Even if parents don’t let their child drink a morning latte or espresso, it is still likely that unless carefully monitored, a child, tween or teen may still be ingesting caffeine in other sources. The most likely sources are from soft drinks, energy drinks, frappuccinos, chocolate, iced tea and other foods or beverages.

With the increasing availability of caffeine in so many sources, it is helpful for parents to familiarize themselves with impact that caffeine has on children, tweens and teens. It is also helpful to learn about the many different sources of caffeine. In researching this article, I was surprised by just how much caffeine is in many of the different foods, beverages and other products, commonly served to children.

We’re Becoming a Caffeinated Society - Young and Old

A 2004 study, published in the Journal of the American Dietetics Association, reported that more Americans of all ages were getting caffeinated. Nearly 90% of adults and 76% of children were getting caffeine from some source on a daily basis. Caffeine is considered to be the most common drug used by children.

For adult caffeine users over age 18, the top three sources of caffeine were coffee at 71%, soft drinks at 16% and tea at 12%. Soft drinks were the top caffeine source among children aged 2 to 17. In Canada for children aged one to five approximately 55% of their caffeine comes from cola drinks, 30% from tea and another 14% from chocolate. The remaining small caffeine percentage comes from other sources such as medicines. The American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that between 56% and 85% of children drinks soft drinks on a daily basis.

With more caffeine being added to products, it is likely that children, tweens and teens will have easier access to foods, beverages and other products with natural or added caffeine.

What is Caffeine?

Caffeine is classified as a drug that stimulates the central nervous system. Caffeine is the only drug considered a safe and effective stimulant by the FDA and allowed to be included in OTC stimulant products for adults. It is naturally produced in the leaves, seeds or fruit of a number of plants, including coffee beans, tea, kola nuts, guarana, yerba mate and in small amounts in cacao beans, used to make chocolate. At lower levels, caffeine makes people feel more alert, better able to focus and more energetic. At higher levels, people can experience different, often unpleasant, side effects.

Caffeine can also be artificially manufactured. It is included as a food additive in some carbonated drinks formulas and as an active ingredient in cold and headache remedies.

Caffeine in its natural and added forms is found in a growing list of products including coffee, tea, cola beverages, new "energy" drinks, chocolate, mints and even some medicines. There are also more caffeine enhanced food and beverage products in development. The increasing presence of caffeine in our foods, drinks and other products raises the question for parents of how much is too much for the average young consumer.

Concerns with Children and Teens

With estimates of 76% of children and teens aged 2 to 17 getting caffeine from some source on a daily basis, parents should be familiar with the effects of the drug caffeine on younger people. Because of their smaller size, children are at an increased risk for side effects from caffeine sources. The same amount of caffeine affects a smaller child more than a larger adult.

Several of the concerning effects of caffeine on children include:

1. Hyperactivity and Acting Out – A study reported at the American Psychiatric Association meeting in 2005 found that caffeinated cola drinks may cause children to be squirmy, sassy or hyperactive. According to the study results, as little as three quarters of a can of caffeinated soda (6 oz.) can make a child act out.

2. Caffeine Sensitivity - Some people are more sensitive to caffeine. On average, the smaller the person, the less caffeine is needed to produce side effects, as a result because of their smaller size children are more at risk for the side effects of too much caffeine.

3. Prolonged Effects – Caffeine moves through the body within a few hours after it has been consumed and is ultimately passed out of the body with the urine. A child may feel the effects of caffeine for up to 6 hours particularly if he or she is sensitive to it.

4. Diuretic - Caffeine works as a diuretic, which means it causes the body to eliminate water by urinating. Consuming caffeine contributes to dehydration making caffeinated beverages a poor choice during hot weather.

Side Effects of Caffeine

Caffeine is often consumed by people to make them feel more alert and energetic. Yet too much caffeine can create a variety of side effects for children, teens and adults. Especially in young children, it does not take a lot of caffeine to produce these effects.

Some of the common side effects from too much Caffeine include:

• Upset stomach, tummy ache
• Nausea
• Anxiety, Nervousness
• Jitteriness
• Mood changes
• Irritability
• Headaches
• Problems Sleeping
• Problems concentrating, Attentiveness
• Behavioral problems
• Increased mental endurance

Common Sources of Caffeine

Could Your Child or Teen be getting Caffeine from Their Favorite Drink or Food?

In order to monitor the amount of caffeine a child is getting, parents should become familiar with the amounts of caffeine in the beverages and foods commonly consumed by their children. Frequently parents give children iced tea or soft drinks such as Mountain Dew or Sunkist Orange Soda thinking these beverages do not have any caffeine, when in fact these products do. Mountain Dew contains more caffeine than some of the typical dark, caffeinated colas.

Some of the very popular energy drinks now available have higher caffeine levels than a strong cup of brewed coffee. Mints are now being made with extra caffeine. In addition, over-the-counter cold products, headache medications and alertness aids such as Vivarin and NoDoz? contain caffeine. As part of monitoring caffeine intake, parents should be sure to read the product labels for these over the counter drug products.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has compiled an extensive list of Caffeine Content of Food and Drugs available on their website at: http://www.cspinet.org/reports/caffeine.pdf. A shorter list for general guidelines is found below.

Brand Name Caffeine Sources

Generic Caffeine Sources

These general amounts include the average amount of caffeine in the products listed.

Sources: U.S. Food and Drug Administration and National Soft Drink Association, Center for Science in the Public Interest’s Caffeine Content of Food and Drugs, Consumer Reports. 2006. Caffeinated kids.

Be Aware that Caffeine Labeling is Not Required on Food Labels

Under current laws, caffeine does not have to be listed on labels unless it has been added to the food or beverage product separately as a pure substance. Some consumer groups and the Center for Science in the Public Interest have been advocating having the caffeine amounts included on all beverage and food labels. In Spring 2007, both the Pepsi and Coca-Cola? companies announced that they will be voluntarily labeling the caffeine levels in their products.

With Energy Drinks and other products, some of the caffeine may come also from herbs, such as guarana and yerba mate and other sources such as cocoa (chocolate). The label on these energy drinks would just list the herbs as ingredients not as caffeine. So when determining the overall caffeine amounts, the caffeine in the herbs need to also be included.

Concerns with Caffeine, Children & Classrooms

George Athey, MD, PhD, a psychiatrist in Colorado Springs, Colo., says "The new {research} findings support recommendations to tell our children to lay off the caffeine. The younger ones don't do well on caffeine." Research is indicating and Physicians are recommending that giving caffeinated soda and other caffeinated products to young children is not a good idea.

Because of their smaller size, it does not take much caffeine to produce the unwanted side effects in children as it does in adults, so the effect of a caffeinated beverage will be much more pronounced in a small child than in a larger adult.

Even if your child or teen isn’t consuming it caffeine can still impact your child in the school setting. If other children in the classroom are ingesting caffeine, these caffeinated children and teens can become hyperactive and disrupt the classroom setting.

Tips to Minimize Caffeine Use by Children & Minimizing Caffeine Withdrawal How to Get Your Child Decaffeinated By: Kirsti A. Dyer MD, MS on: Mon 01 of Oct, 2007 10:34 (5 reads) Cola Side Effets

Moderation is important for many nutrition and dietary practices; this is especially true in the case of caffeine and children, tweeens and teens.

One way to minimize the many unpleasant side effects of caffeine is to minimize or limit the amount of caffeine routinely consumed by your child, tween or teen.

This article offers tips on minimizing caffeine use in children and also minimizing the symptoms of caffeine withdrawal. (7524 bytes) Edit Print

With the increasing availability of caffeine in so many sources it is relatively easy for children, tweens and teens to get access to caffeine in beverages and foods unless unless carefully monitored.

Most adults know caffeine consumption can be habit forming; the caffeine habit can even occur with children, tweens and especially teens. Monitoring the amounts and then using caffeine in moderation are also important when managing caffeine intake in teens.

Parents should be aware that tweens and teens who are routinely drinking coffee, soda or energy drinks especially for late-night study sessions, may be getting higher than recommended levels of caffeine and may need to have their amount of daily caffeine reduced.

The next section looks at tips for minimizing or reducing caffeine use by children, tween and teens. Tips to Minimize Caffeine Use by Children, Tweens and Teens

Moderation is important for minimizing caffeine use by children. The best way to minimize caffeine in a child's diet is to eliminate or limit soda consumption. This also eliminates the added sugar in soda.

1. Encourage children to drink water, milk, flavored seltzers and fruit juices instead of soda.

2. Get your child a special water bottle to use, to make drinking water fun.

3. Drink smaller volumes of caffeinated sodas.

4. Watch for hidden caffeine source.

• Many energy drinks may contain significant amounts of caffeine.
• “Healthy drinks” such as SoBe? Energy Citrus Flavored drinks contain caffeine.
• Iced Tea, Sunkist Orange Soda and Mountain Dew all contain caffeine.
• A Starbucks Coffee Frappucino drink contains as much caffeine as three 12-ounce cans of Coke. Many parents think this milky beverage is harmless.
• New mints with added caffeine or caffeine-containing herbs are now available.

5. Choose milk chocolate over dark chocolate. It has less caffeine.

6. Limit products flavored with coffee or chocolate e.g. candy, ice cream and drinks.

7. Advocate for food and supplement labels that include caffeine amounts.

8. Model good behavior for you children. If they see you consuming caffeinated sodas and coffee they will just want 'a sip.' Tips to Minimize Caffeine Withdrawal

Moderation is the key over time to keeping a child’s, tween’s or teen’s caffeine consumption within recommended limits. Children, tweens and teens who are used to consuming caffeine above the recommended levels may need to have their caffeine intake reduced.

The best way to minimize the impact of caffeine withdrawal is to cut back slowly.

1. Start by keeping track of how many caffeinated drinks the child has each day.

2. Substitute one drink per week with a caffeine-free alternative until he or she has gotten below the 100-milligram mark.

3. Cut the child's caffeine consumption by substituting non-caffeinated drinks (water, caffeine-free sodas, and caffeine-free teas) for caffeinated sodas and coffee.

Be aware that as the amount of caffeine is cut down, the child may feel tired, achy and overall lousy. The best way to manage this is to make sure that the child or teen gets plenty of sleep. Once the child has decaffeinated, his or her energy levels should return to normal. Recommendations for Amount of Caffeine

Children & Tweens

The United States does not yet have established guidelines for caffeine intake by children. The Canadian government has some good recommendations for caffeine intake by age:

• 45 mg per day for 4- to 6-year-olds
• 62.5 mg per day for 7- to 9-year-olds
• 85 mg per day for 10-to 12-year-olds

Those recommended maximums are equivalent to about one to two 12-oz (355 ml) cans of cola a day. One 12 ounce soda is equal to 35 - 45 mg of caffeine; two cans 70 - 90 mg.

Teens

Nutrition experts suggest that the upper limits for teens be no more than 100 mg per day; this amount is little more than

• One can of Red Bull
• Two cans of Coke
• 10 ounces of a Monster Energy Drink

More Type-A Mom Articles on Caffeine

Articles on Reasons for Minimizing Caffeine Use by Children with Recommendations for Amounts of Caffeine for Children, Twens and Teens and Tips to Minimize Caffeine Use by Children & Minimizing Caffeine Withdrawal.

Related Articles

You may also want to take a look at the related article on caffeine, vitamins and muscle enhancers found in gumball-like products Type-A Mom Article that I wrote on "There’s Caffeine hiding in Those Gumballs (Energy Balls)!"

There is even more information about these deceptive products the Squidoo lens on " Gumballs with Caffeine & Muscle Enhancers Marketed for Children & Teens."

Sources and For More Information

Center for Science in the Public Interest. May 2007. Caffeine Content of Food and Drugs.

Consumer Reports. 2006. Caffeinated kids. ConsumerReports?.org

Frary CD, Johnson RK. January 2005. Wang MQ. Food sources and intakes of caffeine in the diets of persons in the United States. Journal of the American

Dietetic Association. 105;1:110-113. Health Canada. 2006. Caffeine. It’s Your Health.

Heller L. Feb. 2007. Pepsi to put caffeine content on labels. BeverageDaily?.com

Heller L. Feb. 2007. Coca-Cola joins industry move to label caffeine. BeverageDaily?.com

Jana LA, Shu J. 2007. Food Fights: Winning the Nutritional Challenges of Parenthood Armed with Insight, Humor and a Bottle of Ketchup. American Academy of Pediatrics.

KidsHealth?.org. 2007. Is Caffeinated Soda OK for Kids? Nutrition and Fitness.

KidsHealth?.org. 2005. Caffeine and Your Child. Nutrition & Fitness.

Laino C. 2005. Caffeinated Cola May Make Kids Hyperactive. From Coverage of the American Psychiatric Association 2005 Annual Meeting.

Nieman P. 2006. Children and Caffeine. HealthyKids?.ca.

University of Utah Pharmacy Department. Caffeine. Common Medications.

Warner J. 2004. More Americans Getting a Caffeine Buzz: Soft Drinks Surpass Tea as Second Most Popular Caffeine Source. WebMD Medical News.

Photo Source: Tino Smith. Little Man. Royalty Free Use.