Consumption trends – Coffee drinking rises among American teenagers, experts say
Milan - Though coffee consumption by teens isn't well tracked in the US, Dan Raiten, a nutrition researcher at the National Institutes of Health, says more children seem to be drinking more coffee, and starting at younger ages.
In 2001, 10 per cent of visits to gourmet coffee and tea shops were by consumers under the age of 18, according to market research firm NPD Group. Last year it was 13 per cent.
From there, the numbers go up. The National Coffee Association says young people are the fastest growing coffee-drinking niche. In 2002, about 24 per cent of 18-to 24-year-olds drank coffee. Last year, it was 37 per cent.
But are coffee drinks good for kids?
A 16-ounce Starbucks coffee has about 320 milligrams of caffeine. It would take more than nine 12-ounce Cokes to get that much caffeine from soda.
A 2007 report by the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools advised against selling caffeinated products to children because of possible negative effects of dependency and withdrawal, including difficulty concentrating.
But sweet coffee drinks are making caffeine more accessible to children. The main concern is of kids becoming dependent on it and they need it to get going, specialists say.
From commercials and the media the idea is that you need an extra jolt in life. And now that jolt tastes good to a 12-year-old. "It's a symbol of grown-up sophistication," said in an analysis Temple University professor Bryant Simon. "Caffeine isn't great for you, but it can't really kill you, so this is a safe place for expressing adolescent angst and desires for independence."
Experts from the American Academy of Pediatrics' nutrition committee, worry as they see girls skipping meals and using coffee to lose weight, sometimes fuelled by a glorification of coffee by young celebrities.
Roland Griffiths, a caffeine expert and professor of psychology and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University says parents should exercise more oversight when it comes to coffee consumption.
Among the side effects, caffeine withdrawal can trigger headaches, lethargy, inability to concentrate, irritability, depression, mood changes and in some cases nausea, vomiting or achy flu-like symptoms
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