Sports drinks aren't necessary for children and teenagers and arelikely to contribute to obesity, according to U.S. researchersurging parents to limit consumption of the beverages.
While adolescent athletes engaged in vigorous physical activitymay benefit from the carbohydrates and electrolytes provided bydrinks such as Gatorade and Powerade, researchers said water shouldbe the beverage of choice for hydration.
'For most children engaging in routine physical activity, plainwater is best,' Holly J. Benjamin, a co-author of the studypublished Monday in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academyof Pediatrics, said in a statement. 'Sports drinks contain extracalories that children don't need.'
Obesity in children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 rose in theUnited States to almost 17 percent in 2007-2008 from 5 percent in1971-1974, according to the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention in Atlanta. The number of all Americans who are obese hasremained constant since then, according to a January study by theCDC. Obesity, which is a measure of body mass index, contributes tohigher risk of diabetes, heart attacks and strokes.
Monday's study also focused on the effects of energy drinks thatcontain caffeine and other stimulants. These beverages can damagechildren and adolescents' neurologic and cardiovascular systems andshouldn't be consumed, said Benjamin, a University of Chicagoassociate professor of pediatrics and a physician specializing insports medicine, and Marcie Beth Schneider, a study co-author and apediatrician in Greenwich, Conn., specializing in adolescentmedicine.
Some energy drinks have more than 500 milligrams of caffeine, orthe equivalent of 14 cans of soda, Schneider said in a statement.Rockstar, made by Las Vegas-based Rockstar Inc., has 80 mg ofcaffeine per 8 ounce serving, more than twice the amount in the same-sized serving of Coca-Cola.
About 28 percent of children ages 12 to 14 regularly consumeenergy drinks, according to a study published in the March issue ofPediatrics.
Energy drink sales totaled $7.7 billion in 2010, an increase of8.9 percent from the year earlier, according to Beverage Digest, acompiler of data from drink makers and other sources. About $7billion, a 7.5 percent rise, was spent on sports drinks, whichcontain carbohydrates, electrolytes and sweeteners.
The authors recommended physicians educate children and parentson differences between sports and energy drinks and the potentialhealth risks.
'Some kids are drinking energy drinks - containing large amountsof caffeine - when their goal is simply to rehydrate afterexercise,' Schneider said. 'This means they are ingesting largeamounts of caffeine and other stimulants, which can be dangerous.'
In 2006, Coca-Cola, based in Atlanta, PepsiCo, based in Purchase,N.Y., and other beverage companies agreed to halt soft-drink salesin elementary and middle schools, according to the American BeverageAssociation. Sports drinks, diet soda and flavored waters are stillsold at high schools. The companies also agreed not to sell energydrinks at schools with kindergarten to 12th grades.
About 88 percent fewer beverage calories were shipped to schoolsfrom 2004 to 2009, according to the Washington-based association.
'Sports drinks have a long history of scientific research showingtheir benefits for hydration,' Maureen Storey, senior vice presidentof science policy for the ABA, said in an email. 'As with all foodand beverages, they should be consumed in moderation.'
Energy drinks 'are not intended for young consumers,' Storeyadded.
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo referred requests for comment to thebeverage association. Rockstar didn't respond to a request forcomment emailed to the company's general information box.
'If a child or adolescent is already inactive, overweight orobese, then the extra calories in the drink just worsen the weightissue because they can't burn off what they eat,' Benjamin said inan email. 'For an active young child that enjoys a Gatorade, sportsdrink, with sports, it's likely not a problem, but remember it is achoice then, it's not needed.'
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Tennis player Aranxta Rus enjoys a sportsdrink during the French Open. Researchers say the beverages containextra calories that adolescent athletes dont need.
