Energy drinks tend to get a bad rap. The Food and Drug Administration has investigated reports of deaths and sicknesses linked to them. Hospitals have reported increased ER visits. And on Capitol Hill last summer, senators grilled energy drink execs about marketing to kids.
But when it comes to caffeine intake, teenagers seem to be getting far more caffeine from coffee drinks.
A new report, published in the journal Pediatrics, finds that 17- and 18-year-olds are consuming almost double the amount of caffeine from coffee compared to a decade earlier. And more younger tweens and teens, ages 12-16, are turning to coffee, too.
"It was a surprise," researcher Amy Branum, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told us about the uptick in coffee. She's the lead author of the paper, which compared consumption in 2000 and 2010.
But interestingly, Branum says that over that time period, caffeine consumption overall has remained about the same. So, does this mean that adolescents must be drinking less of other types of caffeinated drinks? Turns out, yes. Consumption of caffeinated sodas like Coke and Pepsi is down about 40 percent among older teens.
The Salt
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