Energy drinks are all the rage, colorful, sweet, and hugely popular with teens. Now, an important warning for parents: a new Consumer Reports investigation finds what’s inside those drinks may be ‘more than you’ve bargained for.’
Energy drinks are everywhere these days. Many of them look like sports hydration drinks and taste like candy.
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“They have flavors like Jolly Rancher flavor and sour gummy worms,” said Lisa Gill, a Consumer Reports Investigative Reporter. “It’s so easy to just pop open a cold can and chug it.”
But inside that can is often a jolt of caffeine that can be far from harmless.
Consumer Reports found that many drinks contain 2 to 3 times the daily caffeine limit recommended for teens: 100 milligrams.
Too much caffeine has been linked to insomnia, anxiety, jitters, and heart-related symptoms, and teens may be especially vulnerable.
To find out exactly what’s in these drinks, Consumer Reports tested 23 popular energy drinks and shots.
“We wanted to see how much caffeine is on the label versus how much caffeine is actually in the product,” Gill said.
The results? CR found most drinks came close to or matched their labels, but some had up to 16 percent more caffeine than advertised.
The American Beverage Association, an industry trade group says, “parents should be in the driver’s seat when it comes to what their children have for beverages.”
So what can parents do?
Check labels, track total caffeine from all sources, and pay attention to sleep, because using caffeine to fight fatigue can create a cycle that’s hard to break.
The bottom line: when it comes to energy drinks and teens, even one can be too much.