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Hey, Kid, Coffee, Red Bull or Coke? Kindergartners Chugging Caffeine Drinks
Filed under: In The News, Health
Coffee is becoming a buzz kill. Credit: Getty Images
It might be time for parents of kindergartners to be buzz kills -- literally -- if they want their 5-year-olds to get any shut eye.
Caffeinated drinks are the beverage du jour for the 5- to 7-year-old set, according to a new study published in the Journal of Pediatrics. And, they're chugging enough caffeine to give adults jitters, the journal says in a release.
Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center surveyed more than 228 kids ages 5 to 12, and found that 5- to 7-year-olds average about 52 milligrams of caffeine a day, the amount equivalent to one Coca-Cola. Their slightly older peers, the 8- to 12-year-olds spiked those numbers up to the equivalent of three Cokes. And, not surprisingly, the more caffeine they drank, the less they slept.
But the researchers found a bright spot: Caffeine didn't lead to bed-wetting, even though caffeine is a diuretic.
The findings suggest parents should keep a closer eye on caffeine consumption, says William Warzak, of the University of Nebraska and co-author of the study.
"Parents should be aware of the potentially negative influence of caffeine on a child's sleep quality and daily functioning," Warzak says in the release.
The researchers found caffeine-charged beverages were readily available to young kids, according to U.S. News & World Report, with soft drinks serving as the biggest culprit.
In a separate study, researchers found that 14 percent of public elementary school students and 38 percent of private elementary school students can buy sugar-sweetened beverages at school, according to the magazine. That study was published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
4-18-2011 @ 6:09PM
swag said...It was better when kids smoked to try to be adult.
Reply
4-19-2011 @ 10:38AM
Maggie Ayre said...Water is the only drink kids and teens should regularly be drinking. Everything else should only be an occassional treat.
www.maggieayre.com
Reply
4-19-2011 @ 1:07PM
Mom of 5 said...So kids shouldn't drink milk either?