FDA plans to ban alcoholic drinks containing caffeine

Sacramento teen's drug of choice is caffeine. And it's bothering nurses, including school nurses. Too many Sacramento teens suffer from caffeine confusion. Check out the article, Caffeine Confusion. Teachers are noticing jumpy, nervous students, sometimes having a spontaneous panic attack after downing a caffeinated soda. It's not just caffeine in energy drinks. There's quite a difference between soda with caffeine and alcoholic drinks with caffeine.

Some caffeinated alcoholic drinks in cans contain the equivalent in alcohol of several beers plus a cup of strong coffee. But what happens if both types of drinks gets into the hands of Sacramento teenagers who pal around with older siblings or friends drinking caffeinated alcoholic beverages that come in cans that look a lot like soda cans?

Some herbal drinks also have too much caffeine for some people to handle, and people selling herbal drinks to teens and others may not be aware of how much caffeine is in the herbals. The result is people landing in local emergency rooms with serious symptoms.

The local teen in that instance wanted to pep herself up before giving a speech in front on her class. The big question is why are so many teenagers attracted to caffeinated beverages? Is it the labeling, packaging, life stress, or older adults they see drinking so much caffeine? What attracts them to the container rather than to pure water?

Instead, the effects of the caffeine sent her into a jittery state so bad she had to stop her speech because of the agitation. Some people are sensitive to caffeine. Others have genetic tendencies that remove caffeine too slowly from the body, and still others have systems that remove caffeine quickly.

See the McClatchy Newspapers, May 17, 2008 article by Dorsey Griffith,  Nurses Denounce Energy Drinks - Nursing Link. According to this Nursing Link article which interviewed persons in Sacramento, "Ask a group of Sacramento, Calif., McClatchy High School students what they’re drinking and they’ll shout out their favorite energy drinks: “Monster!” “Rockstar!” “Boo Koo!” “Go Girl!”

The Nurses Denounce Energy Drinks - Nursing Link article reports, "Stop by Nugget Market in Davis, Calif., on a Wednesday morning and witness adolescents drinking Red Bulls and Monsters before heading to Oliver Wendell Holmes Junior High School, where the drinks have been banned from campus."

Why has the California Poison Control System in 2008 taken care of 26 calls about dangerous reactions to energy drinks in kids, most of them ages 14 and 15? According to the Nursing Link article, why in 2008 have 15 Sacramento young people landed in emergency rooms with “shakiness, tremors, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, agitation, increased heart rate or high blood pressure? In the Nursing Link article, the person interviewed in 2008 was Judith Alsop, director of poison control’s Sacramento Division.

The problem with energy drinks is that it not only attracts teens but also adults. According to the Nursing Links article that focused on interviews with Sacramento persons, the article also reported that the energy drinks typically contain two to three times the caffeine of a regular soda and nearly as much sugar, plus herbal ingredients such as caffeine-containing guarana.

Some people aren't bothered by a little caffeine, whereas others become agitated with a very small amount and end up in emergency rooms or find themselves pacing the room as the feelings of agitation mounts. It's an individual response. But local teachers are finding themselves having to handle cases of caffeine agitation and jumpiness in students who really should be drinking water.

Hospital emergency rooms and teachers are noticing more teens in Sacramento complaining of adverse effects from drinking too many caffeinated beverages either to lose weight, remain alert while studying late at night, or staying awake in school. Also for married men seeking to have a child, check out the article, Drinking too much cola could lower men's sperm count - Worldnews.com.

Are you drinking too many energy drinks to lose weight? The dramatic increase in caffeinated exotic rain-forest-type beverages containing guaranáand other sources of caffeine has alerted themedical community. With dozens of energy drinks on the market, sometimes even children unknowingly consume caffeinated beverages and energy drinks at home, usually bought by adults in their twenties. Check out the frequently answered questions site on guaraná.

There's nothing wrong with the product. Enjoy it. But when it comes to children, caffeine-like foods are not the way to help your child lose weight. Smaller portions of balanced diets and exercise work with growing kids.

Get children involved in eating more vegetables by helping the kids with gardening inside or out. They'll get exercise, even at an urban community vegetable garden for apartment dwellers. The medical problem is when teens and twenty-somethings start showing up at hospitals with symptoms that begin when they consume caffeinated beverages in an attempt either to cram all night for school exams or to lose weight.

What about Brazilian soda, and its great flavor? Although you won't deny that taking guaraná has some effects similar to those you can expect after taking caffeine, it is the exotic flavor that makes guaraná sodas so interesting.

The best brands deliver a fruity taste, aren't overloaded with sugar, and have a pleasant aftertaste. Make sure it agrees with you. Some kids suffer panic attacks after a caffeinated, sugary soda because they are genetically prone for this reaction to any stimulant that contains or mimics effects similar to caffeine, even the caffeine in bar of chocolate.

What's becoming popular are Brazilian sodas. Just watch out for caffeine. How does caffeine-like substances influence the growth of children? There's no compelling evidence that caffeine affects growth, but it can interfere with sleep habits, exacerbate hyperactivity, and contribute to dehydration. Caffeine is a diuretic, which means it causes the body to eliminate water.

Kids get most of their caffeine through soft drinks. By opting for these drinks over milk or juicing vegetables in a blender for the fiber and pulp, children can miss out on nutrients. Also, both caffeinated drinks and many juices can contain too much sugar that's a contributing factor to childhood obesity. What about caffeine-like herbs in beverages?

Guaraná sodas are becoming more popular outside Brazil. Until recently, there were just a few small companies around the globe importing original Brazilian guarana drinks. See the guarana-related newsgroups.  Guaraná is a major success in the USA and Europe, but still limited. This will change, as PepsiCo started marketing 'Guarana Antarctica' soda (the most famous Brazilian brand) worldwide. The first step is already taken: Guarana Antarctica is now available in Portugal and Spain. If you want to drink Guarana, check out the Guarana.com website. But can you order it worldwide online?

The main ingredient of guarana, guaranine, is identical to caffeine. Caffeine impairs the appetite, which can be of some help when you want to lose weight. The problem is, if it's in a soda can, kids will find it, if it's affordable.

The principle behind the idea to put caffeine (or guarana) in weight loss products is simple: if you're not hungry, you won' t eat as much as you normally would do. Caffeine in soda pop is cheap. But guarana is expensive.

If you buy a can of soda with guaraná, who's paying for the more expensive herb, rather than a cheaper stimulant such caffeine? Is guarana chemically 100% identical to caffeine? Any caffeinated soda is competing with coffee, tea, and even iced coffee or various herbal drinks found in health food stores containing caffeine.

Could it be just the exotic name, 'guarana' that sounds like the Amazon rain forest? Instead of 'caffeine', that's familiar, and that parents don't want for their kids. Is it the same psychology as labeling sugar "evaporated can juice." Or is it like labeling a product natural or herbal in order to charge more? Dietary supplement products are considered neither food nor drugs from a legal standpoint. Therefore, they are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Why are parents afraid of some foreign-sounding herbs? In the past, Guarana used to be mixed with other products such as Ephedra, also known as Ma Huang. The main ingredient in Ma Huang, Ephedrine, is chemically similar to amphetamine. The combination of both turned out to be a potentially deadly cocktail for people with cardiac problems and other medical conditions.

So basically any herb identical to caffeine can be harmful for people with heart conditions that are genetic but don't know it yet. How do you know whether any particular herb that acts as a stimulant will cause an adverse response with your particular genetic makeup? Or if you take medicines, will there be adverse interactions with unfamiliar herbs or caffeine?

It tastes great, but is it for kids? If a soda has caffeine, it doesn't belong in the mouths of children. Teenagers and twenty-somethings in increasing numbers have have been admittedto emergency rooms suffering from overdoses of caffeine afteroverindulging. The point is to take caffeinated beverages in moderation if you have to have them.

What caffeine does to some people, and you don't know whether you have the gene variants or not that are sensitive to caffeine, is to take over the control of your heart rate or disturb it in ways you won't like. The increased consumption of caffeine beveragesand pills among people under age 50 leaves insufficienttime for a good night's sleep.

Moderate consumption of drinkscontaining caffeine might alleviate drowsiness for a while,but it cannot replace the need for sleep. Little evidence suggeststhat caffeine intake boosts performance in sports. Proper hydration and adequate rest as well as payingattention to diet and regular exercise are likely to prove morehelpful.

One of the problems is the over-consumption by young people of guaraná, just because it's an exotic energy drink that originally came from the Amazon rain forest. The idea is balance, if you use the product, but there are calmer ways to lose weight without the jitters or bouncing off the walls from too much caffeine.

Caffeinated drinks from the Amazon region were consumed by people on diets of small portions of food, hunters and gatherers that had to find food daily in the forest. When they brought home no food, they had to keep hunger at bay with certain potions from rain forest plants.

Guaraná is known to help stave off hunger and it is usedby people trying to lose weight. But almost all energy drinkswith guaraná as one of the ingredients also contain largeamounts of high fructose corn syrup which may lead to weight gain whentaken on a regular basis.

Only a few of the energy drinks containing guaraná have diet versions. Guaraná powder contains negligible calories but is bitter. Most people who consume guaraná products outside of the traditional area of consumption are drinking highly sugared beverages. Improved eating habits andincreased exercise as part of a transformed life style are betterbets for keeping the weight off.

The idea is when you take any energy drink and want to lose weight at the same time, if your energy drink has corn syrup, you're defeating your purpose in trying to lose weight. On top of the corn syrup, the fructose might raise your cholesterol because it is stored in your liver. In the end, the caffeine could keep you up or increase your heart rate so much you feel anxious.

To lose weight, lower portion size of foods and eat several smaller meals each day. Lay off the sweets. Tailor your food to your metabolic needs. Will you do better on a diet of a little fish with some fruits and vegetables?

The big problem in nutrition is that there are far too many young people ending up in emergency rooms after drinking various energy and sports drinks containing caffeine or similar substances with stimulant effects, from diet pills to beverages. Check out what you take with your doctor, and keep caffeine away from kids.

Some people, especially young people with high blood pressure even have adverse reactions to many over-the-counter types of cold pills. Watch for pain-killers sold over the counter containing caffeine that keep you up all night with a fast heart beat and exacerbate your hypertension. The best road to take is to talk with your doctor and keep kids away from stimulants in certain foods.

For More Information on Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages:

• Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages -- FDA Web Page
• Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages -- Consumer Update
• Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages – Warning Letters:
  
  • Charge Beverages Corp.: Core High Gravity HG Green, Core High Gravity HG Orange, and Lemon Lime Core Spiked
  • New Century Brewing Co., LLC: Moonshot
  • Phusion Projects, LLC (doing business as Drink Four Brewing Co.): Four Loko
  • United Brands Company Inc.: Joose and Max
• Qs & As on Caffeine in Alcoholic Beverages
• Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages -- FDA Page on Flickr
• Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages -- CDC Fact Sheet  
• FTC Sends Warning Letters to Marketers of Caffeinated Alcohol Drinks

• Warning Letters
  
  • Charge Beverages Corp.: Core High Gravity HG Green, Core High Gravity HG Orange, and Lemon Lime Core Spiked
  • New Century Brewing Co., LLC: Moonshot
  • Phusion Projects, LLC (doing business as Drink Four Brewing Co.): Four Loko
  • United Brands Company Inc.: Joose and Max
• Consumer Update: Serious Concerns Over Alcoholic Beverages with Added Caffeine
• Questions and Answers