By Marissa Fee
Did you know that caffeine is classified as a drug? Don’t worry though, it’s legal (at least in the US) for minors. It comes in different forms and many different flavors. If you were to ask any student in high school, they would give you an answer to what their favorite flavor is or admit to being a consumer. After taking a survey, the leading drink form was canned energy drinks, accounting for 64.3%. This can include companies like Monster, Alani, Celsius, and more. So what is the reason behind kids having energy drinks on a daily basis?
Every morning when a student opens a can or takes a sip of their drink they think nothing of it. It is to give a boost of energy in their day, or maybe help with a bad night's sleep. After finishing the last sip, they may be anxious or maybe even still tired. Caffeine can increase your heart rate and in more extreme cases, lead to a rupture of large arteries. It has also shown consumers have a higher rate of anxiety, insomnia, and muscle twitching. However, this can vary depending on the amount you are consuming.
Mrs. Barnes estimates that she consumes about 3-5 cups of coffee a day. Each cup can be up to 100 mg of caffeine, this would be estimated to be about 300-500 mg of caffeine a day! Who knows how she would feel without her morning coffee?
Another problem addressed was limiting amounts of caffeine for kids and teens.
“How do you feel that your 9-year-old can walk into any store, and get any caffeine they want?” Mrs. Barnes was asked.
“I think that it’s outrageous. That is why we talk to our kids about their nutrition. Do I think teenagers should be having a lot of what they have? No, but I also think it is the caregiver's responsibility to teach at a young age what healthy choices there are.” Mrs. Barnes explains her concerns.
This was a great explanation of how we can prevent addiction to caffeine starting at a young age, or start trends of energy drinks. Although many teens in high school have already been affected, we can learn to teach others or even our kids how to make healthier choices.
With canned drinks being the leading form of caffeine, how much is actually in them?
Many vary anywhere from 80-300 mg of caffeine in one serving. Most land somewhere in the middle. The popular brand Alani contains 200 mg of caffeine, which is the same amount as being “drunk off caffeine.”
No, not drunk, but according to the National Library of Medicine, if caffeine is taken in doses equal to or above 200 mg (close to many energy drinks) you will develop symptoms of caffeine intoxication. Any amount of consumption above the amount of 300 can even cause hallucinations. After learning this, you may want to reconsider your routine of grabbing an energy drink almost every day.
Along with the high amount of caffeine, there are high amounts of sugar or artificial sweeteners depending on the drink. Last year, our high school had Monster in the lunchroom for students to buy either in the morning or in the middle of the day at lunch. Recently, it was switched to “Ice” drinks. Although this might seem better, it is still caffeinated. Other drinks like this have lots of sugar. High amounts of sugar like this cause the risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and liver disease.
So why is this allowed for minors? Why has no one stopped this?
In the US you can start a caffeine addiction at any age. Some other places in the world are reconsidering this. The UK is thinking of making a law that requires you to be 16 to purchase an energy drink, in addition to putting on a label that it is not suitable for any person under the age of 16. How many people would be upset if we had the same laws?
So, with all of these complications out of caffeine, why do people still drink it? If you are on social media, you most likely see someone promoting a form of caffeine. Do people post it because they think of it as a trend, or is it the dependency on it? When you see it, does it make you want to be the same?
There is also the fact of the tasteful flavors provided and advertised.
“I would say my favorite flavor of Reign is Rainbow Sherbet, it tastes just like Nerds.” Eli Dimmick explains, unaware of how much caffeine is included with the taste. In the popular brand Reign, there is about 300 mg of caffeine, 100 mg more than an Alani.
“Often when drinking about that amount, most people can start to feel anxiety and symptoms alike. Do you get like that?” Eli was asked.
“Oh yeah, I do get like that. It increases my heart rate every time.”
Everyone is so hooked on getting through the day with an innocent drink that they may not realize the harm of it.
These statistics should make you want to reconsider whether you still want to keep your addiction to caffeine or try cutting back.
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