Energy Drinks?
It’s an up, up, up, up nation!
Deputy Teresa Duffy
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office
• Stim-u-lant: noun
1) something that temporarily quickens
some vital process or the functional
activity of some organ or part.
2) any food or beverage that stimulates,
esp. coffee, tea, or in its initial effect,
alcoholic liquor.
Why are kids particularly attracted to
stimulants today?
Answer:
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To be cool, like them.
To finish my homework.
Because I was up playing video games all night.
In order to play video games all night.
I seem to need the energy.
For the rush.
To get the vitamins that I need.
I didn’t get much sleep.
I was up late texting.
Etc…
Energy Drinks
1st “energy” drink = Red Bull
$6.5 billion market in 2008
($6,500,000,000.00)
500 new energy drink products introduced
worldwide in 2006
Sports Drinks
Good for you!
Sports drinks are designed to rehydrate during or after athletic
activity.
Most contain 6-8% carbohydrate
solution and electrolyte mixture.
Gatorade = 14 g. sugar, NO caffeine = 8 oz
For Kids? You decide.
Kick Start Spark
60 mg caffeine, “for children 4 to
11”
Advocare Spark
120 mg caffeine, “for athletes 12
and up”
Mama used to say:
• If you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it!
• Caf-feine:
• noun- a white crystalline, bitter
alkaloid, C8H10N4O2, usually derived
from coffee or tea; used in medicine
chiefly as a nervous system stimulant.
FDA recommends up to
300 mg caffeine per day
for adults
FDA: Food and Drug Administration
No guidance for youth
Little TOO MUCH energy?
What is taurine?
• taurine: noun
• bile: noun
• A neutral crystalline • A bitter, alkaline,
substance C2H7NO3S,
yellow or greenish
obtained from bile.
liquid, secreted by
the liver, that aids in
absorption and
digestion, esp. of
fats.
YUCK!!!
Energy drinks are marketed for specific
groups:
Extreme sports
Video gamers
Hip Hop
Marijuana users
Drug users
Rodeo fans
Nascar fans
Etc…
Energy Drink Examples
Energy shots
Now, that’s just
plain funny
right there.
Sports Drink Examples
Energy drinks may contain any or all:
• Vitamins
• Minerals
• Stimulant ingredients
• Sugar
Stimulant ingredients:
 Caffeine
 Ephedrine
 Pseudoephedrine
 Kola Nut
 Yerba Maté
 Guarana
 Green tea extract
 Bitter orange (citrus aurantium)
 Ephedra (banned)
 Mahuang (banned)
Do the words moderation or
recommended dosage mean
anything?
mod-er-a-tion: noun
The quality of being moderate;
restraint; avoidance of extremes or
excesses; temperance.
Symptoms of caffeine overdose:
Muscle twitching
Confusion
Fever
Breathing trouble
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Chest pains
Irregular heartbeat
Rapid heartbeat
Hallucinations
Convulsions
Other products that have caffeine:
Stimulants:
What are they suppose to do?
Boost energy level
Boost endurance
Increase stamina
Weight control/appetite
Increase concentration, focus
Eliminate need for rest/sleep
Reduced sensitivity to pain
More on Stimulants
Stimulant ingredients dehydrate the
body, making it more susceptible to
overheating, cardiac arrhythmia,
shakes/tremors, headaches etc…
An over caffeinated youth may exhibit
symptoms associated with (and sometimes
mistaken for) ADHD
Effects on the body:
…some good!...some bad!
Increased blood pressure
Increased heart rate
Increased metabolism
Faster respiration
Increase body temperature
Diuretic
Helps block pain
1
2
3
•Repeated Use
•Tolerance
•Withdrawal
Adverse/Negative Effects:
Nervousness, tremor, heart palpitations
High blood pressure
Increased urination/dehydration
Insomnia
Cardiovascular strain
Risk of stroke, cardiac arrhythmia
Withdrawal symptoms
2 or more stimulant ingredients
multiplies the effects
It is common to consume several
different types of stimulants in 1 drink.
Intensifies effects
Increases side effects
UP
Caffeine
Poor
Sleep
Fade
Negative
Cycle
Insomnia
Crash
Caffeine
UP
…and how about sugar?
Coca Cola
Dr. Pepper
Full Throttle
Java Monster
Mountain Dew
SoBe No Fear
The Dietary Guidelines for
Americans recommends no more
than 8 teaspoons (8 cubes or 32
grams) for adults per day
40.5 grams per 12 oz
41 grams per 12 oz
58 grams per 16 oz
35.6 grams per 15 oz
47 grams per 12 oz
66 grams per 16 oz
Facts about energy drinks:
 Energy drinks are hard on tooth enamel.
Dr. John Ruby from Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham.
Energy drinks have such high levels of acid that he recommends consumers
not even allow them to touch their teeth. If you must drink them, he said, use
a straw.
 Studies have linked excessive caffeine in children to elevated heart rates,
hypertension, anxiety, headaches and interrupted sleep patterns.
Dr. Deanna Soloway, assistant medical director of the pediatric emergency
room at Hollywood's Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital
 Dr. Steven Lipshultz, chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at the
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, reminds parents that children
digest things differently. The article quotes him: "If you're a 200-pound adult,
an 8-ounce bottle of something that contains 250 mg of caffeine may not be a
big deal, but if you weigh 60 pounds and are getting the same dose" it's a
problem.
Facts are: stimulant abuse among
teens is:
Linked to risky behaviors
Linked to major depression
US SAMHSA 2008
Ask yourself:
Are energy drinks healthy?
Are energy drinks safe?
Are energy drinks for kids?
You decide.
Make the right choice for your own
health and safety.
Special thanks to:
• Isabel Burk, M.S., CPP, CHES
Ms. Burk created the basis of this presentation
and has done extensive research to verify the
information given within.
Other stimulants that we are not going
to talk about today:
• RX/Prescription stimulants
• Fat burning stimulants
• Diet pills
• Muscle building stimulants
• Alcoholic energy drinks
• Illegal drugs/uppers