ASK THE PHARMACIST | Are energy drinks dangerous for my child?

Would you allow your child to have two cups of strong filter coffee directly after one another?

Energy drinks are widely promoted to improve alertness and attention span, and recently became very popular among children, teenagers and young adults. This is despite the warning on the products that states they are not for children. The drinks can have serious negative health effects, particularly in children (a person under the age of 18 years).

Energy drinks typically contain large amounts of caffeine, more sugar than most other soft drinks, and other stimulants such as guarana, taurine and ginseng.

The quantities of caffeine in energy drinks vary, and all the caffeine-containing ingredients in one drink may not be easy to identify. This can be dangerous as they can all contribute to the total caffeine level of the drink. Guarana is a source of caffeine, as well as any ingredient names consisting of or containing the following words: “cola”, “coffea”, “cacao” and “cupana”.

Many energy drinks contain up to 200mg of caffeine per drink. This equals two cups of brewed coffee.

Caffeine is also hidden in other products that we consume daily, such as black/green tea, chocolate, soft drinks, candy, gum and mints  and some flu medications. Taking energy drinks in conjunction with these can be risky.

Even though stimulants like caffeine may increase energy, alertness and improve reflexes, they also increase blood pressure as well as breathing and heart rates. These effects can be dangerous and cause dehydration, irregular heartbeat and heart failure, sleeping and digestive problems and a nervous and jittery feeling.

Caffeine may harm a child’s still-developing heart and nervous systems. The effects also include increasing risk-taking behaviour, increased stress and aggressive behaviour, such as fighting.

Together with the negative health effects of caffeine, the heaps of sugar in the drinks contribute to an increased risk of becoming overweight, developing type 2 diabetes and dental problems.

Long-term use of caffeine can lead to caffeine addiction and withdrawal when the person stops or reduces caffeine intake. Headaches and anxiety are common withdrawal symptoms. 

Caffeine has zero nutritional value, but plenty of adverse effects that are harmful to your body and health and no child of any age should have caffeine-containing energy drinks. Adults should also limit their caffeine intake. A maximum of 400mg (4 cups) per day appears to be safe in healthy adults, and less than 200mg in pregnant women if it cannot be totally avoided.

There is a difference between energy drinks and electrolyte replacements. Sports drinks or electrolyte drinks contain important minerals such as sodium, potassium and magnesium. These drinks replace electrolytes lost due to strenuous exercise with excessive sweating, as well as in cases of diarrhoea. They are mostly safe to use in children but make sure you follow the instructions on the packaging.

Scan the label for the caffeine content of drinks before you give them to your child, and try to avoid excessive caffeine intake yourself.

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