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Top 3 Reasons Why Children Should Avoid Energy Drinks

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Energy drinks are very popular among children, and most parents treat them simply like candy. They let their kids have them in moderation. But in reality, energy drinks are possibly the worst legal substance to give your children and can result in severe health issues for your kids.

Not only are energy drinks horrible for children in a myriad of different ways, but they provide absolutely no benefits. The idea that energy drinks provide needed energy, or performance boosts for athletics, is simply not true at all. Athletes actually perform much worse after drinking energy drinks than they otherwise would. Here are a few reasons not to let your kids touch energy drinks.

Heart Problems

This may be the most severe reason not to let your children drink energy drinks. Not only do energy drinks contain levels of caffeine that young people should avoid, but they contain harsh chemicals as well, most notably taurine, ginseng, and guarana.

They increase blood pressure and heart rate but simultaneously slow the flow of blood through the coronary arteries. This impedes their ability to dilate which is an essential function in aiding blood pressure and heart rate. Put in simpler terms, energy drinks cause a problem in your heart while simultaneously blocking your body’s ability to aid that problem. It can be a very dangerous and deadly combination.

Seizures

The combination of the aforementioned caffeine and chemicals mixed with the high levels of sugar can play tricks on the body, especially a young person’s. One of the main problems with energy drinks is that they’re so easy to drink, that kids can finish them as quickly as they would a glass of juice, and jump for another before they even feel the effects of the first.

These people, studies say, are at the most risk and often are at severe risk of seizures. Bruce Ruck, director of drug information and professional education for the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System, said of energy drinks and kids, “These drinks are made for adults.

When young children drink them, they consume a large quantity of caffeine for their body mass. At a minimum, they become wired—just as an adult would—and it might be difficult for parents to console them or calm them down. Children also might have trouble falling asleep, or experience tremors, anxiety, agitation, heart palpitations, nausea, or vomiting. Of more concern, they may experience a rapid heart rate or seizures.”

Addiction

Nearly all scientists regard to sugar and caffeine as lightweight drugs. It’s no surprise then that kids get quickly addicted to energy drinks. Left to their own vices kids will drink them every day, and even if you moderate their consumption, a child’s body will quickly rely on the “high” and the “rush” that energy drinks provide. This is essentially allowing your kid to develop addictive tendencies and bodily dependencies. That is a setup for later in life when they are exposed to more dangerous drugs like alcohol

All in all, there is simply no reason to allow your kids to drink energy drinks. Energy drinks put a child’s body at severe risk while offering zero rewards and encourages dangerous habits. That is surely not what you want for your children.