Health effects on youth

Carrie Chanter, MA, CHESGenesee County Health

DepartmentAdapted by: Erin Shankie

GISD- Health, Safety & Nutrition

Energy Drinks:

energy drink facts• More than 500 new energy drinks launched worldwide

this year • The market for energy drinks is worth an annual $3.4

billion !!• 31% of U.S. teenagers say they drink energy drinks • Energy drinks are unregulated in the US• Can hook kids on an unhealthy jolt-and-crash cycle• There is little research on the health effects of energy

drinks in kids and teens, who are more sensitive to caffeine's effects than adults

• Caffeine: The typical energy drink provides at least 80mg of caffeine per can (although this varies between brands).

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• Guarana: Guarana is a caffeine-containing extract from a South American plant. It is the main source of caffeine present in these drinks.

• Sugar: The amount of sugar in energy drinks is usually much higher (10-12%) than in “sportsdrinks” (6-8%).

• Protein: Proteins such as taurine are sometimes added to these drinks.

what do these drinks contain?

excessive caffeine

• The caffeine comes from multiple sources, making it hard to tell how much the drinks contain

• New study found a surprising number of poison-center calls from young people getting sick from too much caffeine

• And now energy drinks are moving toward bigger cans with some products raising the caffeine content to gain a competitive edge

CAFFEINE

CAN CAUSE…..• ‘stimulant’ that speeds up

parts of the body and brain, • increases heart rate, • increases blood pressure, • increases body temperature,• hand tremors, • changes in the hearts rhythm,• dehydration,• negative effect on sports

performance,• sleep disturbances,• stomach upsets, bed-wetting, • anxiety

health risks of excessive caffeine

• can lead to dental problems and obesity

• slow the body’s absorption of water

– Not good for sports drinks • can contribute to blood sugar

imbalances• overproduction of adrenaline• excess sugar being converted

to fat in the body• works against our body's

natural mechanisms for providing energy

• quick burst of energy but an energy crash later, leaving you feeling more tired than before

caffeine & sugar combo

• These drinks can be addicting

• If you drink them often, you start needing larger amounts to feel their effects

• Eventually, without them you feel weak and tired

• Then you need the energy drinks just to feel normal

• The process is similar to drug addiction

health risks of energy drinks

• Energy drinks often make big promises

• Some say they’ll increase…– energy and alertness– extra nutrition– boost your athletic performance– powers of concentration– Increased endurance– weight loss

• Flashy packaging on energy products

• What you’re mostly getting is a stiff dose of sugar and caffeine

• Very expensive! $2.50-$3.00

crush through the hype!

• TEENS + MONEY = SPENDING POWER

• Appealing displays are the key to impulse

• Generally marketed as being all-natural energy boosters

• Say they loaded with exotic ingredients that popular culture believes to be healthy

• They taste like carbonated cough syrup!

crush the marketing scam

“Even though I don’t drink Monsterenergy drinks, they had a display witha woman who has animal eyes and

fangs. I though this display was cool.”

• Aim to appeal to specific consumer groups

– KMX Energy Drink claims that it will "Ignite Your Mind“ – Hype drink “reinvigorates” and “refreshes the body”– Kabbalah Energy drink’s slogan is “Source of Power”– “Let Your Man Out” from Full Throttle– “Red Bull gives you wings” by Red Bull – “Party Like a Rock Star” from Rockstar– Spaz Juice advertises consumers to “Drink this and feel less sucky” because it will

give you "All the energy you need to annoy everybody else“

selling energy: de-scramble the million dollar slogans!

• human bodies are estimated to be about 60-70% water• blood is mostly water, and our muscles, lungs, and brain all contain

a lot of water• water is needed to regulate body temperature • to provide the means for nutrients to travel to all our organs• transports oxygen to our cells, removes waste, and protects our

joints and organs• < 60 minutes exercise - water is the best drink for rehydration • > 60 minutes exercise- sports drinks such as Gatorade and

Powerade may be useful to replace fluids, carbohydrates and electrolytes lost

• NEVER should drinks used for rehydration contain caffeine

drink water!

Carrie Chanter, MA, CHESGenesee County Health Department

810-768-7982cchanter@gchd.us

Questions?