This post may be offensive to some readers. I prefer not to offend, but to educate the parent who may have purchased a product, without understanding the potential health complications for themselves, their teens, or preteens. The products that I am talking about are called energy drinks & anti-energy drinks.
Everyone at one time or another has felt the need for more energy. People everywhere will indulge in a cup of coffee, tea, soda pop, or candy bar to give their energy level an occasional boost. There are better ways to gain energy such as proper diet, rest, and exercise; but, we are all guilty of taking short cuts, at one time or another.
Kids need energy just like adults; but, between poor role models and a sedentary lifestyle that many young people have grown accustomed to; they are even more easily persuaded to get their energy out of a can. Many marketing images are over the top and come across as radical, or illegal with the names of the products; which can be enticing to a teen who is open to the idea of coming across as rebellious. Some who are easily influenced are vulnerable to the idea of an easy fix for low energy reserves. A whole new thriving industry has emerged centered around these energy drinks, and their counter parts; anti-energy drinks, for those times when too much energy is a problem>insert sarcasm here!
There are several problems that I see when it comes to marketing these products to teens and children. Adults should take care to monitor their own use of such products; because your kids will pattern their behavior after the adults in their lives. The problem is, that kids don’t always have the maturity, or the knowledge, that they need to make wise choices in this area of life. Creative advertising for these energy drink products has made these products sound not only benign; but, good for you.
However, not all of these products have the same ingredients as one of their competitors products; nor do they have the same effects, on every person’s body. There are some good products out there and some not so good products. The idea behind energy drinks is to increase the energy level of the consumer. This is done through a variety of ingredients; the main ones being caffeine and some form of sugar. The levels of those two main ingredients varies from brand to brand…and, it is important to read the labels and compare the results. You can’t assume that just because they are on the market for purchase that they are all safe to use for every person; because that may not be the case.
The much sought after goal of gaining more energy is underscored by many consumers who believe that higher levels of caffeine is good. In fact, it can be rather harmful. Adding too much caffeine to a person’s body can raise blood pressure levels, put stress on the heart and it’s ability to regulate it’s rhythm; as well as other organs. They can cause headaches and nausea. The long term effects of this roller coaster ride can be very harmful to the body.
There is a huge dependence on these energy drinks in the daily diet, by many teens and preteens. Parents may or may not be aware of their child’s use of these drinks. It is critical that parents are made aware of the physical, social, and even the mood- altering impact, on their children, of the energy drinks; and, even the so called anti-energy drinks. Side effects from some of the ingredients can be made worse if there are extra strains on the body such as extreme physical exertion from participating in a sport or an underlying health complication.
Many young people are taking prescription medications for various conditions such as ADHD, ADD, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, Autism, Depression and many other chronic medical conditions. Mixing these drinks and the ingredients they contain with legal, and or illegal substances can harm, or even cause death for some individuals with underlying health conditions.
Only a doctor or pharmacist can determine whether any specific individual can safely consume these products along with the medications they are taking. However, I don’t think that message gets communicated properly to the consumer. Talk to your family doctor; discuss the issue with your kid’s school nurse and make sure that they are aware of the effects of energy drinks on the health of minor’s bodies which are growing and changing at a rapid rate.
Advertising for many of these drinks can appear to promote health because one or two of their ingredients may have positive health benefits like vitamins, minerals, or herbs. Again, some of those ingredients can be harmful…some herbs can have stimulant or depressant properties. Wisdom demands that you be aware of mixing any kind of substance that has the power to affect how the body operates or functions. Care must be taken because you could be, in effect…mixing medications by drinking these drinks along with taking legal, prescription medications. The average person or teen may not be aware that drinking these drinks can cause a harmful interaction.
The availability of these drinks is as easy as the nearest vending machine, convience store/gas station or grocery store. They can be a bit pricey, generally around $3.00 a piece. The products often appear as a can of soda in an aluminum container…sometimes they are bottled in glass. Do you know if your child has had access to these drinks today?
Adults use these products as well. However, if you are going to purchase these drinks for your teen or preteen; or, allow them to be used by your children; at least teach them to read the labels. Teach them to understand that the numbers are often doctored by dividing the calories, sugar levels, caffiene numbers according to servings; not by listing the total amounts in the can. The consumer has to understand that there may be MORE than one serving per can. This makes all the difference in how the person’s body handles the drink; consuming a serving or the whole container in one sitting can be the difference between a positive or a negative after effect.
Whether the consumer is an adult, or teen, or pre-teen; it is a good idea to communicate that too much caffeine (whether it be in coffee, tea, soda, hot chocolate energy drinks) can dehydrate the body and damage the kidneys, heart, or other organs. Encourage them to drink plain old water to re-hydrate the body when they drink these kinds of energy or anti-energy drinks.
As a side note, please be aware that some of the anti- energy drinks can have just as damaging effects on the body. They are just like they sound….the opposite of energy drinks. They have substances such as herbs and hormones in them that produce a slowing down of energy levels. Some of them even add melatonin, a hormone that is naturally produced in the brain to promote sleep. However, when this hormone is added into these anti-energy drinks it is not being naturally produced. How much is too much for your or your loved one?
Some users of these anti-energy drinks are using them to self -medicate either physical or emotional conditions. If a person struggles with mental illness, depression or any other type of mood disorder…could these drinks cause them to experience mood swings of a harmful nature? It would makes sense to me that it could. There are also conflicting reports on the internet about these drinks ability to produce a positive result on drug tests. For those individuals who are on probation or under a courts jurisdiction, this could impact them legally as well, if it is true that the drinks can affect a drug tests results.
I have even read that there are people who combine these drinks with alcohol. Whenever people start using substances to alter their physical or emotional state of being you have to be careful. These can become not only physically; but, psychologically addicting. Teens who are wanting to “escape” painful emotional or physical situations can find themselves on a roller coaster of dependence…affecting not only their health; but, their relationships with their parents and their peers. If they already struggle with addictive behaviors or choices…using these drinks to self-medicate can cause additional problems.
Parents, many of you will not even be aware of this culture with your teens or their circle of influence…but, teens using these drinks is common. If you purchase these energy drinks, or anti-energy drinks for your home…at least control how often these products are used. But also be aware, they may be consuming them when you are not around to monitor their actions.
In my opinion, it is better to prohibit the use of these drinks altogether. I don’t see the potential benefits outweighing the risks, to the health and well-being of the person drinking them. However, if you are going to allow it…at least educate yourself about your child’s views on these drinks and how they and their friends see these products in their daily lives. You may be shocked at what you hear. Many young people see them as non-harmful; and use them as commonly as they drink soda pop. Do some research for yourself. What are your thoughts on this subject?
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Once again, Rainy, we see that it’s ALL about the MONEY. Marketers, product producers, retail outlets–they are all chasing the almighty dollar with not much thought of the possible negative consequences to children, or even adults, for that matter.
In Nebraska, purchasing “energy drinks” require ID to show proof of age of majority. But the human body AT ANY AGE needs REAL WHOLE FOODS and REAL PURE WATER to function optimally.
Again you have pushed Mother Connie’s hot button…I could offer much more in the way of commentary but I think I might be preaching to the choir so I’ll shut my pie hole and wait with rapt anticipation for your next post.
Thanks for bringing this to the public’s awareness.
Gratefully,
Mother Connie
HAHA! I love Connie – I say “pie hole” too. Funny
Interesting…my son and I were JUST talking about these drinks after school yesterday. We were chatting about speed (drug) and these drinks and how similar they are – speeding up the heart rate so folks think they are going to get more work done, faster, etc.
A movie we watched recently showed a boy who took his sister’s speed and he had a heart attack. I sort of consider the energy drinks to be low-dose drugs. Sure, they have vitamins in them but far too many and in super high doses…good recipe for a heart attack, panic attack, etc. Not to mention the sugar…
Oh – I think soda is awful, too. We drink some here and there but not often at all. We never stock that in the house. One article I read last week said that people who drink ONE soda a day are 84% more likely to develop Type 2 Diabetes. No thanks. I’ll stick with water & the drinks that don’t get used to clean out the backs of trucks, based on their high acid content
If people are using COKE to clean things, imagine what that’s doing to a stomach lining, eh? Hmm…
Shara & Connie:
I adore you both. I always appreciate your viewpoints. We too limit soda. We do have it occasionally; but, usually only if we are in a restaurant, or on occasion, if we are having company.
We stick to water, tea, milk or juice. Oh yeah, we adults also drink coffee; but, we have started limiting the amount of coffee we consume as well. It just makes sense to make conscious choices about what we put into our bodies.
Shara, I love the fact that you are having this conversation with your son. It is important to have those conversations before they become a battle zone in the years when they are more tempted to do what their peers are doing. Then again, I know that you really work with your children to reason things out when it comes to thinking independently.
That is an all important skill in today’s world of temptations and peer pressure. Thanks for visiting, ladies!