Too much caffeine?

~New study worries that teens are too dependent on energy drinks

Cody King drinks Rockstar several times a week for energy.

Emilee Glueck says Monster energy drinks are addictive.

Eric Meyer says he needs Red Bull to keep him awake.

These Scott City High School students' energy drinks of choice are raising concerns with nutritionists and physicians. The drinks, laden with caffeine and sugar, can hook teens on an unhealthy jolt-and-crash cycle.

Lee Ann Lambert, a registered dietitian in Cape Girardeau, said energy drinks can be addictive.

"It does give them an energy buzz, or else it probably feels like one," she said. "As a parent you should probably concerned about the amount of these drinks your teens consume."

Thirty-one percent of U.S. teenagers say they drink energy drinks, according to Simmons Market Research Bureau, a consumer behavior analysts. That number represents 7.6 million teens, a jump of almost 3 million in three years.

Teens aren't having a difficult time finding these energy drinks either -- most any convenience store carries a wide variety. In fact, new brands are appearing at the rate of almost one per day -- more than 500 new energy drinks were launched worldwide this year.

The caffeine in energy drinks comes from multiple sources, making it hard to tell how much the drinks contain. Some have B vitamins, which when taken in megadoses can cause rapid heartbeat, and numbness and tingling in the hands and feet.

The biggest worry may be how some teens now use the drinks. Some report downing several cans in a row to get a buzz, and a new study found a surprising number of poision-center calls from young people getting sick from too much caffeine.

Earlier this month, a new study found a surprising number of caffeine overdose reports to a Chicago poison control center. These involved young people taking alertness pills such as NoDoz or energy drinks, sometimes mixed with alcohol or other drugs. During three years of reports to the center, the researchers found 265 cases of caffeine abuse. Twelve percent of those required a trip to the hospital. The average age of the caffeine user was 21.

"Young people are taking caffeine to stay awake, or perhaps to get high, and many of them are ending up in the emergency department," said Dr. Danielle McCarthy of Northwestern University, who conducted the study. "Caffeine is a drug and should be treated with caution, as any drug is."

Lambert said it's recommended that a person should not exceed more than 250 milligrams of caffeine per day.

A typical energy drink contains about 80 milligrams of caffeine per can. A University of Florida study found that some products, although served in cans two-thirds the size of a standard can of Coke, contain two to four times the amount of caffeine as that Coke.

"These energy drinks are extremely caffeinated, and are loaded with sugar and calories we don't need," Lambert said.

Carol Ann Rinzler, author of "Nutrition for Dummies," examined the labels of several of the most popular energy drinks on the market.

"The labels simply don't deliver all the facts," she said. "For example, while all list caffeine as an ingredient, and most tell you exactly how much caffeine is in the drink, they also list guarana, a caffeine source, as a separate ingredient but don't tell how much caffeine one gets from the guarana."

Rinzler said energy drinks also deliver a huge hit of sugar.

"Drink more than one and you get lots of sugar -- 14 teaspoons in two cans, 21 teaspoons in three," she said.

"These drinks are really meant for adults, and I would recommend that children and teens don't need them," Lambert said. "Would you let a teen drink an entire pot of coffee? Probably not, but that's what these energy drinks are amounting to."

Physicians recommend energy drinks not be mixed with alcohol; but that's too late.

Anheuser-Busch and Miller Brewing now produce several "energy beers" -- beer containing caffeine. And Red Bull and vodka are popular drinks mixed up by bartenders.

"There's definitely a better option than Red Bull and vodka," said Rachel Van Holten, a registered dietitian at the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center. "I've heard people say they want to get a boost from the caffeine, but there's other options. Instead of a Red Bull, maybe have a Diet Coke and vodka."

Von Holten said there's other ways to boost energy without opening a can of Red Bull or Monster.

"Eating a well-balanced diet and drinking enough milk and water are going to give you a better chance of staying alert," she said. "It's ok to drink these energy drinks in moderation, but don't pound them down."

Staff writer Jennifer Freeze contributed to this report.