Energy Drinks Pose Serious Health Risks to Kids

Drinks that boost energy with a high-dosage jolt of caffeine have serious health implications for children and teens and shouldn't be sold to them, a top medical journal is arguing.

The Canadian Medical Association Journal published a scathing op-ed bashing the safety of the beverages for kids, says the Toronto Globe and Mail.

It's the latest push to get them out of the hands of minors through tighter government regulations.

"It is time for the federal minister of health to be awakened and alerted to concerns about energy drinks sold to children," wrote CMAJ's public health editor Noni MacDonald in the editorial.

Some of the energy drinks contain up to five times more caffeine than a can of cola and double the amount found in a cup of coffee.

The beverages should come with stronger warning labels about the hazards they pose to children's health, MacDonald said.

"Strict regulations are required if business practices and consumer trends are not curbed," the article urges.

Refreshments Canada, an association representing drink manufacturers, said the companies in question don't market to kids and handle their sales responsibly, the Globe and Mail reported.

"Energy drinks are intended for adults and clearly indicate on the label that this category of beverage is not recommended for children, pregnant or breastfeeding women and people who are sensitive to caffeine," Refreshments Canada President Justin Sherwood wrote in a letter to CMAJ in response to its editorial.

Health experts and government officials in Canada have launched investigations into the effects of the heavily caffeinated drinks, with some organizations lobbying to limit sales to adolescents.

A 250-milliliter bottle of Coke has 26 milligrams of caffeine in it, compared to about 114 milligrams of caffeine in a 255-milliliter can of Red Bull and 200 milligrams in a 75-milliliter bottle of Rockstar "Energy Shot," the Globe and Mail said.

Excessive consumption of caffeine can have severe adverse effects in adults that can be magnified in children and teens -- including an abnormally high heart rate, sleeplessness, irritability and anxiety.

The energy drinks are marketed as natural health products in Canada but are subject to safety standards before they're licensed for sale.

Teens often consume the beverages with alcohol and even drugs because they keep them awake so they can drink for longer periods of time. Mixing the substances can be extremely dangerous.