Put down the energy drinks and pick up a bottle of water, medical experts are urging teens.
Energy drinks - which essentially are water, sugar, caffeine and amino acids - are increasingly being marketed to teenagers, a dangerous thing in the summer considering the drinks are dehydrating, said Elaine Reynolds, community outreach specialist for Mercy Hospital of Folsom.
"Caffeine has a mild diuretic, so the kids are losing more water than they're taking in," she said.
Caffeine intake in children can cause stomach irritation and upset, jitteriness and an increase in heart rate and blood pressure.
"One of the disheartening things is that they also have a stimulant effect, which over time, the body requires more and more to get the same effect," Reynolds said.
Mercy staff grew increasingly concerned about children using energy drinks after noticing an upswing in the number of teens coming into the emergency room with kidney stones. One of the ways to prevent kidney stones is good amounts of hydrating fluids.
"The theory is that with adequate fluids, we'd see less of this," she said.
The amount of water children need varies depending on their age and size, but typically small children need four to five cups a day, while adolescents require about nine to 12 cups per day.
Power drinks, which typically contain water, sugar and electrolytes, have half the amount of sugar as soda and are OK if a child is exercising for more than an hour. But there's a cheaper, and more nutritious, alternative.
"Water or juicy fruits are really what's recommended to replace water and electrolytes," Reynolds said.
Energy drinks - which essentially are water, sugar, caffeine and amino acids - are increasingly being marketed to teenagers, a dangerous thing in the summer considering the drinks are dehydrating, said Elaine Reynolds, community outreach specialist for Mercy Hospital of Folsom.
"Caffeine has a mild diuretic, so the kids are losing more water than they're taking in," she said.
Caffeine intake in children can cause stomach irritation and upset, jitteriness and an increase in heart rate and blood pressure.
"One of the disheartening things is that they also have a stimulant effect, which over time, the body requires more and more to get the same effect," Reynolds said.
Mercy staff grew increasingly concerned about children using energy drinks after noticing an upswing in the number of teens coming into the emergency room with kidney stones. One of the ways to prevent kidney stones is good amounts of hydrating fluids.
"The theory is that with adequate fluids, we'd see less of this," she said.
The amount of water children need varies depending on their age and size, but typically small children need four to five cups a day, while adolescents require about nine to 12 cups per day.
Power drinks, which typically contain water, sugar and electrolytes, have half the amount of sugar as soda and are OK if a child is exercising for more than an hour. But there's a cheaper, and more nutritious, alternative.
"Water or juicy fruits are really what's recommended to replace water and electrolytes," Reynolds said.
