Super Eco

Photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography, flickr

You'd never consider slipping your child a caffeine-laced energy drink for breakfast, but the boost they get from tea and coffee is natural and healthy—right? A lack of official U.S. recommendations on caffeine for the younger set makes pinning down an answer more of a (jittery) moving target. Add in the evolving taste of growing kids, and the opportunities for kids to amp up on too much caffeine seem endless: soda with lunch, energy drinks before sports practice, flavored teas from the convenience store, the ubiquitous dash through Starbucks ...

Those of us who rely on a java jolt to jump-start our mornings are quite familiar with the signs of overindulgence: anxiety and jitteriness, an upset stomach, headaches, insomnia, difficulty concentrating and an increased heart rate. In children whose minds and bodies are still growing, the effects can be more pervasive.

The effects of caffeine alter children's ability to learn and socialize, two mission-critical tasks for developing minds and bodies. "Caffeine can stimulate immature neurological systems beyond children's ability to tolerate it, which can have serious effects," says Terence Patterson, Ed.D., of the University of San Francisco, in a report from the American Psychological Association. "Excessive caffeine use damages the attention capacity that children need to cooperate in play, family and school environments."

"Research has shown that the dose of caffeine delivered in a single can of soft drink is sufficient to produce mood and behavioral effects," says Roland Griffiths, Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins University. "Children who haphazardly consume caffeine are at risk for going through alternating cycles of withdrawal and stimulation."

The Canadian government has set caffeine recommendations based on age:

• No more than 45 milligrams a day for 4- to 6-year-olds
• 85 milligrams per day for 10- to 12-year-olds
• 300 milligrams for adults

With so many ways for kids to gulp down caffeine, the seemingly innocent morning cup of coffee or icy glass of tea in the afternoon become part of the larger impact. Consider this list of caffeinated drinks posted at Cleveland.com, all with high kid appeal:

So what's a reasonable number for a growing kid? Mark Stein, Ph.D., of Children's Hospital in Washington, D.C., calls one to two cups of coffee "moderate consumption," adding that individual differences in the ways kids react to caffeine could turn that recommendation on its ear. "The consequences of escalating caffeine use have to be studied," he concludes. "I wouldn't give it a clean bill of health just yet."