Sports and energy drinks are a large and growing beverage industry that aim to market to children and adolescents for a variety of uses. Sports drinks suggest optimization of athletic performance and replacement of fluid and electrolyte loss. Whereas, energy drinks suggest energy boosts, decreased fatigue levels and enhanced concentration and mental alertness. The primary objective of this report is to help improve education on the differences between sports and energy drinks and how to eliminate inappropriate uses by children and young adults.
Caffeine, the primary ingredient in energy drinks, has been shown to enhance physical performance in adults by increasing aerobic endurance and strength, improving reaction time, and delaying fatigue. However, these effects are extremely variable, dose dependent, and, most importantly, have not been studied in children and adolescents. Ergogenic effects have been reported with doses of 3 to 6 mg/kg, with some adult athletes reaching daily caffeine intakes of up to 13 mg/kg. Notable effects of caffeine intake are an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, speech rate, motor activity, attentiveness, gastric secretion, diuresis, and temperature. Caffeine can increase anxiety in those with anxiety disorders, play a role in triggering dangerous heart arrhythmias, and disturb regulated sleeping patterns.
The study noticed a heightened awareness of the risks of caffeine use, abuse, and even toxicity in children and adolescents. For example, in 2005, the American Association of Poison Control Centers reported more than 4600 calls regarding caffeine, with 2600 of these calls involving patients younger than 19 years old and 2345 patients requiring treatment.
Sports drinks have an important, specific role in the diet of young athletes who are engaged in prolonged vigorous sports activity—primarily to rehydrate and replenish carbohydrate, electrolytes, and water lost during exercise. However, the confusion about energy drinks versus sports drinks in children and adolescents can lead to unintentional ingestion of energy drinks. Using energy drinks instead of sports drinks for rehydration can result in ingestion of potentially large amounts of caffeine or other stimulant substances and the adverse effects previously described.
COMMITTEE ON NUTRITION AND THE COUNCIL ON SPORTS MEDICINE AND FITNESS. Adolescents: Are They Appropriate? Clinical Report – Sports Drinks and Energy Drinks for Children and Adolescents: Are They Appropriate? Pediatrics, 127 (6): 1182-1189, 2011. https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/127/6/1182/30098/Sports-Drinks-and-Energy-Drinks-for-Children-and?autologincheck=redirected
This is a really interesting topic especially how caffeine is very prevalent and useful, but the risks aren't talked about as much. I also thought it was interesting how there were many calls to the Poison Control Centers regarding caffeine ingestion and how many of them required treatment. Sports drinks have also been advertised as healthy and beneficial for exercising, but there are still some debates as if they really are efficient for athletic performance. I found another article that tests coconut water as another sports drink alternative for cyclers. It seems to be a natural and healthy alternative, since the researchers found that coconut water had similar results with cycling performance and physiological responses compared to a sports drink.
ReplyDeleteO’Brien, B. J., Bell, L. R., Hennessy, D., Denham, J., & Paton, C. D. (2023). Coconut water: A sports drink alternative? Sports, 11(9), 183. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports11090183
This blog got me thinking about how sports drinks and energy drinks seem almost synonymous in the market today. The differences are not easily identifiable and these products are easy to access for many. Are there any moves by the FDA or any other association for these companies to be more explicit about the side effects? I found another journal that mentioned additional side effects such as higher video game use, sugar-sweetened beverage intake, and even smoking (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1499404614000827). Another journal mentioned pediatricians notifying parents about the differences and side effects, but I feel that additional actions are required. Energy drinks can indeed be beneficial, but the side effects and the AAPCC data are concerning.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting and relevant topic to me. I drink caffeine practically every day and this article opened my eyes about how I could better regulate the amount that I drink on daily basis. I found an article by pubmed which states that almost 85% of Americans drink a caffeinated beverage every day, it also states that there are many efforts in place to help reduce the amount of caffeine consumed on a daily basis.
ReplyDeleteMitchell DC;Knight CA;Hockenberry J;Teplansky R;Hartman TJ; (n.d.). Beverage caffeine intakes in the U.S. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24189158/