Sports Drinks and Energy Drinks: Not for Kids

The American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Nutrition and Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness published their “Clinical Report – Sports Drinks and Energy Drinks for Children and Adolescents: Are They Appropriate?” 

In today’s blog I am going to merely quote summary statements from that report.  The full text is available free on line and I encourage you to use the reference at the end to access, print and read the full text.  The details and references are stunning.

“Sports drinks and energy drinks are significantly different products, and the terms should not be used interchangeably.”

“Rigorous review and analysis of the literature reveal that caffeine and other stimulant substances contained in energy drinks have no place in the diet of children and adolescents. Furthermore, frequent or excessive intake of caloric sports drinks can substantially increase the risk for overweight or obesity in children and adolescents.”

“With children and adolescents, careful consideration is necessary when selecting a beverage to hydrate before, during, or after exercise and outside of physical activity to prevent excessive sugar and caloric intake that may encourage dental erosion, overweight, and obesity.”

“Children and adolescents should be taught to drink water routinely as an initial beverage of choice as long as daily dietary caloric and other nutrient (e.g., calcium, vitamins) needs are being met. Water is also generally the appropriate first choice for hydration before, during, and after most exercise regimens. Children should have free access to water, particularly during school hours.”

“Sports and energy drinks are not indicated for use during meals or snacks as a replacement for low-fat milk or water.”

“The actual caffeine content for many energy drinks is not easily identified on product packaging or via the Internet. The total amount of caffeine contained in some cans or bottles of energy drinks can exceed 500 mg (equivalent to 14 cans of common caffeinated soft drinks) and is clearly high enough to result in caffeine toxicity. …

Additional concerns regarding the use of caffeine in children include its effects on the developing neurologic and cardiovascular systems and the risk of physical dependence and addiction.  Because of the potentially harmful adverse effects and developmental effects of caffeine, dietary intake should be discouraged for all children.”

“For most children and adolescents, daily electrolyte requirements are met sufficiently by a healthy balanced diet; therefore, sports drinks offer little to no advantage over plain water. During or after participation in short training or competition sessions, athletes generally do not need supplemental electrolyte replacement.”

“Low-fat milk is a good option for use as a post-exercise protein-recovery drink.”

“In general, the use of amino acids in energy drinks in place of traditional dietary sources is not supported by the scientific literature and, therefore, is discouraged for children and adolescents.”

“Given the current epidemic of childhood overweight and obesity, we recommend the elimination of calorie containing beverages from a well-balanced diet, with the exception of low-fat or fat-free milk, because it contains calcium and vitamin D, which are particularly important for young people.”

Want to learn more, check out this link to read the full report:http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2011/05/25/peds.2011-0965

Call us to find out more: 530-878-2358

Bad Teeth...Bad Grades!

A recent study at USC and published in the Journal of Public Health verifies that children with poor oral health have, on average, lower grades. They also miss more days of school due to tooth aches and dental appointments. It also pointed out that parents of these students miss more days of work due to the need to care for their children's dental appointments.

One of the tragedies here is to know this is so simple to prevent, though without adequate information, parents find it difficult to accomplish. An early start (age 1) with good instruction will demonstrate to parents how simple it is to give children an excellent start to a lifetime of good oral health.  Cavity free, healthy, beautiful smiles.

Sports Drinks and Energy Drinks; Not for Kids.

A few weeks ago I wrote a short series of blogs about sports drinks and energy drinks and their inappropriate and contraindicated use by children and adolescents.  Last week the American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Nutrition and Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness published their “Clinical Report – Sports Drinks and Energy Drinks for Children and Adolescents: Are They Appropriate?”  In today’s blog I am going to merely quote summary statements from that report.  The full text is available free on line and I encourage you to use the reference at the end to access, print and read the full text.  The details and references are stunning.

“Sports drinks and energy drinks are significantly different products, and the terms should not be used interchangeably.”

“Rigorous review and analysis of the literature reveal that caffeine and other stimulant substances contained in energy drinks have no place in the diet of children and adolescents. Furthermore, frequent or excessive intake of caloric sports drinks can substantially increase the risk for overweight or obesity in children and adolescents.”

“With children and adolescents, careful consideration is necessary when selecting a beverage to hydrate before, during, or after exercise and outside of physical activity to prevent excessive sugar and caloric intake that may encourage dental erosion, overweight, and obesity.”

“Children and adolescents should be taught to drink water routinely as an initial beverage of choice as long as daily dietary caloric and other nutrient (e.g., calcium, vitamins) needs are being met. Water is also generally the appropriate first choice for hydration before, during, and after most exercise regimens. Children should have free access to water, particularly during school hours.”

“Sports and energy drinks are not indicated for use during meals or snacks as a replacement for low-fat milk or water.”

“The actual caffeine content for many energy drinks is not easily identified on product packaging or via the Internet. The total amount of caffeine contained in some cans or bottles of energy drinks can exceed 500 mg (equivalent to 14 cans of common caffeinated soft drinks) and is clearly high enough to result in caffeine toxicity. …

Additional concerns regarding the use of caffeine in children include its effects on the developing neurologic and cardiovascular systems and the risk of physical dependence and addiction.  Because of the potentially harmful adverse effects and developmental effects of caffeine, dietary intake should be discouraged for all children.”

“For most children and adolescents, daily electrolyte requirements are met sufficiently by a healthy balanced diet; therefore, sports drinks offer little to no advantage over plain water. During or after participation in short training or competition sessions, athletes generally do not need supplemental electrolyte replacement.”

“Low-fat milk is a good option for use as a post-exercise protein-recovery drink.”

“In general, the use of amino acids in energy drinks in place of traditional dietary sources is not supported by the scientific literature and, therefore, is discouraged for children and adolescents.”

“Given the current epidemic of childhood overweight and obesity, we recommend the elimination of calorie containing beverages from a well-balanced diet, with the exception of low-fat or fat-free milk, because it contains calcium and vitamin D, which are particularly important for young people.”

I encourage you to read the full text of this informative report which is free and downloadable from:

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2011/05/25/peds.2011-0965

Have a great day and enjoy your next glass of clean, clear, cold water!

Sports/Energy Drinks - Are We Addicting Our Kids to Them?

We all want more energy and more alertness on the playing field, whether it is sports, debate, cards, or just joking around.  It is not surprising the distinction between sports drinks and energy drinks is blurring.  The concerns for our youth with growing bodies and developing physiologic systems are multiple.  The sugars in these drinks are addicting enough and challenging to the insulin endocrine system.  The energy drinks, however, are fundamentally different due to many additives in them.

The most obvious concern is caffeine.  Energy drinks typically contain 10 mg (to 16 mg) per ounce.  This totals 240mg (to 390 mg) for a 24 oz. drink.  Note: The amount of caffeine necessary to create measurable physiologic changes in a full size adult is about 50mg.  Also note: Cardiac arrest (heart failure) has been anecdotally associated with drinking large energy drinks.  Although the direct causal relationships has not been proven (obviously difficult research to do if someone’s life is at risk), the implications are obvious.  For some young children with sensitive myocardium (heart muscle) the potential threat is clear and catastrophic.

Are we addicting our children's physiologic developing systems to caffeine?  The amount of caffeine for full size adults to develop an addiction is about 100 mg per day.  In a recent study of 228 families with young children, 75% of the children consumed caffeine.  For those children who consumed caffeine, the average daily consumption for 5 to 7 year olds was 52 mg and for 8 to 12 year olds it was 109 mg.  Yikes.  An additional note about caffeine for youth.  Caffeine consumption in youth age 5 to 12 has been correlated with decreased average sleep.  Sleep studies have linked inadequate sleep with ADHD type behavior.

Guarana, an additional ingredient in energy drinks contains both caffeine and guaranine, a stimulant that acts very much like caffeine in our bodies.  The amount of guaranine (nor Guarana) is not listed in these drinks.  Guaranine has documented cardiac side affects like caffeine and the medical literature recommends patients under cardiac care consult their physician before taking any Guarana supplements.  I have not seen a potency comparison between caffeine and guaranine, but the cardiac affect of the 2 is additive.  Should we be allowing our growing athletes to consume these addictive substances?

Taurine, another ingredient, an amino-acid, is more difficult to pinpoint.  The literature contains a broad list (with some warnings) of the possible effects and mechanisms of this stimulant.  Though we know it stimulates changes in physiologic function within cells, the specific results are ambiguous in the research literature.  It is added to these beverages because of its stimulant value.  It is concerning to me when I realize children with developing physiologic systems are consuming supplemental amounts of taurine.  All of these ingredients (Caffeine, Guarana, Taurine) came to us from ancient cultures in which the shaman discovered the mood altering capabilities of these herbal plants. 

Once again I come to some basic tenets of sports (and energy) drinks.

Water - the basic ingredient of these drinks - is usable and vital to our bodies.  Next time try plain water, it is nature’s best.

Sugar (fructose, sucrose) - We don't need more if we eat regular meals.  Most of us are damaged by the excess empty calories.  Children getting extra calories from beverages become picky eaters because they are not really hungry at meal time.  And they become overweight despite their activity level.

Electrolytes - If we eat real food at our meals, we don't need more electrolytes.

Energy stimulants (Caffeine, guaranine, taurine) we don't need.  A college student might appreciate it if studying late and some of us need a “wake up” in the morning.  However, our youth, including the college student and young athlete, don't need artificial stimulants (energy?) for physical activity.

Next blog: Give Your Teeth a Rest.       

Dr. Scott Thompson  - Pediatric Dentistry 

 www.winningwithsmiles.com