Energy drinks have up to 14 times more caffeine than other soft drinks, study finds
Children given energy drinks could pile on the pounds because they are not active enough to burn off the extra calories, warn doctors.
They say energy drinks – which contain between 10 and 270 calories a serving – should never be given to children.
Instead they should be offered water to quench their thirst, and drink the recommended daily amount of fruit juice and low-fat milk with meals.
A hidden problem with energy drinks is caffeine, which can reach toxic levels up to 14 times greater than in other soft drinks. The stimulant has been linked to seizures, diabetes, heart problems and behavioural disorders.
Children’s doctors are renewing warnings about energy drinks, and the potential harm from sports drinks, following an expert report by members of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Nutrition.
Energy drinks
Dr Holly Benjamin, a lead author of the report, and a doctor at the Comer Children’s Hospital, part of the University of Chicago, said: ‘For most children engaging in routine physical activity, plain water is best.’
She said most children’s activity levels are too low to burn off calorie-laden drinks that ‘children don’t need, and could contribute to obesity and tooth decay’. Dr Marcie Beth Schneider, joint lead author of the report who practises adolescent and paediatric medicine in Connecticut, said: ‘There is a lot of confusion about sports drinks and energy drinks and adolescents are often unaware of the differences.
‘Some kids are drinking energy drinks – containing large amounts of caffeine – when their goal is simply to rehydrate after exercise. This means they are ingesting large amounts of caffeine and other stimulants, which can be dangerous.
‘In many cases it can be hard to tell how much caffeine is in a product by looking at the label.
‘Some cans or bottles of energy drinks can have more than 500mg of caffeine, which is the equivalent of 14 cans of soda.’
Among the energy brands highlighted in the report were Red Bull, Monster and Rockstar. Sports drinks included All Sport, Gatorade and Powerade.
In February, U.S. doctors warned of health risks from energy drinks and said they should be regulated ‘like alcohol and tobacco’.
Their report, published in the journal Pediatrics, also said: ‘Sports and energy drinks are being marketed to children and adolescents for a wide variety of inappropriate uses.
‘The caloric content of sports drinks is 10 to 70 calories per serving, and the caloric content of energy drinks ranges from 10 to 270 calories per serving.
‘In general, there is little need for carbohydrate-containing beverages other than the recommended daily intake of fruit juice and low-fat milk.
‘Routine ingestion of carbohydrate-containing sports drinks by children and adolescents should be avoided or restricted.
‘Intake can lead to excessive caloric consumption and an increased risk of obesity as well as dental erosion.’
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Protein-based sports drinks do not improve or give any benefit to athletic performance, a study claimed yesterday.
The sports drinks industry makes millions a year selling protein-based drinks and supplements to athletes hoping to increase energy and stamina.
But University of Bath researchers who reviewed the effects of the drink and supplements found they offered no more benefits than protein found in a balanced diet.
Lead researcher Dr James Betts said claims the drinks helped performance could not be stood up.
He said: ‘While many carbohydrate drinks are often appropriate for individuals keen to enhance their performance, claims that protein can be of similar benefit are simply not supported by firm scientific evidence.
‘Aside from these proposed effects during exercise, many manufacturers claim that supplementing our diets with added protein may help the body to adapt to physical training.
‘Protein is an essential part of our diets but even athletes who are training hard will almost certainly get more than enough protein from the food they eat.’
The study will be published in the next issue of Medicine & Science in Sport & Exercise.
Dr Betts’ review of the available evidence identifies that much of the research into these supplements has been conducted on people in the morning who have not been allowed to eat anything for a number of hours, so food in any form might be expected to be beneficial.
He added: ‘There is a need for more evidence showing whether these supplements can be useful under ‘real-world’ conditions, such as following exercise later in the day when usual meals will have already provided the necessary nutrients.’
Dr Betts said people considering the use of such supplements should be aware of the strength of evidence supporting the desired effects and that this should be balanced against the possible risks.
‘An analysis of around 600 over-the-counter nutritional supplements was conducted a few years ago and it was found that 10 to 20 per cent were contaminated with anabolic hormones not stated on the label, mostly testosterone and nadrolone, with supplements purchased on the UK market at the upper end of this range.
‘This alone suggests the decision about whether or not to consume any supplements requires an evidence-based risk-benefit approach and we should not be surprised if any personal experimentation results in muscle gain which could be entirely unrelated to the listed ingredients.’
A health drink that is promoted by Pepsi as combining vitamins, minerals and spring water, contains more sugar that a couple of doughnuts.
The SoBe V-Water, which comes in 500ml bottles, is advertised as having ‘no preservatives, artficial colours or sweeteners.’
What it does have in copious amounts however, is sugar.
PepsiCo saw sales boom after it acquired V-Water in 2008. However, the company decided to more than double the sugar levels in each bottle after it rebranded the drink in May.
They have risen from between 7.7g and 9.5g to 18.5g to 21g, which is equivalent to five teaspoons of sugar and a third of the recommended daily intake for a man.
This may come as some surprise to the target market outlined by The Grocer – 20 to 25-year-olds who are actively looking to improve their well-being.
A spokesman for PepsiCo defended the change saying it was in response to consumer demand for a more flavoursome drink.
‘We improved the flavours which meant increasing the sugar levels,’ they said.
‘It remains one of the lowest calorie and sugar options available within the flavoured water category.’
It is certainly far less than the 55g of sugar contained in a 500ml bottle of Pepsi.
The spokesman added that the drink contains less sugar and calories than Coca Cola’s competitor Glaceau water, which has 23g and 95 calories per 500ml bottle compared to SoBe’s 85 calories.
In January 2011, Coca Cola was banned from claiming it’s vitamin water was nutritious.
The Advertising Standards Agency said a 100ml serving of the drink was ‘relatively low’ in sugar.
However, most consumers would consider the 500ml bottle to be a single serving.
Most health guidelines encourage people to consume drinks such as orange and apple juice in order to have a healthy balanced diet yet ignore dried fruits.
But the findings of two teams of British researchers turns that advice on its head – concluding that fruit juices should be avoided and dried fruit consumption encouraged.
The first study found that even freshly squeezed fruit juices can contain as much as five teaspoons of sugar per glass because the squeezing process concentrates their sweetness.
This is around two-thirds of the amount found in a can of soda and can contribute to obesity and also disturb blood sugar levels and the body’s natural metabolism, the study found.
Researchers said that the juices should be taken off the five-a-day recommendations so that people are encouraged to eat whole fruits and vegetables instead which have far more nutrients per calorie.
Dr Hans-Peter Kubis, Bangor University in North Wales, said that the fruit juices could encourage a “sweet tooth”.
“I’d question the wisdom of including fruit juice in the five-a-day message.,” he said.
“The problem is people often substitute them for real fruit which is a mistake. Fruit juice is higher in sugars than people realise and they are likely to encourage drinking too much sugar.”
He suggested that one part of fruit juice should be diluted with four parts of water in order to make them more healthy.
In the second study, partly conducted by the University of Leeds, researchers found that dried fruits contain just as many antioxidants, polyphenols and nutrients as normal fruit.
It found that dried fruits can help combat cancer, metabolic disease and heart problems
They are also a good source of fibre, vitamins and minerals.
The researchers have called for advice to encourage people to eat more of the dried fruit and for them to be included in the five-a-day messages.
Professor Gary Williamson said that dried fruits were often overlooked because people assumed they were too tasty to be good for you.
“We are not saying you should get all five of your five-a-day from dried fruit but you could definitely get at least one.
“Some fruits including dried fruits contain high levels of a variety of polyphenols and we are just starting to understand their health protective effect.”
Professor Daniel Gallaher, of the University of Minnesota who was also involved, said: “Dried fruits are great sources of total and soluble fibre in the diet.”
The research was presented at the World Nut & Dried Fruit Congress.
Children should stick to drinking water after exercise as energy and sports drinks contain high levels of caffeine and other harmful substances, researchers say.
In a new report, the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) has outlined how these products are being misused.
“There is a lot of confusion about sports drinks and energy drinks, and adolescents are often unaware of the differences in these products,” said Marcie Beth Schneider, member of the AAP committee on nutrition and co-author of the report.
“Some kids are drinking energy drinks – containing large amounts of caffeine – when their goal is simply to rehydrate after exercise. This means they are ingesting large amounts of caffeine and other stimulants, which can be dangerous,” she said, reports the journal Paediatrics.
Sports drinks and energy drinks are different products, said Holly J. Benjamin, a member of the executive committee of the AAP Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness, and a co-author of the report, according to an AAP statement.
Sports drinks, which contain carbohydrates, minerals, electrolytes and flavouring, are intended to replace water and electrolytes lost through sweating during exercise.
“For most children engaging in routine physical activity, plain water is best,” Benjamin said. “Sports drinks contain extra calories that children don’t need, and could contribute to obesity and tooth decay.”
Energy drinks contain substances not found in sports drinks that act as stimulants, such as caffeine, guarana and taurine.
Caffeine – by far the most popular stimulant – has been linked to a number of harmful health effects in children, including effects on the developing neurologic and cardiovascular systems.
Energy drinks are never appropriate for children or adolescents, said Schneider and Benjamin. In general, caffeine-containing beverages, including soda, should be avoided.
The study published in the journal, Paediatrics, highlights these energy and sports drinks:
Red Bull
Monster
Rockstar
All Sport
Gatorade
Powerade