CDC: 75% Of US Kids Consume Caffeine Daily
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that nearly 75 percent of kids have caffeine every day.
But it's not just coming from soda. Kids are also drinking more coffee and energy drinks.
Experts say that's a concern because those beverages can contain much higher amounts of caffeine than soda and iced tea.
Dr. Elissa Rubin from Happy and Healthy Pediatrics in New York echoes the sentiment from the American Academy of Pediatrics that caffeine has no place in a child's diet.
"In kids, caffeine can have significant physical and emotional side effects," Rubin said. "It can cause anxiety, panic attacks. Their heart rate can increase."
The American Beverage Association maintains that caffeine has been safely added to drinks as a flavor enhancer for more than a hundred years.