The energy-drink scourge

Teenagers generally lack the maturity to make sound decisions about health and nutrition. That's likely why the booming energy-drink industry targets them. It's also why mature adults bear a responsibility to teach kids the truth.

According to The Associated Press, energy drinks are so hot right now that new brands are coming out at the astounding rate of one a day. Most likely it is no mere coincidence that a recent study found a large number of caffeine overdoses by young people being reported by a Chicago poison control center, and that 12 percent of those cases ended in hospitalization.

Young people, in particular, seem drawn to the desire for stimulants that enhance the senses or that simply seem fun. Teens and young adults are in the age most often associated with binge alcohol drinking. They are in the age at which nearly all cigarette smokers begin their habits. And they are being attracted to energy drinks in part because these are being sold as safe alternatives to those things.

And yet scientific evidence on these drinks is scant. It's difficult for experts to tell exactly how much caffeine the drinks contain. What is certain, however, is that they contain large amounts not only of caffeine, but of sugar, some vitamins and things such as taurine and guarana.

It's also certain they do not enhance long-term energy or help athletic performance. In fact, they probably dehydrate athletes. The Swedish government has recommended energy drinks not be used when exercising.

To even a casual observer, it ought to be obvious that these drinks promote the kind of indulgence that may well lead to the need for bigger and more powerful stimulation. Little surprise, then, that beer companies such as Anheuser-Busch and Miller Brewing are now marketing their own alcoholic energy drinks or that Coca-Cola is trying to keep up by developing Coca-Cola Blak, a new drink that includes "real coffee," according to the company's Web site.

Meanwhile, Americans continue to suffer from high levels of obesity, much of it due to the overconsumption of soft drinks. And young people who indulge in large quantities of energy drinks are at the very least filling themselves with unnecessary nutrients while ignoring more sensible and healthy diets.

To anyone worried about the health of the upcoming generation, this is a bad trend, indeed.