not only was he talking a mile a minute but he was also pacing back and forth. I asked what he had done, crossing my fingers that it wasn't too scary, and he confessed that he had consumed a Coke, two red Bulls and a two Monster energy drinks. I was so upset that I almost hit the roof. No, it wasn't as bad as a mother's worst nightmare, but those drinks are not good for kids. As mentioned in this article, energy drinks are packed with everything from caffeine to large amounts of sugar to huge doses of vitamin B. Kids are prone to down several of these cans in a row which can result in rapid heart rates and caffeine overdosing. The rush is a large part of the appeal of these drinks. Marketed in particular to young boys and men, these drinks offer the promise of enhanced energy and increased athletic performance.
I did a little research into the ingredients of Monster, Red Bull, Rock Star and Coke. I showed my son just how much caffeine each drink had in relation to a cup of coffee. Some of the drinks had the caffeine content of four cups of coffee. We discovered that on the day of his intake he had consumed the equivalent of 12 cups of coffee. That nugget of information stopped him cold in his tracks. He said he would never dream of drinking even just one cup of coffee because it was gross. Knowing that he had consumed far more than that was enough to call him off of energy drinks. He still drinks the occasional Coke, but he no loner drinks any of the others.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
11-03-2006 @ 7:03PM
Lea said...Can you believe there's a new one *actually named* Cocaine? I posted about it recently on my blog.
Ick. Not the right message, by a long shot, besides all the caffeine.
- L
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11-03-2006 @ 7:46PM
Amber said...I believe some of the ingredients in these drinks to be addicting.When I was in high school ten years ago the first energy drink I ever had came out.It was called Josta.It had caffiene and guarana in it.To this day coffee has little to no effct on me.If I want a pick me up I have to have one or two energy drinks containing guarana.I have no problem with them for adults.But teens only see them as pop not danger.
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11-04-2006 @ 9:00AM
VL said...That's awesome that your son was so open to your advice. Your relationship continues to amaze me!
Energy drinks are so unhealthy. I never drink them. A couple cups of coffee in the morning, and an occasional coke in the afternooon is all I can handle and still sleep at night. I remember a couple of all-nighters in college though, full of coffee and no-doze.
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11-16-2006 @ 4:28AM
Jenna said...This trend is a travesty that should be halted in its tracks! COCAINE energy drinks!?!? The "legal alternative"!!!! ... !!! ... What's next, "Liquid Meth?"
Oh my God! Already, several stores and (I think) states have banned the purchase of energy drinks using food stamps because of the amount of grocery budgets gobbled up by these expensive drinks.
These companies ought to be ashamed of themselves, but apparently raking in billions has a numbing effect on one's conscience. This is only going to get worse until the federal government steps in and treats these beverages like alcohol and tobacco, imposing age restrictions and prohibiting the purchase of these drinks with food stamps across the board.
I think it's no coincidence that RockStar's website has the number 69 in its URL. This adds a little splash of (almost subconscious) sex appeal to their marketing tactics. I hope that people wake up and see these products for what they are -- addictive, dangerous substances to be consumed in moderation (if at all) and NOT by our children.
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