Kids and Energy Drinks
Claire McCarthy, M.D., is a senior medical editor for Harvard Health Publications. She is an instructor in pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, an attending physician at Children's Hospital of Boston, and co-director of the pediatrics department at Martha Eliot Health Center, a neighborhood health service of Children's Hospital. The author of two books, "Learning How the Heart Beats" and "Everyone's Children", Dr. McCarthy was a regular columnist for "Sesame Street Parents Magazine" from 1995 to 1998 and is currently a contributing editor for "Parenting Magazine".
Question:
Should children ages 6 to 15 be allowed to drink "energy drinks" such as Red Bull?
Answer:
Would you give a child that age a cup of coffee with five teaspoons of sugar?
That's essentially what you are doing when you serve a can of Red Bull, Monster or other "energy drink." There are other ingredients as well, such as taurine and glucuronolactone. Studies to date haven't shown harm from these, but they haven't proved them totally safe, either.
There's simply no reason to give children energy drinks. Even sports drinks, such as Powerade and Gatorade, are full of sugar that kids don't need and isn't good for them.
The best drink for active children, frankly, is water. If they are active for many hours in a row and sweating a lot (like at a many-hours-long soccer championship, or a long day running around at the beach), then they need some carbohydrate and salt as well —- but some diluted 100% juice and a snack of crackers would do the trick.
If you are thinking of giving an "energy drink" because your child seems low on energy, give your doctor a call. There are lots of conditions that can cause a child to have less energy, from lack of sleep to anemia to hormone imbalances to more serious problems. A checkup would be a good idea.
About the Author
Claire McCarthy, MD, Former Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing
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