Yesterday 100 scientists and physicians sent a letter to the Food & Drug Administration asking for more regulation of energy drinks. These drinks - Red Bull, Rock Star and Monster to name a few - have cropped up all over and kids as young as 9 and 10 are drinking them. I must admit that over the weekend I had one and it definitely sent my heart racing!
This group wants the FDA to list the amount of caffeine on the can and require warning labels. Many parents believe that these drinks are the equivalent of a cup of coffee. This alone is too much caffeine for young kids but many of these energy drinks have triple this amount of caffeine. Someone who hasn't built up a tolerance to this amount of caffeine can end up with caffeine intoxication resulting in nervousness, anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, nausea, vomiting, tremors and rapid heart rate.
We've become a culture and it's trickling down to our kids. I regularly see a bunch of kids hanging out at my local Starbucks and I'm shocked how many of them are drinking Venti lattes. Do your kids drink energy drinks? Have you checked out the caffeine content?
