SPOKANE, Wash. — For some people, they need to crack open an energy drink or two to get through the day. They are a popular choice for middle school and high school kids, but there is a concern over the health risks these drinks pose.
Recently, Highland Middle School in Mead banned energy drinks from its campus. Some school districts are considering doing the same thing.
While the recommended caffeine limit for teens is 100 milligrams a day, the equivalent to a standard cup of coffee, many energy drinks contain around 200 milligrams of caffeine along with other stimulants.
“Parents should definitely be concerned because these are growing children and they have lower tolerance for caffeine,” said cardiologist Susie Woo at Virginia Mason Medical Center.
While energy drinks may seem harmful from the outside, the American Heart Association says caffeine is a drug and parents need to be aware of that.
“It’s a psychoactive stimulant that has effects on the brain,” Woo said. “So like any other drug, we should be aware of what our teens are consuming and know that there are risks involved.”
One parent who says her teen drinks up to four energy drinks a day is worried for her daughter’s health.
“She’s also taking all this extra caffeine that I couldn’t imagine it was good for her at all,” Jennifer Allertnelson said. “Plus, her kidneys and stomach just trying to process all of those chemicals as well.”
While Highland Middle School decided to ban energy drinks, the Mead School District has not. The district does however discourage students from drinking energy drinks on campus because of the dangers they pose.
Spokane Public Schools says it is also considering changing its policies around energy drinks.
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