Experts Warn Teens Should Not Consumer Coffee Or Other Caffeinated Products – CoffeeTalk

New guidelines from a nutrition research group stress that teens should not have caffeine at all. The guidelines, released by Healthy Eating Research and created by a panel of experts from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Heart Association, spell out beverage recommendations for kids between the ages of five and 18. They state that it is best for children in this age group to stick to water and plain milk. They should also limit their intake of 100% juice, as well as plant-based and flavored milks, while altogether avoiding sugar-sweetened beverages, drinks containing artificial sweeteners, and beverages with caffeine and other stimulants.

There is currently no federal guidance on how much caffeine is safe for kids and teens, although the Food and Drug Administration says that most healthy adults can safely have up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day. The guidance has raised questions about the impact of caffeine on kids and where teens are most likely to encounter it.

Caffeine is a stimulant that occurs naturally in more than 60 plants, including coffee beans, tea leaves, and kola nuts. There are also synthetic forms of caffeine that are added to certain foods and drinks, including energy drinks. Caffeine has addictive properties, and too much caffeine can cause sleep issues, high blood pressure, and anxiety. Caffeine withdrawal is also no fun and can cause headaches.

The biggest concern with caffeine and kids is that many beverages marketed to teens contain large amounts of caffeine, which can cause symptoms such as restlessness and shakiness, insomnia, headaches, dizziness, fast heart rate, dehydration, anxiety, and dependency. It is better to avoid these high-caffeine drinks while the brain is still in a period of rapid development and forming lifelong habits.

The biggest sources of caffeine for kids are decaf coffee or tea (2-15 milligrams), bottled iced tea (20-80 milligrams), regular soda (35-55 milligrams), black or green tea (55 milligrams), coffee (80-200 milligrams), energy shots (200-250 milligrams), and energy drinks (150-300 milligrams). Even some drinks that seem like they wouldn’t have caffeine, such as the Starbucks Açaí Refresher, contain the stimulant.

The latest guidance says yes, and it also echoes advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) that states, “Avoiding caffeine is the best choice for all kids.” Gina Posner, MD, a pediatrician at MemorialCare Medical Group in Fountain Valley, CA, agrees that patients should stay away from caffeine, as it can impact younger bodies differently than adults. Energy drinks are particularly concerning, and teenagers should minimize their caffeine intake. Parents should not panic if their child has the odd caffeinated product, as an occasional beverage with lower amounts of caffeine is likely perfectly fine for teens.

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