and Matt Kovac, Plainfield North
With sports practice, papers to write and tests to study for, late nights are inevitable for many high schoolers. And when in need of an energy boost, many turn to caffeine.
Today’s teens are among the first to grow up with coffeehouses, super-sized sodas and energy drinks. In fact, the National Coffee Association told The Associated Press that young adults are the fastest growing group of coffee-drinkers. In 2002, roughly 24 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds drank coffee. But in 2007, it was 37 percent. In addition, about a third of 12- to 24-year-olds say they regularly down energy drinks, according to The New York Times.
Some experts worry about whether too much caffeine is bad for teens’ health.
“Caffeine has become the most widely used stimulant among adolescents,” says Mark Stein, a pediatrics professor and caffeine expert at the University of Illinois at Chicago. “It may keep them awake, but if not taken in moderation, the consequences can include heartaches, increased perspiration and greater anxiety.”
Teens get their caffeine fix in many ways. Naperville Central senior Amanda Szczsponik, for instance, drinks Starbucks coffee and Diet Coke. She also has two to three diet Lipton green teas with citrus each day.
“(Green tea) tastes great and it keeps me awake during the day,” she said.
Others, such as Benet Academy senior Jordan DeLeon, says he has a soda when he’s tired because it gives him an “extra kick of energy.”
Experts say caffeine isn’t always bad. Daniel Evatt, a research fellow at Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins Medical School who runs a clinic for caffeine addicts, said studies show that caffeine, a stimulant, increases mental and physical performance. Also, “a little caffeine before a sports event can improve performance,” said Christina Calamaro, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing.
However, too much caffeine can lead to high blood pressure and rapid heart rate. For instance, a New Zealand woman suffered a minor heart attack after drinking 10 to 14 Red Bulls daily as part of a “Red Bull diet,” according to Australia’s The Daily Telegraph. Closer to home, four Florida middle schoolers were taken to the emergency room in the spring of 2008 with heart palpitations after consuming an energy drink called Redline, The New York Times reported.
Still, some teens rely on caffeine. Naperville Central junior John Ludlam is a regular consumer of Dr. Pepper and Monster energy drinks.
“I usually have two to three Dr. Peppers in a day, and I have a Monster if I need to stay awake through math class,” Ludlam said.
Evatt said that coffee and energy drinks typically contain the most caffeine, and it’s important for teens to know how much they’re consuming. “One thing about energy drinks is that they differ enormously in how much caffeine they contain because they are poorly regulated,” he said. “They don’t always tell you on the bottle how much (caffeine) you’re actually getting.”
In 2006, University of Florida researchers tested several energy drinks and found some have more than twice the caffeine of some espresso drinks, according to a news release on the university’s Web site.
Evatt said people can even become caffeine dependent. When that happens, one can become immune to its effects. He said those who drink too much can reach a point where they use caffeine just to reverse the bad effects and feel “normal” again.
“You can experience withdrawal effects which include headaches, feeling sluggish and many more,” Evatt said. “So maybe having one or two sodas every now and then can actually help you stay awake one night to study for a test. ... But if you do that every night you will become tolerant to the effects, and then you’re not going to get any of the benefits anymore.”
Szczsponik admits to experiencing some of those negative side effects.
“When I don’t have enough (caffeine) I get headaches and get kind of crabby,” she said.
Calamaro, who conducted a study of caffeine-drinking teens last year, found even low doses of caffeine can disrupt sleep patterns and lead to sleep deprivation. The study explored the link between caffeine and technology on teens’ sleep patterns and resulting daytime behavior.
“We were seeing a lot of teenagers who weren’t sleeping well because they were playing video games, text-messaging and drinking energy drinks,” Calamaro said. “The later kids were up multi-tasking, the more caffeine they were drinking.”
The more sleep-deprived teens are, the more they often rely on caffeine to get through the day, she said, making a decent night’s rest even harder to achieve. Some students dozed off in school as many as eight times a day, Calamaro’s study found.
But Ludlam, who drinks Dr. Pepper and Monster, finds no disruption from drinking caffeine.
“I don’t think (caffeine) affects my school work,” he said. “I think it is just a part of my schedule.”
The downside of looking for an alternative to caffeine, Evatt said, is that there’s really nothing else that offers the same feeling, “so it is probably best to cope with situations without relying on drug.” Instead, Evatt recommends moderation.
With that in mind, Calamaro suggests adults should limit themselves to two cups of coffee a day, or approximately 200 milligrams of caffeine.
And the ideal amount of caffeine for teens?
“None,” she said.
Despite the potential health risks, some teens say they still plan on sipping away.
“When I don’t drink caffeine, I feel like it’s a Monday ... everything just drags a little bit,” Ludlam said. “I understand then health concerns behind (drinking caffeine), but I don’t have diabetes yet, so I must be doing something right.”
