Teens' guzzling of energy drinks raising medical fears

"I was trying to get energy," says Megan, of Castle Rock, Colo. "In the

morning, it gives me that extra boost to get me up and get me going. It wears

off, and then I'm ready to go."

Energy drinks, laden with caffeine and sugar, have become the beverage of

choice for many teens; 30 percent say they regularly drink them, according to a

2007 report from Mintel, a Chicago market research firm, up from 20 percent in

2002. That compares to just 14 percent of adults who say they drink them.

But while teens tout the coolness, energizing factor and taste, the

popularity of energy drinks among young people has raised concern among medical

professionals, schools and state and local officials, who are pushing to limit

teens' access to the drinks.

At issue are the drinks' heavy caffeine and sugar content, the common

practice of mixing them with alcohol, and advertising that seems to target

minors for drinks with names like Cocaine.

Principals and teachers across the country are urging parents not to send

their children to school with them. Legislators from Maine and Kentucky

introduced bills this year banning the sale of highly caffeinated energy drinks

to minors. (Neither passed.)

In Florida, Broward County schools considered a districtwide ban after four

middle school students became sick from drinking energy drinks. A 16-year-old