Best to limit caffeine and energy drinks
DEAR DOCTOR: My teenager drinks a lot of soda and energy drinks. I recently read that a teenager died after only three caffeinated drinks. How can this be? How much is too much?
DEAR READER: The increase in caffeine consumption coincides with the frenetic pace of modern life. Not too long ago, the majority of Americans caffeinated themselves with a cup of coffee at a diner, coffeehouse, home or work. Now, we have national chains of coffee shops; iced coffees and teas in every grocery store, drugstore and gas station; and an array of caffeinated sodas lining the aisles of supermarkets.
Energy drinks have rapidly permeated our culture. Not only do they contain caffeine, they include stimulants such as taurine, guarana and ginseng, as well as large amounts of sugar. These energy drinks are marketed to young adults, especially men, to help general performance. An estimated 31 percent of those ages 12 to 17 consume energy drinks regularly, with 5 percent of high school students drinking at least one energy drink per day.
It’s possible that caffeine
has a particularly negative effect upon younger people and that the studies tracking older adults haven’t identified an increased death rate in younger people. It’s also possible that older adults who drink caffeine consistently are heartier than their younger counterparts who die for reasons unknown.
This brings us back to teenagers who consume sodas, coffees and energy drinks. There are no good studies for this age range, just the unfortunate case reports of teenagers consuming too many energy drinks and developing life-threatening heart rhythms.
My feeling is that moderation can easily lead to excess within our society, and the best way to deal with this is to describe not only the theoretical risk of sudden death with binge drinking but the obesity and diabetes that sugary drinks can create. I would recommend against buying these drinks for the home — and encouraging your teenager to use only one of these drinks per day.
Robert Ashley, M.D., is an internist and assistant professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.)